jamesmcash

Hi all An update from the council about waste collection and personal finance. Waste and recycling collections We are hugely grateful to our committed staff and agency workers who have helped us maintain our regular waste and recycling collections. We know some councils have already scaled back their service, but we really want to continue to deliver these services for residents. We have had nearly 100% staff coverage all week, and as a result we are currently collecting waste and recycling from well over 99% of Southwark homes on their scheduled date. Some residents will have experienced missed bin collections, often as a result of agency workers not knowing their patch as well as our normal staff. If these can be reported on our website, it will help us fulfil the collection and improve training to avoid it being repeated. To help allow staff to focus on delivering this service under considerable pressure, it would really help if councillors and residents could do the following if they want to report a missed collection: ? If your collection is missed please check our website (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/impact-on-council-services/impact-of-coronavirus-on-bin-collections) for any updates on services in case anything has changed. ? Keeping calls and emails to the council to a minimum will help us focus on delivering a good service, and supporting our most vulnerable residents. If you need to report a missed collection please do so on our website (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/general-household-waste/report-a-missed-collection) If you log the request online, it appears automatically on the refuse vehicle?s computer within about 15 minutes, and saves a huge amount of work for the team. This is a far more effective way of resolving an issue than emailing officers or members enquiries, reduces duplication of effort, and normally results in a much quicker resolution for the resident, so your support with this is much appreciated. Universal Credit and financial support There has been a significant increase in the number of people applying for Universal Credit (UC) as the current pandemic has worsened, with nearly a million people applying nationally in the past fortnight. We expect that in Southwark another 2,000 council tenants will claim UC in the next six months. We are asking any residents experiencing difficulty in making payments to the council to contact the council (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-tax/covid-19-help-and-advice) and we will try to help. The council has also published information about what is available including financial support and food access if a family are unable to afford food, or if they are self-isolating due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and unable to access food. This can be found on the council?s coronavirus public web pages (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus) and food access 9https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/food-access) webpage. Citizens Advice have compiled useful advice for those who are struggling to meet their energy, water and mortgage bills as a result of the current crisis. This is available on the Citizens Advice website (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/if-you-cant-pay-your-bills-because-of-coronavirus/). Best wishes James

Hi all An update from the council about waste collection and personal finance. Waste and recycling collections We are hugely grateful to our committed staff and agency workers who have helped us maintain our regular waste and recycling collections. We know some councils have already scaled back their service, but we really want to continue to deliver these services for residents. We have had nearly 100% staff coverage all week, and as a result we are currently collecting waste and recycling from well over 99% of Southwark homes on their scheduled date. Some residents will have experienced missed bin collections, often as a result of agency workers not knowing their patch as well as our normal staff. If these can be reported on our website, it will help us fulfil the collection and improve training to avoid it being repeated. To help allow staff to focus on delivering this service under considerable pressure, it would really help if councillors and residents could do the following if they want to report a missed collection: ? If your collection is missed please check our website (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/impact-on-council-services/impact-of-coronavirus-on-bin-collections) for any updates on services in case anything has changed. ? Keeping calls and emails to the council to a minimum will help us focus on delivering a good service, and supporting our most vulnerable residents. If you need to report a missed collection please do so on our website (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/general-household-waste/report-a-missed-collection) If you log the request online, it appears automatically on the refuse vehicle?s computer within about 15 minutes, and saves a huge amount of work for the team. This is a far more effective way of resolving an issue than emailing officers or members enquiries, reduces duplication of effort, and normally results in a much quicker resolution for the resident, so your support with this is much appreciated. Universal Credit and financial support There has been a significant increase in the number of people applying for Universal Credit (UC) as the current pandemic has worsened, with nearly a million people applying nationally in the past fortnight. We expect that in Southwark another 2,000 council tenants will claim UC in the next six months. We are asking any residents experiencing difficulty in making payments to the council to contact the council (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-tax/covid-19-help-and-advice) and we will try to help. The council has also published information about what is available including financial support and food access if a family are unable to afford food, or if they are self-isolating due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and unable to access food. This can be found on the council?s coronavirus public web pages (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus) and food access 9https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/food-access) webpage. Citizens Advice have compiled useful advice for those who are struggling to meet their energy, water and mortgage bills as a result of the current crisis. This is available on the Citizens Advice website (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/if-you-cant-pay-your-bills-because-of-coronavirus/). Best wishes James

Thanks so much for all the work you are doing on this!

