former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[James Barber]

Hi Ruffers,

Glad you like the mini rounadbout repainting. Sorry that it seems to take an age to make such things happen.

[Mick Mac]

Marmora Man Wrote:

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

> on average, there's no financial benefit from

> attending many universities. Attending a top

> university will probably pay dividends - in two

> ways. One the degree will be highly regarded and

> therefore ease the way into a top job, two - the

> student will network with other bright young

> things who will, in due course, be at the top end

> of their careers and well placed to assist each

> other.

>

Agreed on all of that MM. Spot on for me.

Unfortunatley Labour thought more and more education was good for all, but it was just more of the same for some and another expense for the taxpayer, more debt for the individual and less certainty for the employer who can no longer differentiate between qualifications.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Sounds a bit elitist to me

Lady macGabhann attended a non-top university, got a first, and went on to get the job she had planned for the whole time - one she wouldn't have been able to get without that degree. Thinking about it, many of the people I met from that time all did exactly that - had there not been a push for more education, they would have ended up in lower paid McJobs up north. So yay Labour, yay the taxpayer and yay non-elite universities

That doesn't mean there aren't many pontless degrees knocking around - but if I was an employer I would be looking at what the qualification was, not the source university

[Administrator]

Please can we keep this thread a useful place for people to contact the local councillor, rather than a discussion about education.

[peckhamwhy]

Thank you. Do you know Cllr Barber if the following problems will be taken into account and if it is too late to object?

- They have been breaching their licence for a while so does this count as a retrospective application?

- Noise levels are very reasonable on a Saturday afternoon and a nuisance on a Sunday evening.

- Because they sub-let their car park to the car wash people (who have their equipment & a range of cars in the park at any time) whenever there are functions or matches, day or night, cars park in the estate, sometimes blocking the road instead of parking in the car park. Can they be asked to encourage visitors to use the car park and to keep spaces available for guests?

- What was the fire brigade objection?

James Barber Wrote:

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

> Dulwich Hamlet Football Club - the Licensing

> Committee meets next Wednesday 10am at Southwark

> Town Hall on Peckham Road to decide on increasinng

> licensing hours for this club.

>

> To see the reports:

> http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/ieListDocument

> s.aspx?MId=3683&x=1#AI13155&

>

> In summary they've applied to sell alcohol and

> have recorded music on Fridays and Saturdays to

> extend from current end of 11pm by two hours until

> 1am the follows day and on Suuday from 10.30pm

> until 11pm.

[James Barber]

Hi peckhamwhy,

Dulwich Hamlets licensing applicatino is actually in South Camberwell ward but I know it had affected many hence why I posted it.

In my experience a well run council committee will accept new evidence rigt up to the committee start time - the more balanced and reasoned the easier it will be for councillors to digest quickly.

- They have been breaching their licence for a while so does this count as a retrospective application?

I'd presume so. Normal process is to discuss any breaches and if possible resolve them amicably. By applying for a licence formal conditions can be placed such as sound proofing etc. BUT its definately not a slam dunk and the committee could easilly be persuaded if residents attended and highlighted the current problems and how any new licence would impact local residents.

- Noise levels are very reasonable on a Saturday afternoon and a nuisance on a Sunday evening.

Then please tell them that - ask you neighbours to tell them that.

- Because they sub-let their car park to the car wash people (who have their equipment & a range of cars in the park at any time) whenever there are functions or matches, day or night, cars park in the estate, sometimes blocking the road instead of parking in the car park. Can they be asked to encourage visitors to use the car park and to keep spaces available for guests?

That must be a real pain and would be grounds to object - insufficient car parking in the area unless condition that they use their actual car park for car parking rather than car cleaning.

- What was the fire brigade objection?

I'm afraid I don't. I would imagine fire exits or similar?

Hope this helps.

[James Barber]

I've just been contacted by a resident who has only today had the Northcross Road Market proposed extension consultation through their letter box. The deadline from memory is this Friday.

I had been chasing the lead officer for an update of results so far - which seems to have provoked actually starting it!

Clearly something has gone horribly wrong with the consultation.

If you live within 500m of Northcross Road and have not received this consultatiopn please let me know so we can see the scale of this pickle.

