No Notice – Barry Road Resurfacing

Local councillors have just received at 16.22 today notice that council officers plan to resurface Barry Road starting on Monday 24-27 February 8am-4pm.

If you live on Barry Road and park a vehicle on Barry Road you will need to park it elsewhere. If you live nearby expect lots of Barry Road residents to park on your street!

See attached draft letter to be delivered over the weekend. After seeking clarity we now know that Barry Road will be resurfaced from its junction with Lordship to junction with Upland Road.  You could not make this up!

Barry Road letters

Steveley Close Damp

The things I do/find as a Southwark Councillor!

This morning commuting from East Dulwich into London Bridge I spotted a down drain pipe on Staveley Close council properties when my train stopped at Queens Road Peckham station. It was hard not to while pressed up against the door window.

It’s clear lots of mold and damp are present on 1st and ground floors around one broken down pip – this could be seen clearly from Station Passage or indeed passing trains. It looks like its been growing for many many months. Appalled that so many council officials commuting in and out of Southwark Council HQ at Tooley Street must have ignored this problem.

Using Google maps and Streetview I’m sure 37-42 Staveley Close are the properties involved so I’ve reported the matter. Hopefully it won’t take long to fix – it looks an easy job even for a DIY disaster like me.

Community Asset

I was very grateful that the Dulwich Society agreed to apply for East Dulwich Police station to be listed as a Community asset under thE Localism Act. This listing owuld give us more influence in what happens with the site.

Sadly Southwark Council refused this application stating the localism Act could not be used.

Weirdly three other councils around England have listed police station using this act:
• Waverley council: Haslemere police station was listed in 2013 
http://www.surrey-pcc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/036_2013_Estates-Disposals.pdf

• East Hampshire council: Petersfield police station was listed in September 2013 
         http://www.petersfieldpost.co.uk/news/police-station-listed-as-a-community-asset-1-5535463

• Calderdale council: Hebden Bridge police station was listed in October 2013 
         http://www.hebdenbridgetimes.co.uk/news/local/sucesss-in-bid-to-see-old-police-station-listed-as-an-asset-of-community-value-1-6137306

I would suggest Southwark is unlikelyto know better than three other councils.

So I’ve started the process of appealing. It’s a really important principle.

Site found – East Dulwich Harris Free School

Great news that a permanent site for the East Dulwich Harirs free primary Scohol has been found.

East Dulwich councillors initiated this cmapaign in late 2012 when we realised Southwark ocuncil’s plans were inadequate to solve the looming primary school reception place crisis.

The new permanent site will be the former East Dulwich Police station. The school will open there September 2015. But it will open on a temporary site tihs September 2014. Very exciting.

Thanks you to all the parents who have lent us their support to make this possible and happen. For the Harris Federation who have acted brilliantly throughout. And all the supporters who have helped make this site possible – it has been a very bumpy, stressful ride.

cllr outside new primary scholl site

East dulwich Lib Dem councillors where the new school will go.

Local Indie Shop Map

Some local residents have put together a marvellous map of local independent shops.

Please see attached. Indie Shop Map

WELL DONE EMMA PALLANT for the lovely artwork and MADELIENE WORRALL for conceiving of the idea and making it happen.

I helped find the money and guranteed it so they could print before Christmas. I’ve already been asking them about the next version…

What have we missed?

 

Burgess Park CPO

Around two years ago I highlighted to the Cabinet member at Southwark Council that property adjacent to Burgess Park was up for sale. Key property that would really help improve the Southampton Way boundary and area. Cllr Barrie Hargrove was interested.

 I’m delighted that the council cabinet committee agreed this week to potentially seek Compulsory Purchase Orders to make this idea a reality.

Burgess Park was conceived during WWII to make the area much more green and pleasant. Huge number of homes and many businesses to make this happen. Some were my family. So I’m keen that in my lifetime this great project is properly finished.

What improvements do you think would help bring Burgess Park onto a par with London’s Royal Parks

ED Changes for 2014/15

Every year local ward councillors get to decide how to spend some devolved Cleaner, Greener, Safer budget. The scheme started when Lib Dems first led the council in 2002 with only one year when it didn’t operate when the Labour administration wanted to use the money on pet Olympic projects.

I’m particularly excited by the prospect of improving the junction of North Cross Road with Lordship Lane. It’s one of our crash hot spots, doesn’t work well when closed for the street market on Saturdays. The Bike hangars will be a great experiment to see if they can work locally in East Dulwich – fingers crossed. And lastly trialling the Dulwich Hospital phlebotomy service on Saturdays. IT should really make it much easier for people to have blood tests outside of normal work hours and provide a real alternative to being at the hospital before 7am weekdays.

This year East Dulwich councillors have decided to allocate the following:

CGS capital:

–          ED Crime Prevention fund £10,000

–          ED street trees £10,000

–          Lordship Lane secure derelict property £4,500

–          Chesterfield £6,000 for upgrading street lighting to white light, £4,000 for pavement tree pit upgrading.