Dear all Here's some more information about what the council is doing. 1. Southwark Council COVID-19 community grants - details of this ?390,000 fund are now up on line (well ahead of schedule!). The grants will be made each month until July 2020. We are offering four tiers of grant at up to ?500, ?1,000, ?5,000 and ?10,000. Applications for this month need to be in by 13 April. Details here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/southwark-covid-19-community-grants 2. Southwark Community Response Fund - has also been set up by a group of local funders, with pooled contributions from United St Saviour?s, Guy?s and St Thomas? Charity, Peter Minet Trust and Southwark Charities, a total of ?455,000 has been earmarked for Southwark communities across the whole borough. Details here: https://www.ustsc.org.uk/news/southwarks-community-response-to-covid-19/ 3. Resident newsletter - If the council has your email address then you should have received a newsletter from the council. In case you haven't got it, you can see it here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKSOUTHWARK/bulletins/284477f Finally, it was great to join Mutual Aid groups across Goose Green and Dulwich Hill in a coordinating Zoom call last night. Photo here: https://twitter.com/mcash/status/1245785627531988992 Best wishes James

Dear all TE44 - great suggestion, let me look into it. Further, here's some more information about what the council is doing. 1. Southwark Council COVID-19 community grants - details of this ?390,000 fund are now up on line (well ahead of schedule!). The grants will be made each month until July 2020. We are offering four tiers of grant at up to ?500, ?1,000, ?5,000 and ?10,000. Applications for this month need to be in by 13 April. Details here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/southwark-covid-19-community-grants 2. Southwark Community Response Fund - has also been set up by a group of local funders, with pooled contributions from United St Saviour?s, Guy?s and St Thomas? Charity, Peter Minet Trust and Southwark Charities, a total of ?455,000 has been earmarked for Southwark communities across the whole borough. Details here: https://www.ustsc.org.uk/news/southwarks-community-response-to-covid-19/ 3. Resident newsletter - If the council has your email address then you should have received a newsletter from the council. In case you haven't got it, you can see it here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKSOUTHWARK/bulletins/284477f Finally, it was great to join Mutual Aid groups across Goose Green and Dulwich Hill in a coordinating Zoom call last night. Photo here: https://twitter.com/mcash/status/1245785627531988992 Best wishes James

