former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi TheArtfulDogger,

My council laptop is down so I can;t extract all the emails related to Dulwich Van Hire.

I should have it back up with IT help mid week and will then respond.

Hi Pugwash,

Many thanks for raising this as I've learnt some new stuff.

The Southwark Pensioner's Forum is valued and everyone wants to see it continue.

Initially LGBT, Disabilities forum, etc were funded first by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund which morphod into the Working Neiughbourhoods Fund. The funding was roughly ?40,000 pa per forum. The new incarnation from central govt is aimed at getting people into work which doesn't sit well with funding a pensioners forum.

I understand last year the allocated officers were trying to help all the forum and this year is viewed as an interim transition year with continued council officers support to forums arrange other funding and become independent.

Officers have found other roles within Southwark Council which has clearly complicated things.

The council leader cllr Nick Stanton has raised the issue the chief executive Annie Shepperd and expects the town hall room booking issue will be resolved this coming week.

The Southwark Pensioners Forum have applied for voluntary body grants from one Southwark budget but didn't meet the criteria. I'm hopeful that they'll find appropriate funding. I'm also personally hopeful that they become much more coordinated with the funded Southwark Pensioners Centre. Seems strange to have two such bodies the latter already funded I believe by Southwark Council directly and the former body funded via government funding now aimed at helping people into work.

Hope this answers your question. Let me know.

[Pugwash]

James,

Thanks for the reply re Pensioner's Forum - I will print it off to give to friend.

[DonGee]

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Former Banhams Timber Yard, 103-105 Barry Road.

> This site is looking a really sorry site. The

> developers have made repeated and broken promises

> that they will clear the site and then start

> construction on several unspiring homes.

>

> I've just had confirmation that final letter has

> been sent to Dickens Development (UK) LLP to clear

> the site up. Failure to complete these works

> within 21 days will result in a Section 215 Notice

> will be issued legally requiring this work.

>

> Hopefully the developers will see sense. Fighting

> and incurring costs and Southwark Councils costs

> will be many times more expensive than just doing

> the work

I saw two men in uniform (although i didn't see the company logo) trying to get access to this site this morning, so hopefully the clearing up has begun.

[James Barber]

Hi DonGee,

I was contacted by the developers representative saying they hadn't received the letter and some other rather unhelpful stuff but they had read about things on the forum and emailed me. I put them in touch via email with the enforcement officer and they appear now to be cooperating which is great.

Well done forum for lubricating this. Thank you.

[CBL]

Some workmen with a JCB and skip were clearing the old timber yard today. It's about half-done, so I presume they will return tomorrow to finish the job.

[sophiesofa]

Hi James, there's a thread on here about blue recycling bags being rummaged through and I'm sure somewhere someone mentioned theirs being removed. In our house of 3 flats in about the last 9 months or so we've gradually gone from 5 bags down to zero as of yesterday. Until yestrday I just thought they'd been accidentally left outside the wrong house but now I'm quite concerned about identity theft etc. - do you know if it's a known problem in East Dulwich and if so what the police are doing about it? Up until yesterday I'd been tearing my parers :-$ but I think I need to invest in a shredder! Thanks

[James Barber]

Hi sophiesofa,

As you can imagine I have a lot of papers to shred. I take them into my daytime job where my colleagues think I'm a little odd and other times into the Town Hall for shredding.

Eitherway, shredding bank and utilities bills seems a sensible precaution. Older shredders just shred into strips. More modern ones shred into tiny squares. Even these can be reassembled so better to shred lots together making the jigsaw truly immense.

BUT what we're not hearing about is anyones identidy having actually been stolen. So suspect we're all in danger of getting carried away. Until actual identidy thefts occur not much for the Police to do.

With respect ot running out of recycling bags - call 020 7525 2000 for replacements. Any problems let me know.

[James Barber]

Fellbrigg Road and dog poo.

Many complaints about this. After many months of street cleaners trying to cope, anti dog poo stencils placed on pavements, recognised that one of the worst roads in Southwark for dog poo.

