A wonderful arts group for people with mental health needs has been saved after a successful campaign by its members, with the support of the Liberal Democrats. Lewisham Network Arts provides a lifeline for dozens of local people and it seemed outrageous and self-defeating to shut it down due to so-called savings. I was at the opening last month of a beautiful exhibition of art produced by the group – anyone who attended would realise just how important groups like Network Arts are.
Figures released by Labour-run Lewisham Council show knife crime is up 25% in the last year. Gun crime is up too, and according to statistics on the Metropolitan Police’s website, there were 770 violent crimes in Lewisham in September alone.
It’s really important we don’t give in to the fear of crime, but I think there is a real problem here that we need to deal with. I’m particularly concerned about the impact of this violence on young people. I’m shocked at the number of my former students who have become victims
themselves. When I ask them if the media is exaggerating the problem, they tell me that the reality is even worse than the newspapers report.
That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for 10,000 more police across the country, which would be paid for by scrapping Labour’s pointless and wasteful ID card scheme. But it’s not just more police that we need, but better police-community relations, and I think we’ve got some way to go on that score in Lewisham.
Here in Lewisham I’m involved in the ENOUGH campaign to ‘make youth violence history’. I’m also sending out a crime survey to thousands of home to find out what local people really think, and last week I met with the new Borough Commander, Jeremy Burton, to find out his views on the situation in Lewisham.
I’m confident we can make Lewisham a safer place, but I’m just not sure Labour recognise the extent of the problem. When I recently attended a special meeting of the Lewisham Community Police Consultative Group to discuss violent crime, attended by over 100 concerned local people, there was no sign of the Labour parliamentary candidate, the Labour Mayor or the Labour Cabinet Member for Community Safety.
However, the message from the meeting was clear. If we all work together – police, politicians and the public – we can cut violent crime in our communities.
Boris’ promises are looking somewhat empty when it comes to the Oyster Card. In his election manifesto in 2008 he promised Oyster at every station and lower fares. We’re still waiting for Oyster across Lewisham, including in Grove Park, and fares have gone up! The Liberal Democrats in City Hall have been demanding Boris keeps his promise. How much longer will we have to wait, Boris?
I was pleased to join local residents and my fellow Liberal Democrat councillor, Paul Bentley at an event to mark the takeover of Leybridge Court and Newstead Road estates by Broomleigh Housing Association, last Friday.
As part of the takeover, residents will benefit from a £26 million investment, including environmental improvements and new kitchens and bathrooms for tenants who need them. Broomleigh have also promised to construct a new community centre on each estate.
The success of this transfer is a testament to all the hard work done by local reisdents. I know they were impressed with Broomleigh’s plans, and we look forward to working with them to improve our area after years of neglect by the Labour Party.
I took a turn as a barrista last week, when I spent a morning volunteering at the recently opened Cafe Number Ten on Catford Broadway. The cafe, an Age Concern project, is a great addition to Catford, and exactly the type of initiative that should be encouraging in many of our rundown town centres.
Oh, and the coffee’s great too, so do drop in. It’s open from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Users of a children’s playgroup are calling on Lewisham Council to re-instate popular all-day play sessions, after they were cut when the Council re-structured the service.
The Forster Park Generations Playgroup, in south Lewisham, used to offer all-day play sessions, where local families and carers could bring their children throughout the day. But following a re-structuring, the opening hours of the playgroup have been cut, and the all-day play sessions have been replaced by a number of shorter sessions, aimed at specific activities or age groups, leaving many parents disgruntled.
Parents and carers are now only able to attend when their child meets the eligibility criteria of the session. For example, a parent with two children, can no longer bring both if one of them is ‘too old’ for the session on offer. This often makes it impossible for them to attend at all.
Lynn Perryman, who used to be a regular at the playgroup said, “Forster Park playgroup used to be a really vibrant community where you could drop in at any point in the day and there’d always be a friendly face for a chat and cup of tea, with different activities for the children to do. Now it is difficult to keep track of which session is available on which day for your child’s age group. During the school holidays I couldn’t access the play group at all as I have an older son – children up to the age of eight used to be allowed in on a Monday and Wednesday but this has now ceased.
Lunchtimes used to be a special time, which allowed the children to eat together and learn valuable social skills as well as preparing them for mealtimes at school. The centre was even presented with a healthy eating award last year. But it’s now closed during lunch, and there are no healthy snacks or drinks, with the exception of water and milk.”
It’s right that the Council looks for ways to attract new parents to the children’s playgroups, but if this means current users feel letdown, the decision should be re-examined. The Council says they consulted widely, but no one I have spoken with said they were consulted. I’d like the Council to meet with all the playgroup users and see if a solution can be reached before these changes are rolled out to other playgroups across the borough.
Local residents have been telling me how furious they are at the stalled roadworks beside Grove Park station. The junction, which is the responsibility of Mayor Boris Johnson’s Transport for London, was dug up months ago, but no progress has been made since. All the pedestrian crossings have been shut down, leaving commuters and residents to dodge the traffic whenever they want to cross the intersection. I’ll be meeting with Transport for London this week and will urge them to sort out the mess as soon as possible.
Thank you to all those who attended the ‘Campaign for Change’ Assembly, in Whitefoot. We all agreed to campaign on two local issues that really matter:
1. The £15 fee the Council charge for collecting bulky items, like beds or sofas. We will invite Council staff from Lewisham (who charge for collection) and Southwark (who do not), to come to the next Assembly and explain their policies.
2. The ‘Tiger’s Head’ junction We will attend a meeting with Transport for London (who are responsible for the junction), and depending on their response, then decide our next steps.
The next Assembly will be on January 26th – please put the date in your diary!
Residents in south Lewisham are being driven to despair by the constant droan from railway carriages parked at the end of their gardens. The carriages, which belong to Southeastern railways, are left on the railway sidings every night and over the entire weekend, with their generators running and lights on.
I received an assurance from Southeastern railways two months ago that they would do their best to reduce the disturbance, but the problem is as bad as ever. Surely it’s not too much to expect the railways to turn off their generators at night. Not only is it a huge disturbance for residents, but it’s also a mammoth waste of power.
Congratulations to all our supporters in Lewisham – with your help we won the Overall Award, from the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors, at this year’s party conference!