–          Bike hangars – fund 2 to be decided where most popular by residents £10,000

–          East Dulwich Community Centre (EDCC) children garden area materials £524

–          Bassano Street gating £2,000

–          Dawson Heights tree planting £1,000

–          Upgrade junction of NCR/LL £50,000

–          ED public Automated Emergency Defibrillators £5,000

–          Historic photos project £4,500

Total £112,524

 

CGS revenue:

–          Give and take EDCC events £1,500

–          Goose Green nursery improvements £1,400

–          EDCC gardening £700

–          WW2 plaques across Dulwich £667

–          Street cleaning machine extra half-time employee £11,605

–          Saturday Dulwich Hospital blood testing trial x 26 weeks (as per separate email) £20,000

Total £35,872

81 seconds to answer

Southwark Council can be painful to deal with. It’s such a large organisation doing so many different things that people often tell me it’s hard to find the right person or get the response they expected.

All queries are dealt with by a now in-house contact centre based in Peckham. It handles huge volumes of phone calls and emails. Typically 25,000 calls a month but only gets to answer between 45% and 73%. The average time taken to answer those calls is much improved from a high in October 2012 of 5 mins 56 seconds down to 1 mins 21 seconds in December 2013. But most organisations aim for just a few rings before answering in less than 10 seconds. So still huge work to be done.

When you do get through, 77% of residents found they received the help they needed, 15% didn’t and 8% aren’t sure. Importantly many of these calls are to tell the council something they want to know to fulfil its duty to us as residents.

During 2014 efforts to get more services online to avoid having to make a phone call are planned. Silly things like bulk waste collection will go online. So far 55,000 residents have registered to use online services and is increasing by 300 pw. If you haven’t registered please do register here: https://my.southwark.gov.uk/Default.aspx

What have your experiences been like?

Which council officers has gone the extra mile for you?

Missing Children

One of Lib Dem councillors ask a question at last nights council assembly which elicited a shocking response: 

54. QUESTION TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN;’S SERVICES FORM COUNCILLOR COLUMBA BLANGO

How many incidents of children in care going missing for more than 24 hours have been recorded in each of the past four years? How many children are currently missing from care, and for how long have they been missing in each case?

RESPONSE

The issue of children going missing form care does cause us concern because when a child is missing there is a possibility that they could be at risk of harm or danger.

At present we do not have any children reported missing from care and I am pleased that when our children in care go missing, we are able to return them within 48 hours. On the rare occasion where this is longer we work with the police to alert the media.

–          In 2012-13 there were 168 missing incidents recorded for 36 young people.

–          In 2011-12 there were 88 missing incidents recorded for 27 young people.

–          In 2010-11 there were 17 missing incidents recorded for 9 young people.

–          In 2009-10 there were 14 missing incidents recorded for 9 young people.

All of the above were young people missing for over 24 hours. There has been a significant improvement in the recording of missing incidents in the last three years and we have implemented workshops for staff and our administrative.

END

Really disappointing that no plans were revealed how to fix this. All those Southwarks children in danger. And what are they running from…

Call For New Secondary School

Do you support a new East Dulwich secondary school?

If you have children due to start secondary school Sept 2016 or 2017 please email me your support for a new exemplary secondary school stating your name, child’s date of birth and your home post code to:

james.barber@southwark.gov.uk

Background:

Locally East Dulwich councillors have been working to solve the Primary school reception places gap. By September 2016 the gap would have risen to 215-235 reception places. We’ve supported one free school that’s opened by finding a site for it and provided the evidence and suggested sites for another two free schools. Together they should provide 170 of the required places and Southwark Council are providing places in neighboring areas relieving demand on Dulwich schools by about 45 places.

But after primary school where will these extra children go – do we need a new exemplary secondary school to provide enough local places?

The bulge in primary school places started in 2009. Those children will need secondary school places 2016. We also know that currently few families are being offered the secondary school places they want.  Instead many are being offered places in New Cross, Crayford, Walworth and that’s before the 2009 primary bulge takes effect.

Council officials tell us we have plenty of places. But they plan secondary school places on a borough wide basis. But most families think much more locally than that.

To test the numbers the Lib Dem leader asked the Labour council leader about school places  (page 19 second paragraph). If you ignore the political ping pong he stated “The forecasts show continuing demand for secondary places and suggest that in the medium term from 2016 additional secondary places may be needed in the borough.”

These jigsaw pieces tell me we need a new secondary school in the Dulwich area opening September 2016.

This date is useful because the East Dulwich Harris Boys Academy will have had two sets of GCSE result by then and should be even more popular with the anticipated great results. So it wouldn’t suffer from a new competing local school. The Charter School and Kingsdale School are both already immensely popular so shouldn’t suffer any rival new school.

Where and what?

Residents don’t need another single sex school because we now have one of each . So a new school would need to be co-ed.

The Dulwich Hospital site is the only Dulwich land with sufficient space for a secondary school. A secondary school would still leave plenty of space for the proposed primary school  and proposed medical facilities.

So which provider?

With your support we will attract a great provider and convince Southwark Council to plan places in a more family orientated way.

Do you support a new East Dulwich secondary school?

If you have children due to start secondary school Sept 2016 or 2017 please email me your support for a new exemplary secondary school stating your name, child’s date of birth and your home post code to:

james.barber@southwark.gov.uk