Leafletting the area is now planned. Extra Community Warden patrols. Extra Environmental Enforcement team patrols.

Fingers crossed it has more impact.

Tree pits. Some time ago issue raised that the tree pits in our area had been eroded and sunken and had become a trip hazard. Majority in East Dulwich have now been filled. When first deployed quite 'stark' colour but this quickly mellows.

I'm assured they'll all be finished soon. IF in a couple of weeks time you spot any missed please do point them out to me.

[Amelie]

James

The thing that always surprised me about tree pits in East Dulwich was the number that were empty; clearly there had been a tree there at some point but for some reason it had been removed/chopped down. There used to be several empty tree pits along Lordship Lane for instance.

[TheArtfulDogger]

Hi James

Any update on Dulwich Van Hire situation ?

[Nero]

Councillor,

Foxes often rip open the flimsy blue bags that rubbish collectors leave at bins to be picked up by the vans. Could you get them to use two or three bags, or perhaps spray them with something to deter the foxes? It can't be fun for those who come to collect the bags to have to scoop all the trash up, nor is it good to look at or smell for pedestrians. Besides, it's a waste of effort. I see the ripped bags at least three times a week, along Goodrich Road for example. I am guessing it happens elsewhere in SE22 and beyond. Thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi Amelie,

Virtually all the empty tree pits have been filled with trees. We've also made some headway putting street trees back onto streets such as Melbourne Grove - looks fab with all the blossom.

Hi TheArtfulDogger,

Dulwich Van Hire. Various enforcement actions taken. They're now operating from the garage from adminsitrative purposes. It seems clear some of the vans are being operated from the public highway. I've again asked officers to undertake enforcement to ensure the whole business is operated from their new garage site.

Hi Nero,

The blue bags should be pcked up the same day and foxes rarely come out in the middle of the day. I'll ask about the specific example you've given and the generality.

[mikese22]

sorry - ignore this - I read on and it had already been answered!

Hi James

Why are tetrapacks treated differently to other recycling? Surely if they are readily recyclable then we should just be able to put them in with the glass / metal / plastics?

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Tetra pack recycling.

> Sainsbury's on Dog Kennel Hill now collects Tetra

> Paks for recycling.

> From June the recycling station at Peckham Rye

> Park will go comingled which will enable space to

> start collecting Tetrapaks.

> Where else in East Dulwich would tetrapak

> recycling make sense?

[James Barber]

Tetrapaks.

I had a pleasant email from a Tetrapak person assuring me that shipping tetrapaks to Sweden was still environmentally ok. That I should rest assured the life cycle analysis was ok. She isn't able to send me a copy of the maths for this.

tetrapaks are 70-90% cardboard + plastics + aluminium.

She had no idea of when or if a UK recyclnig facility will be in place.

Currently Southwark collects around 14kg of Tetrapaks a week at 6 recycling points in big supermarkets. This represents <1% of all Southwarks waste.

Amazing how such an item could become a totem for recycling when the maths isn't clear its a good idea.

[James Barber]

'new' lampost Lordship Lane.

Spotted that a new lamp post was still after about 6 months standing next to working old one.

Transpires the order on EDF Energy has not been raised and will be now.

I've requested a trawl of Southwark's lighting records to proactively hunt for any other examples.

But if you spot two lamp posts next ot each other - one working and one not - please do let me know.

Exceptions would be roads between Lordship Lane, Whateley Road and Barry Road which are being upgraded at present.

[Judy2]

James,

I've just been reading your latest flyer and I wondered if you could answer:

- How will the ?12 million for primary schools be spent and has this money been secured? Are there plans to build new primary schools and more importantly (to me) are there any plans to build any new secondary schools?

- and (much less importantly) when will the 'newly refurbished Dulwich baths' be open?

Thanks

[TE44]

Hi James, I was wondering if you knew how many council houses lie empty in Southwark.

I noticed on another thread you mentioned about empty private houses and how the council have got involved.