I've contacted the lead officer asking what they plan to do about this.

[James Barber]

Southwark Labour are planning to sell the active town hall and two other town halls. No plans yet where council meetings would take place.

If losing the democratic hub bothers you please let me know.

The reason is stated as the building need modernising. I've worked from their and its an ok office so that's clearly not the reality.

[Pugwash]

James,

The Community Councils are extremely important to local residents, are they going to be maintained by the labour administration? If not how can the people of Southwark get their views across?

[peterstorm1985]

James, do you have details of the expected return on the sale of the buildings, the current annual running costs, the number of staff who use the buildings on a daily basis? It would be good to be able to understand if there is a sensible efficiency to be gained by relocating to more cost effective premises - I don't have any idea if they are being fully utilised at present, perhaps there is no need to replace on a room by room basis - or if this is just a political move. For my own part I have no need of an iconic symbol of democracy, so I have no immediate concerns about these buildings being sold - but I would like more information on the cost calculations that have been done to justified this.

[alachlan]

James - do you know why a Southwark recycling lorry (with wire box frame at the back, almost empty to begin with) might be filling up from a private individual's kerbside skip? Is this something new that Southwark is offering as part of the skip parking fee, goodwill on the part of the crew, or likely to be an end of shift quota beating exercise after an afternoon watching the football/rugby/other?

I think the issue of leaving the road /gardens covered in things that they have tried to throw in quickly and missed with has been dealt with separately.

[Nero]

James,

Does the rubbish that people put into the bins up and down Southwark get divided and recycled or does it go straight into a landfill/incinerator?

[OutOfFocus]

Camberwell Cemetery is now on the new extended Green Chain walk. Signs at the entrance tell you can walk through the Cemetery to Horniman Museum. Which is great, apart from the fact that the exit at the SW side (corner or Woodvale and Langton Rise) is shut for some building works.

How long is it shut for, could there not be an alternative exit and could there not be signs at the main entrance warning you that there is no exit !

I don't know if this is part of your pathc - if not perhaps you can point me in the right direction.

[Narnia]

James,a simple question as this is your thread and I voted for you in the last election. You may have answered it elsewhere but I dont read everything. What are you doing about the Barry Road/Underhill Road junction safety issue? Someone will die there very soon if it isn't sorted out. Sorry to be so blunt. I just don't want that to happen when it would be so easy to avoid.

[James Barber]

Hi Narnia,

I asked council traffic officers to provide the last three years collission stats for Barry/Uniderhil Road junction. To include thep revious incident meant a delay of a few weeks while all the details filter throguh to them. the plan is to meet with them to review the root causes as they understand them - probably on site. Then see what they recommend and what they view thep riority compared to all other road traffic incidents in Southwark.

Hi Pugwash,

I haven't a clue what Labour plan with community councils - previous but one shadow budget they proposed cancelling them but nothing in their manifesto.

Hi OutofFocus,

Don't know - will find out.

Hi Nero,

Blimey such an easy looking qeustion.

In areas with comingled recyclnig collections the comingled recycling gets seperated out centrally and is recycled. In areas without comingling the rubbish is already seperated at collections. For food waste 'pilot' areas the food waste is taken to Greenwich. At Greenwich it gets 'bulked-up' and then transported to the isle of Sheppey and treated eventually becoming soil improver. For the remiander 'residual' rubbish largely goes to South East London Combined Heat and Power (SELCHP) plant for incineration just theo ther side of border with Lewisham. So little goes to landfill. I've yet to visit this plant but believe much sorting goes on of metals etc to avoid those being incinerated.

Hi Peterstorm1985,

I'm afraid I don't have that kind of detialed data to hand but would hope that the detailed officer report would. When it's issued I'll try and post a copy here.

Hi

[James Barber]

Hi alachlan,

My guess would be that the skip had mixed stuff in it - which would all go to landfill.

That the crew spotted something that could be recycled and took it. Whether it was recycled by Southwark or someone else for a payment is impossible to tell without a time, place, number plate.

Eitherway, the planet is a better place for it.

[Tarot]

Hi James. I know what im about to ask is way out of context of th thread. But I am curious about what has happened to the married couple, who were yachting off the coast of Africa somewhere, and got captured by pirate kidnappers. Have they still got them , and if they have what is happening to secure their release. If they have got them. i hope the goverment is not just going to ignore the situation. Do you have any information?.