Hi all An update from the council about support for local businesses (this is a few days old, but I have not shared it on here yet.) Cash grants for businesses will be awarded over the coming weeks and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is now open for applications. Further information on these schemes is included below, along with updates on other support measures and guidance for businesses. Please help by sharing this message across your local business networks. We will continue to provide updates by email and we will keep our business support web page (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/business/business-support-and-advice/covid-19-support-and-information-for-businesses-and-employers) regularly updated. We know this is a very difficult time for the Southwark business community. If you have questions or concerns, please do contact us at [email protected] Business grants Business grants are now available for small businesses covered by the two schemes recently announced by the Chancellor. The small business grant provides any business that is receiving small business rate relief with a cash grant of ?10,000. The retail, hospitality and leisure grant provides businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with a cash grant. Businesses in these sectors with a rateable value of under ?15,000 will receive a grant of ?10,000 per property and businesses with a rateable value of between ?15,001 and ?51,000 will receive a grant of ?25,000 per property. We are already making grants to eligible small businesses where we have the business?s bank account details. Payments should arrive in accounts from this Friday 27th March. If you believe you are eligible for a grant, please provide your business bank account details securely by entering them here https://www.southwark.gov.uk/retailgrantform. We will then undertake any necessary checks before we begin payments. Qualifying businesses will receive payment directly by bank transfer. Business rates We understand that many businesses will be experiencing financial hardship during these unprecedented times. Whilst instalments would be due in April and May please be assured that if you are unable to pay we will not be undertaking any recovery or enforcement activity for unpaid rates at this time. We will keep this under review and encourage businesses to contact us at an appropriate time to revise payment terms. Government Job Retention Scheme The government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on Friday 20 March, which will provide support to all UK employers to continue paying part of their employees? salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. HMRC will reimburse 80% of the wages of all workers affected, up to a cap of ?2,500 per month. Payments will be backdated to 1 March and will be made available for at least three months. HMRC is working to set up a system for reimbursement. To access the scheme you will need to: ? Designate affected employees as ?furloughed workers,? and notify your employees of this change. Changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation. ? Submit information to HMRC about furloughed employees and their earnings through a new online portal which is being set up. The council will provide further updates on the process for accessing the scheme as soon as these are released. Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is now open for applications. The scheme supports a wide range of business finance products and can provide smaller businesses with loans of up to ?5 million, with no interest for the first 12 months. The scheme provides the lender with a government backed guarantee of 80% of the loan and there is no fee for businesses accessing the scheme. Businesses can access the scheme through participating lenders. You can find out more information about the scheme, eligibility criteria and how to apply on the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme website (https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2/). Guidance for those who are self-employed We are continuing to seek clarity from the government on support available to those who are self-employed. We are currently aware of the following measures: ? Income tax deferral to January 2021 ? this will happen automatically and no application is required. No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged in the deferral period. ? HMRC Time to Pay scheme ? support is available to all firms and individuals who are in temporary financial distress as a result of COVID-19 and have outstanding tax liabilities. To access this support, please call HMRC?s helpline: 0800 0159 559. You can claim Universal Credit if you are self-employed, providing you meet the usual eligibility criteria. From 6 April, the government will relax the requirements of the Minimum Income Floor for the duration of the outbreak. New claimants will not need to attend the job centre to demonstrate gainful self-employment. You can find more information in the government?s guidance on self-employment and Universal Credit (https://www.gov.uk/self-employment-and-universal-credit) We are aware that support organisations are advising anyone who thinks they may need to apply for Universal Credit to do so as early as possible and we would echo this advice. Free advertising in Southwark News To support local businesses, Southwark News is offering free digital advertising during the outbreak. You can find out more on the Southwark News website (https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/comment/free-advertising-coronavirus-crisis/) and get in contact at [email protected] I hope that this advice is useful. Best wishes James