I can find nothing in Southwarks website.

Thanks

[James Barber]

Hi TE44,

No I don't have that to hand but the last report I read, about 2 months ago, stated from memory that empty council properties was we're slightly over the target for re letting them and they are staying empty for average of 37 calendar days. This would'nt include properties kept empty on places like the Heygate estate where it is in the process of being knocked down and for empty blocks stuff already being stripped out.

[James Barber]

Hi Judy2,

Latest on Dulwich Leisure centre swimming pool is reopen in July.

?12M. ?5M on permanent expansion of Lyndhurst from 1.5form entry to 2 FE.

?2M for bulge classes.

No plans currently for new school as no land free in council ownership.

Remaining ?5M being reviewed as several options but need to ensure it see increase in school places.

[Bumpkin]

Hi James

Regarding the extra ?5m - does this have to be spent this financial year? I'm slightly concerned about this being spent on buldge classes only as this will only solve the problem for one intake of children as there will have to be the same extra space for the bulge class until these children move on to secondary school. Will this then adversely affect children the following years as I can't imagine much funding will be forthcoming in future years given we had so much this year? Pleased to see some of it being used for permanent expansion of at least one school though.

Thanks

[TE44]

Hi James, I don't understand what you mean by "slightly over the target for re letting them", are people being moved

into council properties before they are habitable? I find it strange that you can give a figure on empty private

properties but do know know the number of council houses.

Are you saying there are no council houses apart from the ones you mentioned above, lying empty for more than 37 days?

[James Barber]

Hi TE44,

Apologies for not being clearer. Its a taking a few more days than the target to get them into re lettable conditoons after previous occupants have left.

Yes. Apart from recently vacated council homes and council homes that are part of major works or projects. The odd home liek a ground floor flat on Worlingham Road that is vacant while underpinning work takes place for example. Or flats at Heygate awating the blocks to be demolished.

[Gimme]

James,

Couldn't they build a primary school on the wasteland next to Dulwich Hospital.

I'm sure Southwark Healthcare Trust could be persuaded to part with that cheaply if sufficient threat to budget applied ;-)

[James Barber]

Hi Gimme,

That was one of the options explored.

NHS Southwark would, as with any public boady, have to offer to sell it to any other public body before selling it to anyone else. The stated plans for this site are a new Dulwich Hospital so this change of land use to a school would scupper that. This would create quite a 'stir' and would potentially get significant opposition.

Importantly the sale price could not be rigged and you can imagine the land value - we're talking many millions.

Even more importantly, the legal process for a new school would take 5-7 years and effectively presumes against a local authority running any new school and hence most likely result in a school 'sponsored' by a religious body with religious based admissions policies which would have a far bigger catchment area than East Dulwich. ie it would'nt releif admissions pressure from our area.

[prdarling]

"Lewisham will be sending their letters out 20 April but they don't appear to be trying to create normal extra reception classes 'bulge classes'.

The most important thing Southwark will be doing is ensuring we have all reception kids in reception classes. Having bulge classes and the distraction or purdah and supporting elections means a five working day delay is required"[/b]

Mr Barber

I recall one of your excuses for Southwark not being able to release the school application results along with the rest of London on time, in April, was as above, that you are busy creating bulge classes while Lewisham is not (I quote above).

This is absolutely untrue as Fairlawn School has a bulge class for September. Fairlawn is in Lewisham. I rest my case.

So basically supporting elections seems to be your only excuse..do you think that you are the only London borough supporting the elections? This is a ludicrous argument.

It seems to me that Southwark is the only London borough incapable of sorting out the school applications and campaigning at the same time, in which case we residents of the borough have much to worry about under a Lib Dem authority.

By not releasing the results,you are creating needless chaos because residents on the Southwark/Lewisham borders who have to accept their Lewisham place by 5th May will have to accept and then possibly reject places once 10th May finally rolls around. This is clearly making a bad situation much worse and is very disrespectful to the other boroughs involved.

Mr Barber, I urge you to release the school applications as soon as possible.