Recycling Failure

The latest Southwark Council recycling figures show that recycling is in a malaise in Southwark.

In the last four years the figures have gone up from 22% of waste recycled in 2009/10 to 31% in 2012/13 the last year official government figures were made available. The council has now issued a press release stating 37% is the latest figure – but that’s before the Valuation Office Agency tell Southwark how many homes we have. So it’s clearly the wrong number.

But the tough contract the Lib Dems negotiated with Veolia was that it would be at 38% by now not a dodgy 37% AND that the next step would be food waste recycling.

Southwark Labour promised to double the 22% recycling rate by now, which they’ve clearly failed to achieve, and they deployed food waste recycling to reach this lower figure. They’ve shot their bolt.

The contract with Veolia the Lib Dems negotiated had financial clauses to ensure Veolia were hugely motivated to reach 38% AND THEN go to 50% by adding food waste recycling.

It seems clear that what is needed is some recycling of the Southwark Lib Dem policies on recycling to get recycling up above 50% with zero going to landfill.

What is your households recycling rate?

 

Peckham Rye Station Access

The government is spending £100M on 18 stations to improve access to them. It’s great news that Peckham Rye station is one of the 18.

Lots of East Dulwich residents use Peckham Rye station every day. So new lifts, etc will make a big difference. The only downside is that the plans to do this cover the next four years. That’s a long time to wait.

What changes would you make to Peckham Rye Station?

Do you agree with opening up the station concourse?

Dangerous Junction

The more that I look at the areas around the junctions go Townley Road with Lordship Lane the more convinced I am that we can make it much better.

Currently its crash magnet and a local hotspot for collisions. It’s also an area with really restricted parking for residents. The road has been been made nice and wide and clear of all obstacles. It makes it tempting to speed.

Narrowing the road and the Townley Road entrance would really help reduce speeds and crashes. With kerb build outs we can achieve this while making it possible for residents to be able to park. It would require changing the two stage Pelican crossing to make it more obviously one stage crossing.

What do you think should be done to make this patch of East Dulwich better and safer for roads users and local residents?

New Powers To Control Betting Shops

Communities across the country have understandably been concerned and annoyed at the proliferation of betting shops since Tessa Jowell MP reversed the burden of proof required to open new betting shops. Instead of betting shops having to prove they wouldn’t cause harm communities had to prove they would cause harm to shop them. The flood gates opened.

So Lib Dem ministers have worked to give new powers to councils to halt this terrible trend. Sadly their isn’t enough parliamentary time for a new gaming act so instead planning rules have been changed.

Betting shops fall in the same planning category as a bank or estate agent and can open without the need for a planning application hen a premises becomes vacant. The new rules mean that councils will have the power to scrutinise and refuse such betting shops where they have grounds to do so. Hurray!

Do you think we have too many betting shops?

New East Dulwich Cinema

East Dulwich Lib Dems are very excited that at last the planning application from the PictureHouse cinema group has been submitted to convert the former St.Thomas Moore Hall at 116A Lordship Lane into a cinema.

Council planning officers are ready for your comments whether supporting or objecting. The details of the planning application can be seen here.

Please send your thoughts to planning.applications@southwark.gov.uk and copy me at cllrjamesbarber@gmail.com with subject line 14/AP/1101

We think a cinema will be a great new asset to the area. So much so that over the last few years we’ve talked to five different cinema groups trying to attract one to the area. But as with any change it needs to be planned with care to minimise any negative impact.

Please do tell us what you think. And please ask your friends and family to also tell Planning Officers what they think.

Leaseholder Freedom Needed

Southwark Council has a number of leaseholders and pseudo freeholders.

Many houses and flats over the last 40 years have been sold under the Right To Buy but because the road they’re on has been kept as an estate road they’ve been sold as freehold houses or leasehold flats that pay estate charges and often much more.

I think we need a small team to review all such freeholds and leaseholds with the aim of adopting the highways and severing freeholder and leaseholder liabilities for highways.

Similarly for leaseholders. in many cases being the freeholder creates a painful liability and un recouped costs for Southwark. I would task such a team with giving the freehold which has negative values to Southwark to the leaseholders.

Both measures would over time reduce the management costs of running Southwark Council housing and save money. This would leave council staff to concentrate on managing the real council properties.

It is ridiculous that so many Southwark residents have been tied needlessly to Southwark Council with reduced freedom at a higher cost

Upgrading North Cross Road

We’ve achieved much to improve North Cross Road and there market – road resurfacing last year, electric points for the market stalls, marked pitches.

IMG00353-20140323-1500We’ve just had the last patch of sub standard paving relaid. The Costcutter has started to smarten up its fencing (thank you).

We’re now trying to get the UK Power Networks electric sub station tidied up. For years and years an abandoned UKPN employee car and trailer have been present. Getting this removed will give the place a less abandoned look….

abandoned car and trailer

Lordship Lane Challenge

We need to find ways of making Lordship Lane an even better place to shop, socialise and serve the local community.

As Lib Dem East Dulwich councillors we’ve ensured much improved pedestrian facilities – making it 20mph, two signalled crossings, an extra zebra crossing at Goose Green, raising side roads to make Lordship Lane level, hanging baskets.

We’ve talked to five cinema providers and we’re delighted the Picturehouse Cinema are working to make a cinema happen by Christmas.

We’ve improved North Cross Road and the market.

What next? The junction of Lordship lane and North Cross Road will be revamped during the summer with money we’ve allocated from our devolved capital budget. This should solve an crash hot spot and make the market more inviting.

We also need to:

– Lordship Lane pavements improved. This will mean helping small businesses with the pavement they control. Currently they look terrible.

– Free wifi which will be free if done on a Southwark wide basis.

– Legible London signage to make it clearer where everything is and draw people from East Dulwich station along to our high street (via Grove Vale).

– Town Centre loyalty card.

– Season banners on lampposts.

What do you think we need to work on to make Lordship Lane better?

Monday Tube Strike

You may have heard that there is a strong chance of a tube strike next week. Here’s some information that I hope might be useful:

1. The tube will be heavily disrupted from late Monday until early Wednesday. BBC London’s site and their transport Twitter feed are good place to check for updates, because the number of unions striking and the services most disrupted may change.

2. There will be knock on effects on other London transport, which will get very crowded. However trains, the Overground, buses and DLR should operate as usual. TFL’s route planner allows you to plan journeys avoiding the tube, so is worth trying.

3. There is also a planned strike on Tuesday – Thursday inclusive of the following week, of 6th – 8th May. Note that this follows Bank Holiday Monday on 5th May.

Do let me know if there is any useful extra local information that I should tweet out during the strike. My Twitter feed is here.

Fighting Crime

One of our priorities in East Dulwich has been fighting crime through crime prevention.

We’ve invest a huge proportion of the devolved capital budgets and create a crime prevention fund.

So what have we done to help prevent crime:

175 Alertboxes connecting businesses together so they can help each other out when in trouble.

2,500 residential SelectaDNA property marking kits. Huge deterrent and great for helping to convict burglars.

50 large premise SelectDNA property marking kits.

Gating alleyways to make them more secure- 2 on North Cross Road, Ashbourne Grove, Shawbury Road.

Ensured all street lighting has been modernised.

Laser speed camera and mobile traffic calming message board.

Police metal detectors and other essential kit for them.

 

What other measures do you think we could take to prevent crime?