former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[Tom Smith]

Thanks very much James - that's really helpful and much appreciated.

Tom

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Hi Tom,

> The planning advice I've received is that as long

> as the front bike shed is temporary and easily

> removed then no planning permission is required.

> Temporary isn't that they will be temporary rather

> that they're not built with bricks and mortar or a

> wooden shed that is weary hard to remove with

> destroying.

> Does that answer your question?

>

> Tom Smith Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Hi James

> >

> > I remember you posted a while ago in a

> different

> > thread that you were investigating whether

> front

> > yard bike sheds needed planning permission. Did

> > you ever get a definite answer to the question?

> >

> > Thanks very much

> >

> > Tom

[James Barber]

Hi Penguin68,

I recall you asked about Motorcycle parking.

I've been able to organise this with council officers:

"

Thank you for your enquiry dated 17/12/17, in which you requested information regarding the following:

Motorcycle Parking at North Cross Road

I can now provide you with a full response to your enquiry;

The Motorcycle Parking spot on North Cross Road will be considered in the next batch of Minor Traffic Schemes.

A minor traffic scheme (MTS) is a small project to change an existing parking restriction or to introduce a new one. We carry out most amendments in locations where there's dangerous or obstructive parking. An MTS can take 8 months to complete, as there's a thorough investigation and approval process.

The MTSs are investigated and delivered on a rolling basis as follows:

? Assessment/investigation - 2 months

o Correspondence, site visit, consultation, technical drawings

? Decision making - 1 month

o Report drafting/approval

? Statutory consultation - 2 months

o TMO request, correspondence

? Implementation - 1 month

o Road markings and signage, snagging

"

[Penguin68]

Not me. Don't have a motorbike.

[James Barber]

Sorry P68. Bother.

[sally buying]

DKH CPZ Consultation

Hi Sally,

> The next step is the formal Traffic Management

> Order which is effectively a formal public

> consultation. Real opportunity for you to make the

> case for longer hour of operations and equally

> those against.

> I'll endeavour to make people aware when this

> stage starts.

Do you have any dates when this meeting will take place. Southwark does not answer to the request.

Many thanks

[1921]

please have a look at the thread.

Woodvale Cemetery no flowers policy

Thank you

[Sue]

Great minds, I was about to post the same, anyway the link to the thread is

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/list.php?5

and on the face of it, the treatment of grieving people by those running the cemetery has been absolutely appalling.

[pebs]

James, I live opposite Heber School. They have fairly recently installed some extremely bright lights overlooking their playground which shine right into or house at night. Very intrusive, light polluting and not environmentally friendly. They are on all day and all night as well. If there are security lights (I believe they are) they should be motion sensitive to avert this impact. How can this be dealt with?

Many thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi pebs,

Sounds wasteful as well as not very neighbourly.

Let me ask them if this can easily be fixed.

[Sue]

Did you see the thread about the cemetery, James?

Are you able to help at all?

[pebs]

Many thanks James.

[James Barber]

Hi Sue,

No I hadn't spotted that. I've posted on the thread asking them to contact me and that I'll then take their specific case up and the general rule. Thanks for pointing that thread out.

[Sue]

Thanks James, much appreciated.

[paulu1973]

Firstly sorry for calling you an idiot and closing the door on you but when you buzz a door on a set of flats I want you to think the following a) what happens if they are the parents of a ten month old who hasn't slept and only now just fell asleep only to be woken by the buzzer and whose parents haven't slept for a long time and b) read a. Again sorry for calling you an idiot am sure you meant well-built please reconsider the Sunday morning door knock on flats

[1921]

Hi James

I live on Ashbourne Grove where the properties have space to have the three bins on them, either in front gardens or on the side of driveways. I never have enough room for my blue recycling but do not have room for another blue bin. Am I allowed to keep it on the street or pavement? I am unclear as wheelie bins are often on our road / pavement being used as car parking space savers, I looked on Southwark?s website but couldn?t find any information. I often use Belair Park to drop off my excess recycling but have recently had two punctured tyres due to broken glass so am less keen on this as an option due to the expense and inconvenience of a visit to quikfit.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

L Ellis

[James Barber]

Hi paulu1973,

Absolutely understand and sorry my timing was so problematic.

I'm a dad. Although my children are now teenagers I clearly recall the exhaustion. We didn't start calling on people until after 11am.

Best wishes, James Barber

paulu1973 Wrote:

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

> Firstly sorry for calling you an idiot and closing

> the door on you but when you buzz a door on a set

> of flats I want you to think the following a) what

> happens if they are the parents of a ten month old

> who hasn't slept and only now just fell asleep

> only to be woken by the buzzer and whose parents

> haven't slept for a long time and b) read a. Again

> sorry for calling you an idiot am sure you meant

> well-built please reconsider the Sunday morning

> door knock on flats

[James Barber]

Hi 1921,

Wheelie bins are not allowed on the pavements if people have front gardens.

Let me see if you could have a bigger blue wheelie bin - regular ones are 240Litres larger one would be 360Litres.

