Criminal record

I’ve heard a very sad tale today.

Surrey Docks city farm has been broken into numerous times pushing it close to the edge of closing. No one could work out how they were getting in as high walls. It transpires that one of the those Royal Mail drop boxes – you know the grey ones where they leave more letters for posties to collect and deliver – was being used as a stepping stone to get in. In fact it looks like it had been used for this purpose for years.

The farm manager Barry Mason had repeatedly asked Royal Mail to move it. Numerous emails, phone calls, visits to Mandela Way Royal Mail sorting office. He finally gets letter from Royal Mail HQ saying moving it was down to Southwark Council. How bizarre. When had these boxes become the councils responsibility. Eitherway both Southwark Council and Police  agreed it had to be moved.

So Barry finally snapped and told the Royal Mail he was going to move it and where to collect it from and that he would only do this once he was sure it contained no mail. So Royal Mail had one final opportunity to move it themselves. All very reasonable considering Royal Mail had unwittingly been an accessory to numerous criminal acts.

Needless to say Royal Mail didn’t move it. After he removed it he contacted Southwark Council who that same day fixed the gaping hole. Well done Southwark Council Officers.

Royal Mail then truculently complain to Police saying mail box had been stolen and mail had been stolen. Actually in the circumstance that’s rather vicious. So Police arrest poor Barry and hold him for 6 hours until they realised how ridiculous this was and released him with a caution.

Barry now has a criminal record.

Moral of this story. If you act responsibly with Royal Mail don’t expect the same back. If you have one of these grey Royal Mail drop boxes against one of your walls ensure it can’t be used to burgle you or worse.

Dulwich Pool reopening

Dulwich Pool, on East Dulwich Road, is reopening after extensive works and with a new entrance on Crystal Palace Road on the weekend of 25/26 September.

Huge frustrations with the amount of delay in the last few months. Shame kids summer holidays have been missed. But at last we have the opening dates set.

Relieved that this Lib Dem electoral promise is being delivered and that the pool phase about to complete. Just need the gym phase to complete things. Hooray! 

paying bills

Some figures are out at how quick local councils and other government funded bodies are at paying its bills. This information has come from the Forum of Private Business.

I’m glad to say that all the efforts of Lib Dem Cllr Tim McNally when he was the cllr in charge of resources has been shown to have succeeded. Southwark Council pay 63% of bills within 10 days and 85% within 30 days. Lambeth Council 60% and 83% respectively and Lewisham 32% and 85%.

On average Southwark pays is invoices in 20 days, Lewisham 26 days and Lambeth 28 days. A week can be a very lung time for a business in the current climate. Well done Tim. Fingers crossed the new administration keep this performance up.

If you run a business facing payment difficulties then do contact the forum anonymously latepayment@fpb.org

Northcross Market

Should Northcross Market be expanded and Northcross Road be closed on market days?

140 people responded and resounding yes.

So clearly we need to support this market and potentially closing Northcross Road when the market is very busy. Next step is to see how local residents feel. Thanks to those that responded to the survey.

Goose Green school – new children’s centre

I’ve been examining the plans and sketchs for the new Goose Green school entrance and children’s centre. They will be a great addition to East Dulwich.

The plans look good. Really good.

These plans have been under development for some time so chuffed that we’ve finally reached planning application stage. So new entrance, kitchens, boys and girls toilets. New children’s centre where classrooms used to be. Quite a ground floor reconfiguration.

I just wish we could find ways to increase the playground size.

136 Southwark deaths every year

Accroding to a report produced by Dr Brian Miller for IOM 136 Southwark residents die prematurely every year. Six of those every year in East Dulwich ward. This means on average we’re ALL dieing 3 weeks earlier than necessary but equally importantly suffer problems and complications due to poorer health from air pollution.

http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Health_Study_%20Report.pdf

To combat this the London Mayor is closing down the Western extension of the Congestion Charging Zone, and has delayed other planned measures. 

We all have a part to play – walking and cycling more and reducing cars less. Insulating our homes more so we use gas boilers less. Less packaging so fewer and lighter lorries.

But London and each borough also need to do their part. In East Dulwich we’ve created a carbon fund to help with simple measures to reduce CO2 which happily sees fewer other conmbustion products that cause air pollution.

Are you doing your bit?

School meals

Just been reading about a charity www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk who have a process they take schools through where tiny small changes can dramatically increase the proportion of school kids choosing to eat school meals. This clearly also makes free school meals more attractive.

One change was allowing key stage 2 pupils to have self-service recognising their increasing desire for independence and also reducing waste.

Another school introduced grab-bags so pupils taking school meals could grab a bag with a good school meal in it and sit with friends who brough lunches in.

This month the School Food Trust is arranging free training for local education authorities on how to promote school free meals.

Southwark Labour party are planning to introduce free school meals. Without following the School Food Trust type changes these meals will miss the mark with many Southwark school kids. Equally with such changes offering free school meals is an over reaction.

Labour councillor suspended

I was really sad to hear earlier today that one of the new Labour councillors Keadean Rhoden, representing The Lane ward, has been suspended from the Labour Party. The Lane ward is just to the north east of East Dulwich ward.

Apparently they will be in court facing a charge of benefit fraud. I hope they are found not guilty.

It was bad enough that The Lane ward was left with only two councillors for 6 months from Dec-May with a Labour councillor resigning. But losing another would be really derelict in local leadership.

Council Housing lift contract terminated

Some months ago the then council leader Nick Stanton started the wheels in motion to review the council Housing lift contract. It’s just been announced by the new Labour councillor. Great news that they’ve followed up the hard work started.

Hopefully the new lift service once the current contract is terminated in August will give a better service.

I’d like to see all lift status reported on-line in real time. Residents being able to register a contact method such as mobile phone so they can be texted or emailed or phone message when news about a lift they’ve registered an interest. That way people can be kept updated in real-time and plan their lives accordingly.

Great opportunity to improve many people’s lives.

Southwark Legal Advice Network

Southwark has seen the coming together of ten advice organisations to form Southwark Legal Advice Network.

They have created a self help website www.southwarkadvice.org, organised joint training between the ten groups, helped bring about closer working in the financial advice groups area and set up council tax debt clinics with Southwark Council.

What a great first year.

Well done and especially well done Southwark Citizens Advice Bureaux for leading SLAN.