What can the council do to make things easier during COVID-19?

[R U IN ED]

As English is not my first language, I do find the sentence "Peckham West (PW) New parking zone in Peckham is due to start on 30 March 2020 will have an extended period of warning notices" rather ambiguous.

Could someone help with translation?

-Is the Peckham West CPZ starting on Monday or not? I assume "yes", hence not postponed and an extra expense in a

moment that many of us have a reduced or zero income.

-What does it mean "will have an extended period of warning notices"? how long is the warning notice for before a

fine is issued?

[colville09]

Such is the priority of the council that they came by last night unveiling the CPZ notices on our street. What planet are they living on. How dare they. Surely they should be redeploying their traffic wardens to deliver to vunerable people and key workers. I feel a howl of rage. We don't even have a car but feel disgust at what they regard as being important at this time.

[first mate]

Not only that, this is meant to be a socialist council- go figure. Think this shows it has always been about the money. If not, why the need to plough ahead when there is so little traffic out there?

I agree, community wardens on scooters could be put to much better use.

[jamesmcash]

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

[Rockets]

Cllr McAsh - can you confirm that any works associated with the CPZs have been suspended in East Dulwich?

And if not, why not?

If seems ludicrous that during a lockdown the council would be proceeding with works that forces people out of their houses to move their cars (so the council can proceed with new CPZ road marking).

This is within your constituency so I am sure you can get to the bottom of this very quickly.

[Effra]

Surely now is the time to fix the potholes whilst there is so little traffic.

[jamesmcash]

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

[Rockets]

James,

Many thanks for following up on this.

[R U IN ED]

"Peckham West CPZ

Peckham West (PW), the new CPZ in Peckham that started on 30 March 2020 will have an extended period of warning notices. Warning notices will be issued to vehicles parking on double yellow lines for two weeks from Monday 30 March, and vehicles parked in permit bays without a permit will be issued warning notices for a period of four weeks.

Residents are asked to ensure that they have a valid permit for their vehicle from the live date to ensure they do not receive a fine."

Thanks Southwark Council to add extra expenses at a time when many people are struggling to pay bills with no work...(What can the council do to make things easier during COVID-19?)

[jamesmcash]

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

[jamesmcash]

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

[jamesmcash]

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

[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

[Earl Aelfheah]

There are whole streets like this in ED (see attached image).. two paving stones of usable pavement and even that can of course be driven over by cars and vans. In a city where less than half the population own a car this does not seem like a reasonable and proportionate allocation of space. Would the council consider proving more dedicated pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, so that the majority have more space to move and would they consider accelerating this work in light of current need to socially distance by instituting temporary road closures?

[Plough Man]

Paint arrows on pavement!

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?32,2109366

A small stencil and white paint could be deployed quickly and be most effective on streets such as LL where the pavements are quite narrow.

[Loulou]

Pootle Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Please stop construction work in residential

> areas. Why is demolition going ahead at the old PO

> site on Silvester/Pellatt Roads, while neighbours

> are stuck at home, many of them NHS staff on

> shifts?

I?m with you on this Pootle - 4 months+ living next door to house renovations, owners have moved out and the noise exacerbated with the lockdown and they carry on as if nothing else matters. Now working long days at NHS Nightingale and my tolerance is waning. :(

[TheCat]

James,

I see you posted an update regarding waste collection above. But is there no scope that the council can actually re-allocate existing resources to better service residential waste collection? Thus not costing the council or council tax payers anymore.

With everyone staying at home. Residential bins are filling up quicker, and many families are struggling with the volume of rubbish(despite making extra effort with recycling and second use at home). However, this must mean that bins elsewhere (I.e schools, commercial properties) are not seeing any (or very little) waste. I know many businesses may have private waste collection, but surely there any scope for the council to re-allocate existing resources during lockdown to facilitate more regular collections where the people are, rather than maintaining services where they are not?

Thanks

[jamesmcash]

Hi TheCat

The issue is that the waste collection teams are understaffed due to sickness and self-isolation. Already the council is having to rely a huge amount of agency staff to make up the capacity. I will continue to push for this though.

Best wishes

James

[seenbeen]

Where is all the excess waste coming from? We are a family of four adults and we are at home almost all the time anyway for various reasons. We have never had a problem with excess waste over and above 1 blue bin, 1 green bin, 1 brown bin and a small food waste bin.

I must say though I have been an almost obsessive recycler, refuser and re-user since the 1980s....

[Rockets]

Seenbeen, I think there is an issue for a lot of households given the fact many families are consuming more as children are at home rather than at school. I also think a lot of people have been taking the opportunity to do a bit of spring cleaning during the lockdown.

We went for a cycle today and followed the recycling lorry along Friern Road and the road was strewn with recycling debris - my initial thought was that the waste collection teams were being a bit careless but the issue was that every bin was over-filled and were depositing items as they were wheeled to the lorry and then as they were lifted. It resembled the Old Kent Road on a Sunday morning by the time the lorry had departed but completely understandable given the amount that was being crammed into each bin.

[pinkladybird]

I wonder if the council have any powers to assist regarding unessential building works in residential areas? I believe many are still ongoing - for example loft conversions. They can be very dusty and noisy - unfair on neighbours who are stuck at home and cannot get any respite.

For example, I have a demolition going on metres from me. When that is over, it will then be rebuilt. The dust and noise are difficult to deal with - and those of us with adjoining gardens are stuck inside. There is also the matter of the dust affecting the lungs of anyone with the virus.

[jamesmcash]

Hi pinkladybird

Thanks for raising this. Quite a few other people have raised this with me too. I basically agree with you but unfortunately, government regulations say that construction can continue so long as social distancing rules are maintained.

Best wishes,

James

[pinkladybird]

Hi James,

Thank you for your reply.

They are not following the social distancing measures on this site. The builders are working pretty close to one another - definitely less than 2 metres.

[jamesmcash]

Drop me an email with details and I can look into it.

[pinkladybird]

I will do. Thanks.