Hi all Penguin68 - I have looked into the cemetery matter for you and have copied the council's reasoning below. Essentially it is a balance between the potential risks of busy cemeteries, and the health advantages accrued by allowing people to walk through them. I am no public health expert so I cannot make a firm judgement, but I have asked that Cllr Livingstone reconsult the guidance to make sure we have made the right decision On March 26 2020 the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force. Section 5 Paragraph 8 requires that crematorium and burial grounds be closed to members of the public, except for funerals or burials. We have sought further guidance from the Institute of Cemetery & Crematorium Management (ICCM) and the Federation of Burial & Cremation Authorities and they confirm that these necessary measures must be adhered to during this emergency period. We have seen an increase of leisure activities with the cemetery and crematorium grounds with social distancing measures not being observed and very little respect being given to the bereaved families attending a funeral who already are experiencing loss and controlled measures at what is a difficult time. Further to this, an update from the council about support for local businesses (this is a few days old, but I have not shared it on here yet.) Cash grants for businesses will be awarded over the coming weeks and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is now open for applications. Further information on these schemes is included below, along with updates on other support measures and guidance for businesses. Please help by sharing this message across your local business networks. We will continue to provide updates by email and we will keep our business support web page (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/business/business-support-and-advice/covid-19-support-and-information-for-businesses-and-employers) regularly updated. We know this is a very difficult time for the Southwark business community. If you have questions or concerns, please do contact us at [email protected] Business grants Business grants are now available for small businesses covered by the two schemes recently announced by the Chancellor. The small business grant provides any business that is receiving small business rate relief with a cash grant of ?10,000. The retail, hospitality and leisure grant provides businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors with a cash grant. Businesses in these sectors with a rateable value of under ?15,000 will receive a grant of ?10,000 per property and businesses with a rateable value of between ?15,001 and ?51,000 will receive a grant of ?25,000 per property. We are already making grants to eligible small businesses where we have the business?s bank account details. Payments should arrive in accounts from this Friday 27th March. If you believe you are eligible for a grant, please provide your business bank account details securely by entering them here https://www.southwark.gov.uk/retailgrantform. We will then undertake any necessary checks before we begin payments. Qualifying businesses will receive payment directly by bank transfer. Business rates We understand that many businesses will be experiencing financial hardship during these unprecedented times. Whilst instalments would be due in April and May please be assured that if you are unable to pay we will not be undertaking any recovery or enforcement activity for unpaid rates at this time. We will keep this under review and encourage businesses to contact us at an appropriate time to revise payment terms. Government Job Retention Scheme The government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on Friday 20 March, which will provide support to all UK employers to continue paying part of their employees? salary for those employees that would otherwise have been laid off during this crisis. HMRC will reimburse 80% of the wages of all workers affected, up to a cap of ?2,500 per month. Payments will be backdated to 1 March and will be made available for at least three months. HMRC is working to set up a system for reimbursement. To access the scheme you will need to: ? Designate affected employees as ?furloughed workers,? and notify your employees of this change. Changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation. ? Submit information to HMRC about furloughed employees and their earnings through a new online portal which is being set up. The council will provide further updates on the process for accessing the scheme as soon as these are released. Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is now open for applications. The scheme supports a wide range of business finance products and can provide smaller businesses with loans of up to ?5 million, with no interest for the first 12 months. The scheme provides the lender with a government backed guarantee of 80% of the loan and there is no fee for businesses accessing the scheme. Businesses can access the scheme through participating lenders. You can find out more information about the scheme, eligibility criteria and how to apply on the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme website (https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils-2/). Guidance for those who are self-employed We are continuing to seek clarity from the government on support available to those who are self-employed. We are currently aware of the following measures: ? Income tax deferral to January 2021 ? this will happen automatically and no application is required. No penalties or interest for late payment will be charged in the deferral period. ? HMRC Time to Pay scheme ? support is available to all firms and individuals who are in temporary financial distress as a result of COVID-19 and have outstanding tax liabilities. To access this support, please call HMRC?s helpline: 0800 0159 559. You can claim Universal Credit if you are self-employed, providing you meet the usual eligibility criteria. From 6 April, the government will relax the requirements of the Minimum Income Floor for the duration of the outbreak. New claimants will not need to attend the job centre to demonstrate gainful self-employment. You can find more information in the government?s guidance on self-employment and Universal Credit (https://www.gov.uk/self-employment-and-universal-credit) We are aware that support organisations are advising anyone who thinks they may need to apply for Universal Credit to do so as early as possible and we would echo this advice. Free advertising in Southwark News To support local businesses, Southwark News is offering free digital advertising during the outbreak. You can find out more on the Southwark News website (https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/comment/free-advertising-coronavirus-crisis/) and get in contact at [email protected] I hope that this advice is useful. Best wishes James