Regards James

1921 Wrote:

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

> Hi James

>

> I live on Ashbourne Grove where the properties

> have space to have the three bins on them, either

> in front gardens or on the side of driveways. I

> never have enough room for my blue recycling but

> do not have room for another blue bin. Am I

> allowed to keep it on the street or pavement? I am

> unclear as wheelie bins are often on our road /

> pavement being used as car parking space savers, I

> looked on Southwark?s website but couldn?t find

> any information. I often use Belair Park to drop

> off my excess recycling but have recently had two

> punctured tyres due to broken glass so am less

> keen on this as an option due to the expense and

> inconvenience of a visit to quikfit.

> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

>

> L Ellis

[1921]

Thank you James, that would be helpful.

1921

[dresswaves]

I have just run the gauntlet of the Southwark Environmental Services 7525 2000 number. Before I could speak to a human I had to go through 7 recorded messages of how I could use the online service. I came upon the human option almost by accident it was so hidden. I understand this is all because Southwark are trying to get everyone to use the online services but not everyone has that access.

I was phoning to confirm that the bulky waste collection can only now be booked online. My 78 year old aunt wants to use the service but she does not have a computer or the skills to use one. Of course I will book this for her but she is a competent & proud lady & I find it sad that this is one more thing that she has to ask for my help with when she is perfectly capable of making a phone call.

I know many older people have mastered the internet but I would guess the majority of Southwark residents who do not have easy access to the internet are elderly. I see more & more instances of the elderly marginalised in their day to day lives because of the growth of everything only digital but I would have expected Southwark to protect its more vulnerable residents, not exclude them.

I have emailed a complaint to Southwark but felt the need to make it more widely known

[Jennys]

A complete stranger I was sitting behind on the bus, a middle aged man, asked me if I thought the library could help him research online about any Southwark sheltered accommodation. I encouraged him to ask the library. He had no landline at home nor a smart phone, apparently. However, he could have phoned the Council if this had been an option.

[uncleglen]

dresswaves Wrote:

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

> I have just run the gauntlet of the Southwark

> Environmental Services 7525 2000 number. Before I

> could speak to a human I had to go through 7

> recorded messages of how I could use the online

> service. I came upon the human option almost by

> accident it was so hidden. I understand this is

> all because Southwark are trying to get everyone

> to use the online services but not everyone has

> that access.

>

> I was phoning to confirm that the bulky waste

> collection can only now be booked online. My 78

> year old aunt wants to use the service but she

> does not have a computer or the skills to use one.

> Of course I will book this for her but she is a

> competent & proud lady & I find it sad that this

> is one more thing that she has to ask for my help

> with when she is perfectly capable of making a

> phone call.

>

> I know many older people have mastered the

> internet but I would guess the majority of

> Southwark residents who do not have easy access to

> the internet are elderly. I see more & more

> instances of the elderly marginalised in their day

> to day lives because of the growth of everything

> only digital but I would have expected Southwark

> to protect its more vulnerable residents, not

> exclude them.

>

> I have emailed a complaint to Southwark but felt

> the need to make it more widely known

Just another example of how essential frontline services are being used as a political football by our 'socialist' councillors

[Penguin68]

It is rather, I would suggest, the consequences of aiming for efficiencies (which generally will lead to better and cheaper service delivery, if well implemented) in an area where not everyone is, or can be, as up to speed as the swiftest. Automation (which, inter alia, allows people to interact outside 'office hours') will answer 90% of need, perhaps, but the remaining 10% may be the most direly needful.

How do we support the 'communications poor' - where that poverty may be about available equipment or available skills and confidence?

I would like to see the council implement a policy where for every such 'improvement' proposed there should be a clear policy statement about the impact on the communications poor and how that may be mitigated. Which should be taken into consideration before such a proposal is agreed by the council or cabinet member where appropriate.

[James Barber]

Hi uncle glen,

I get regular casework with distraught people who are completely foiled by the removal of phone calls from raising requests. Some really distressed people. I also gets more casework of the system not working and them being unable to get the problems corrected via online forms.

My lot would return this service to being free - Southwark has appalling levels of fly tipping - and something a human can speak to another human to organise as well as the online option.

Hi P68,

All policy changes have impact assessments. They always appear box ticking exercises.

[Penguin68]

Thank you, James. Are the needs of the communication poor specifically part of the impact statement requirements? Are remedies required, are the numbers impacted a required part of that impact statement, are the vulnerabilities of those impacted assessed or reported on? If you believe it is simply a tick box requirement is there an opportunity to make it 'real'? If the poor and elderly in the borough are to be directly disadvantaged by council decisions, it would be good to get an actual voting record of those who decided this was a good and acceptable policy, in the clear knowledge of what they were voting for.

Democracy is always (and should be) a struggle between elected representatives and the apparat. Maybe it would be good to push for a little of that on occasion? (I'm not suggesting that you, personally, don't).

[James Barber]

Hi P68,

My lot and I have repeatedly made it clear virtually banning phone calls is wrong on a number of different levels.

I/we will keep doing this. One of my Lib Dem colleagues last week paid for someones bulk waste and organise it for them online. Not everyone is online or even has a bank card.