[James Barber]

Hi Tarot,

I have no more access to Foreign Office information about this kidnapping. Last thing I noticed was they are still being held. Sorry I can;t be more helpful.

[Tarot]

Thank you James. I guess they are not more impotrant than the X factor in the papers either, Shame.

[James Barber]

Hi OutofFocus,

This Camberwell Cemetery entrance will be closed for 6 weeks apparently.

The new entrance will look fab and become quite a feature when finished but until then the builders were meant ot have placed some temporary route signs for the extended Green Chain walk. They've been reminded.

The Green Chain walk people have also been reminded to amend the route on their website until the works are finished.

I'm not headed that way this week. Could you please let me know if the signs aren't placed. I've been assured they'll be placed today. Many thanks.

[James Barber]

Hi Narnia,

I've had a further response from traffic officers about Underhill/Barry road junction - but my interpretation of the response is alarming so I'll speak to them before updating to ensure I've understood correctly. This will take several days due to work, family and councillor commitments.

[James Barber]

East Dulwich ward Police Safer Neighbourhood Team tonight reported that for the last 12 weeks REPORTED crime was:

0 GBH

4 assaults (ranging from a shove to a bloody nose)

10 thefts from motor vehicles

4 motor vehicles damaged

3 bicycles stolen

0 people robbed

For burglaries, 5 in the last 2 weeks. Good news 2 burglars caught on Barry Road in the act and charged.

The ward priorities were and remain:

1. burglaries

2. thefts from people in licensed premises

3. youth engagement

What does this mean on the ground?

1. Burglaries

Local ED Police have leafletted all 5,250 homes in the ward highlighting free property marking SelectaDNA kits, free bicycle D locks, free motorbike locks, free panic alarms, free crime prevention advice visits.

For vulnerable adults and victims of crime FREE sash windows locks installation and similar.

Mainly burglaries in ED from sash windows being forced - sash 'restrictor' locks quickest and easiest way to reduce this risk and cost about ?3 per window from all good DIT stores.

Currently 6-10 ED residents a day taking up the above offers.

2. Thefts from people in licensed premises.

FREE Chelsea clips (to attach bag handles) offered again to all licensed premises and other promotional material to highlight the risks to customers. Very few takers so far.

Letter from the Police sargent responsible for licensing in Southwark asking all East Dulwich licensed premises to attend a meeting this Wednesday morning - if enough attend a Pub Watch scheme can happen.

After that meeting I'll tell you which licensed premises took part and want to ensure their customers are not victims of crime.

3. Youth engagement

We only have four primary schools in ED. Police visiting these kids. Getting groups of them involved with projects involving older citizens and visiting each others schools.

[louisiana]

James

I'm curious to know: are the two burglars in custody, or are they out on bail, on the streets to thieve again? Do we know how many burglaries they are 'alleged' to have committed?

There would appear to be a number of burglaries reported in other streets in the ward in the two week period (in addition to those in surrounding streets in the next wards), so I'm interested in how the numbers stack up, how things are counted e.g. if someone breaks into a shed in my garden and steals 2 bikes, is that burglary or is it 'bike stolen'? Is an attempt counted the same as a completed offence? For example if someone breaks my fence and locks trying to get into my back garden, or if someone breaks a window and then gets scared off by my neighbour?

Can you point me to any operational definitions?

[James Barber]

Hi lousiaia,

I can't really say more about the two arrested and charged burglars without being indiscreet. But you can rest relatively easilly.

The figures I've quoted are for reported crimes in East Dulwich ward. I believe other burglaries are in South Camebrwell ward and Peckham Rye ward.

I don't have the exact definitions as you've requested and suspect a lot is in the Policve officer receiving the reproted crime and how they handle it.

[James Barber]

Tomorrow filming takes place on Northcross Road - for an advert - from noon to 7pm.

A crew of 25 plus. Rain and wind macines, dolly and track, set dressing from 8am (Blue Mountain, Sweetshop, Beauty products shops) and scenery.

Any issues or problems with this shoot call Jenni Lewis on 07740 368316.