Dear all Spartacus - I have looked into the issue with the bins. As you know, the council is running on a much lower capacity of established staff than normal, with a higher level of agency workers who are less familiar with our normal operating methods. Moreover, much management effort is currently focussed on ensuring that we have enough temporary workers in place each day to maintain service delivery, further limiting capacity for supervision of collections. The council has arranged for all crews to be re-briefed on the requirement to return all containers after collection, and expect that this will produce some improvement. Your road in particular has been flagged up. Two further updates from the council too. First, financial support for residents. The council has suspended all debt recovery relating to council tax, businesses rates and council-related rent and service charge payments. We are asking anyone experiencing difficulty in making payments to the council to contact the council (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-tax/covid-19-help-and-advice) and we will try to help. This also applies to homeowners of council properties who are struggling with leaseholder payments. Anyone who is unemployed or has experienced a sudden loss or interruption of income due to COVID-19 may be able to claim Universal Credit to support themselves. Residents who are unable to meet their household?s most urgent basic needs in the very short term can also apply for support from the Southwark Emergency Support Scheme (SESS) (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/emergency-support). If someone is struggling with rent payments, and they receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, they may be eligible for extra financial support through a discretionary housing payment(https://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/housing-benefit/get-extra-help). Second, the council is accepting vehicle registration marks from medical staff and making their vehicles exempt from enforcement in any permitted parking bays. The council has processed over 2,000 in the last week or so. If this applies to you and you want this mark then please get in touch by email: [email protected] Best wishes James

Dear all Penguin68 - I will look into this matter for you. Two further updates from the council too. First, financial support for residents. The council has suspended all debt recovery relating to council tax, businesses rates and council-related rent and service charge payments. We are asking anyone experiencing difficulty in making payments to the council to contact the council (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-tax/covid-19-help-and-advice) and we will try to help. This also applies to homeowners of council properties who are struggling with leaseholder payments. Anyone who is unemployed or has experienced a sudden loss or interruption of income due to COVID-19 may be able to claim Universal Credit to support themselves. Residents who are unable to meet their household?s most urgent basic needs in the very short term can also apply for support from the Southwark Emergency Support Scheme (SESS) (https://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/emergency-support). If someone is struggling with rent payments, and they receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, they may be eligible for extra financial support through a discretionary housing payment(https://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits-and-support/housing-benefit/get-extra-help). Second, the council is accepting vehicle registration marks from medical staff and making their vehicles exempt from enforcement in any permitted parking bays. The council has processed over 2,000 in the last week or so. If this applies to you and you want this mark then please get in touch by email: [email protected] Best wishes James

Hi both TE44 - I cannot speak for other boroughs I'm afraid. Southwark adopted this policy quite shortly into the crisis but now I understand that the government is asking all local authorities to ensure rough sleepers are given somewhere to live. Not sure how different boroughs are interpreting that though. It would be really sad if they were imposing fines on some of the already most vulnerable. Best wishes James

Hi Rocket I've posted about this separately but yes I can confirm that works associated with the East Dulwich CPZ have been suspended. Best wishes James

Dear DollyDee Is that for the Peckham West Zone? That one is going ahead because it is already in place. But there is an extended warning period so that no one is given a penalty for not moving their car (with usual exceptions of unsafe parking). Best wishes James

Dear all, I have just sent this email to constituents who have been in touch regarding the East Dulwich CPZ. I am copying it here so you can read it too. Best wishes James ??- Dear all I am writing to you because you have written to my fellow councillors and me regarding the East Dulwich controlled parking zone. Thank you very much for contacting us. We share your concerns that now is not the right time to implement major changes to local infrastructure - in particular those which involve people having to leave the house to move their cars! We have been pushing for the scheme to be postponed and, thanks to your support, we have been successful. The formal decision from the council is as follows In light of the current COVID-19 government advice, we have temporarily suspended the introduction of the East Dulwich CPZ until the current working restrictions are lessened. As I am sure you can appreciate, it is not possible to provide accurate timescales on when works will recommence but we will look to update all interested parties through the relevant page on the council website as soon as possible, which can be found at the following weblink: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/parking/parking-projects/east-dulwich-parking-study-and-healthier-streets-consultation Thanks in particular to those who have pointed out where signage had already been put up. This should have now been removed, or will be very soon. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with Victoria, Charlie or me if you have any questions on this subject, or indeed any other. Best wishes, James ?? Councillor James McAsh Labour Councillor for Goose Green twitter.com/mcash jamesmcash.com Sign up for our Goose Green councillors newsletter: jamesmcash.com/newsletter Surgeries: 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month at 7pm, East Dulwich Community Centre in Darrell Road.

Thanks first mate, much appreciated. I hope you are well too :)

Dear all, My understanding is that the East Dulwich CPZ will be delayed. The Peckham West CPZ is already in motion so will go ahead but with an extended warning period so that no one received a penalty until it is possible to move cars. This is on top of the general restriction of parking enforcement down to just serious contraventions (unsafe parking etc, which needs to be dealt with even during a crisis). Best wishes James

Hi all The council's guidance on parking is here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus/coronavirus-parking-restrictions-and-controlled-parking-zones I have provided the link in case it is updated but as the moment it reads: Coronavirus: Parking restrictions and controlled parking zones Parking restrictions and controlled parking zones (CPZ?s) play an important role in keeping traffic moving and ensuring that deliveries (especially essential medical supplies) reach their destinations on time. This is of paramount importance to the emergency services and key workers, who are providing essential services during this difficult period. What we are doing for Key Workers: key workers are providing us with their vehicle registrations and their vehicles are being given a virtual parking permit that allows them to park in permitted parking bays across the borough single yellow line parking for key workers (who have registered with the council) only is allowed parking on double yellow lines, disabled bays and the footway is not allowed What we are doing for our residents from 27 March 2020: we are only enforcing the most serious contraventions and doing it by mobile officers only no enforcement of the council run car parks in Peckham. There will also be no enforcement by the council in our recreational parks. housing estates continue to be enforced as usual to ensure continued access for waste and emergency services vehicles are not being removed but a small amount of relocations may take place if they are causing an obstruction. Peckham West (PW) New parking zone in Peckham is due to start on 30 March 2020 will have an extended period of warning notices Southwark Controlled Parking Zone (CPZs) permits are being recognised in neighbouring CPZs as valid and no enforcement is taking place To respond to your questions: first mate - no, it's not saying that if a street does not have a CPZ then traffic will be unable to flow; it's talking about potential risks if parking restrictions are removed from places where they are in effect. For instance, if there was no longer reserved places for parking and deliveries near critical places. This statement does not refer to East Dulwich CPZ or Peckham West CPZ, neither of which are in place. Rockets - has anyone been told to move their car during the isolation period? If so then please let me know and I will look into it ASAP. The intention is that a warning period is in place for much longer for Peckham West, so no one is fined or needs to move their car, and enforcement is limited to only the most serious instances in any case. I hope this helps with your questions. Have a good weekend and please stay safe everyone. Best wishes James

Hi all, dc thanks for answering the question about Peckham West. As for Warwick Gardens, this is not in Goose Green but I have passed it onto the relevant councillor there. Thanks a lot for raising it. Best wishes, James

Hi both Thanks for raising this. Allotments are such an important part of our social infrastructure and it makes me sad to think that they are being misused in this way. It's difficult to police the use of allotments though, the council does not monitor who is using them. However, if you have reason to believe that a particular allotment is being misused then please let me know and I will flag it up. Best to drop me an email on [email protected] That said, it is unlikely that anything will happen while the crisis is ongoing. The council is increasingly moving to only delivering urgent services as these have picked up dramatically while staff availability has fallen. I hope this is helpful. Best wishes James

Dear all, Thanks for your comments and questions. Apologies for the lateness in replying ? everything at school has been very hectic but now we are operating a skeleton staff I will able to respond quicker. Please note, I check my emails much more frequently than I check on here so if you need a response it?s always best to email Onto your comments R U IN ED - I agree. We need as much stability as possible for the moment. I have pushed for the East Dulwich CPZ to be postponed and Cllr Livingstone is looking into it. I will let you know. Rockets ? Good idea about the ipad for those in care homes. We are looking into this and similar ideas to ensure that older people can use digital connectivity to tackle isolation and loneliness. kate7 ? a very good point. At the moment I do not think that much enforcement is happening ? it cannot exactly be described as ?essential? ? but I have raised the issue for when things become a bit more normal. Spartacus ? if the refuse collectors are leaving bins in the wrong place then please email me with your address and I will look into it. But if the issue is regarding the bins being left in the normal place then this is trickier: asking the refuse collectors to do more work than they would usually is going to be hard when the workforce is reduced due to sickness and self-isolation. Pootle ? I agree. I do not see why non-essential construction work should continue. However, the government guidance is that it should, so long as social-distancing is enforced, so there is not a lot the council can do. I am staying on top of the issue though ? I have had a fair few emails about this. I hope everyone is keeping safe in this difficult time. Best wishes James

Dear all, Thanks for your comments and questions. Apologies for the lateness in replying ? everything at school has been very hectic but now we are operating a skeleton staff I will able to respond quicker. Please note, I check my emails much more frequently than I check on here so if you need a response it?s always best to email Onto your comments Rockets ? I am indeed concerned that the measures being considered in Dulwich Village will simply displace traffic into Goose Green. And this is made worse by the covid-19 crisis ? people are simply not able to participate fully in the consultation. I have pushed for the consultation to be extended once there is more stability so that Goose Green residents can engage with it properly. I am also looking into whether other measures can be implemented across the ward. At the moment though the council?s resources are heavily weighted towards responding to the crisis ? as I am sure you will understand ? so these longer-term projects are not getting much attention right now. I will stay on top of it and keep you updated. first mate ? I agree. We need as much stability as possible for the moment. I have pushed for the East Dulwich CPZ to be postponed and Cllr Livingstone is looking into it. I will let you know. TE44 ? Yes, the council is doing work on homelessness. Here is the information I have had directly from the council: The Housing Solutions service is fully operational with officers in work and providing services. The front facing service remains open and business as usual is in operation. Every person sleeping rough has been offered accommodation and support on multiple occasions and the service is attempting to re-house all people sleeping on the streets of Southwark this week and then support these residents to remain in the accommodation provided. The service can also provide online services for people who do not wish to leave a property they are occupying due to anxiety issues. We are providing food and essential items for people who are homeless and currently do not have access to welfare benefits Macutd ? I am really sorry to hear that. Please let me know if there is anything that I can. Best wishes James

Hi all, Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I am passing these on and trying to make sure the council does everything it can. Here is the central place for the council?s guidance: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus And here is information about things you can do to help, including links to the fantastic Mutual Aid Group that have been created all over the country (and referenced in this thread!): https://www.southwark.gov.uk/engagement-and-consultations/covid-support/covid-19-what-can-you-do-to-help I am sorry that people feel like I have not been adequately attentive to this thread. I hope you can understand that there is a huge amount going on in the council at the moment and that I am being contacted through lots of different forms with this Forum being only one of many. Moreover, being a councillor is not my full time job: I juggle it around my day job as a primary school teacher. Like most others, my school has not been closed so I have a huge amount on there as well. I assure you that I am doing everything I can during this crisis, as I know that so many others on this thread are too. As always, if you need a response it is always best to contact by email. Thanks again for all the great suggestions on this thread. Best wishes, James

Hi all Thanks for comments about the CPZ. I'm looking into it but if anyone has specific issues then could you email me with details? On a separate note, I'd like to hear suggestions for what the council should do to support the community during COVID-19. I've made a thread here: /forum/read.php?5,2103350 Best wishes James

Dear all, It's been really heartening to see the cropping up of Mutual Aid groups and members of the community turning out to support one another through this difficult time. We local councillors are keen to do everything we can too. The council has an information page which is updated regularly here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus I am in discussions with fellow councillors about what the council can do to support the community. I'd love to hear your ideas. Do you have any suggestions? I obviously can't promise to do them all but I'll do my best! Best wishes James

Hi everyone, If you live in the Goose Green ward part of the Peckham West CPZ and you?re having difficulties please email me with details and I?ll try to sort it out. Best wishes James

Hi all, If you have experienced issues with the new lights please email me with your address and a brief description of the issues. If you have already emailed me then you should have received a response by now - sorry if there was a delay, I went away and it?s been difficult catching up with a huge number of emails that accumulated during my trip! Best wishes James