former East Dulwich councillor - how can I help?

[Marmora Man]

DiD Wrote:

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> Hi James,

>

> Any way Southwark council can put leaflets in

> people's houses asking them to clear the pavement

> in front of their own houses? they do that in

> Canada. In fact, its law. I wouldn't expect the

> council to do it given how stretched they are,

> especially on side streets(though reduced price

> snow shovels would be rather good). The problem

> is that if people even leave a thin layer, and

> then it melts a bit, it turns to ice. Not safe for

> pedestrians, especially old people and kids. But

> if its cleared fairly promptly, all is fine. How

> can Southwark help to encourage this community

> spirit? (sorry, don't mean to sound all big

> society....).

Hey what's wrong with the Big Society concept? Regardless of politics, clearing pathways is exactly the kind of thing it should be achieving.

[headphonauts]

Hi James. Have contacted Southwark council several times about the condition of Barry Road and resulting vibrations from heavy traffic. This getting progressively worse and shakes my house! Have not yet a useful response from the Council. Any ideas? Thanks!

[James Barber]

Hi DiD,

Southwark Life is delivered to every home every month so not sure an extra leaflet is required.

I'm afraid so many time people have read that might be sued for clearing the pavement outside their homes or their garden path that it will take quite sometime to counter that.

Would I welcome an expectation that everyone had to clear the path outside their house - yes I would mostly could it would end the nagging doubts most people seem to have that they mustn't.

Hi Ratty,

'slithered into coalition' that made me laugh. Last winter two bouts of snow and more salt was spread then than now.

The 80 hand propelled gritter trolleys we boought and had out on side roads and pavements - not in use these two bouts due to lack of salt. The councillor responsible stated last Friday "We urge residetns to look out for themselves".

Hi headphonauts,

Can you email direct with all your details please and I'll try and help you.

[James Barber]

Winter Road Salting - Facts and Figures

UK salt suppliers maximum production is around 12,000 tonnes/day

1 x 20g/m_ treatment uses 32,000 tonnes/day throughout the UK

?White-out? conditions uses 100,000 tonnes/day throughout the UK

It takes 20 days to replenish one UK white-out day using supplies from Cleveland Potash and Salt Union mining combined

[sedgewick]

Grit boxes on side roads would be a good idea, I have not seen any in ED. If we had them on street corners like in the old days we could have gritted our own paths and roads like we did back in the day.

[peterstorm1985]

James Barber Wrote:

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> Hi DiD,

> Southwark Life is delivered to every home every

> month so not sure an extra leaflet is required.

>

Southwark Life is delivered to every home every month but contains such utter tosh that a high percentage of householders put it straight in the recycling bin without reading it (straw poll of neighbours confirms). If this dreadful magazine was replaced by a leaflet of some value, as suggested by DiD, then I would be very happy.

[James Barber]

Hi Peterstorm1985,

The orignal driver for council magazines was the Audit Commission wanting proof that councils communicated with residents. That's changed. So councils don't feel the need to tick that box anymore. In fact the new Secretary of State Eric Pickles weirdly stating he wanted to maxmise freedoms for councils while telling them to have maximum of 4 issues a year of any council magazine/leaflet. I agree with the intent but not the method. Councils should decide this for themselves.

I'm clear that if the Lib Dems were running Southwark we'd drop the magazine as the original driver has gone.

Produing and distributing a letter a la DiD would cost to cover the borough around ?5,000 to design & print and ?5,000 to distribute. Drop in the ocean for the councils comms budget. But would one issue have the desired affect. Probably not. Is Southwark Life beign stopped no.

I'm sorry I can't directly change this.

[RDJ]

James, could you please give us an update on when the bins might be emptied?

Thanks very much

[James Barber]

Hi RDJ,

The rubbish, recyclingg and food waste collections are clearly in a pickle due to the icy roads.

I've asked when will the collections have caught up before the4 xmas roata changes kick in and as soon as I have this details will let you know.

[Cora]

Hello James,

Had assumed that the 'schools' slots at Fusion would be open for general swims over the holidays and was planning to take the kids this afternoon.

However on phoning to check I've been told that the pool will be closed during all the 'schools' slots. I'm sure this isn't normally what happens and seems to be a massive waste of a facility. Literally hours of swim time lost.

During school holidays we have lots of time to fill with the kids and as someone pointed out before there is very little general swim time during the day anyway - I was told I could take the kids today between 6 - 8pm, bedtime! (The pool will be closed between 1-3pm as a schools slot).

Is this a funding issue or just Fusion thinking it's ok to get away with it?

Would you be able look into this?

Thanking you in advance.

[James Barber]

Hi RDJ,

I'll have fuller details later today....but on Monday 25% of scheduled collections were made, 70% of collections on Tuesday and a full schedule is expected to be completed today. By Christmas day it is hoped all rubbish collections will be up to date - to aid this and help clear the backlog green waste trucks are being diverted to normal rubbish collection duties.

Hi Cora,

This seems very odd. I'll find out.

[RDJ]

Thanks very much for the information James. We've had our green bin emptied but the recycling boxes are still sitting there - by your post do you mean that all this week's collections, whether scheduled yesterday/today etc will have been completed and all our rubbish will have been removed by the end of the week?

[James Barber]

Hi Cora,

I've been told all school swimming sessions during school holidays become general swimming sessions.

What might have happened is they had to close the pool for a session while routine maintenace earlier this week took place on one of the air handling units.

Please do try again and fingers crossed next time you'll have a good family swim.

Hi RDJ,

My understanding is that by Christmas day ALL green wheelie bin rubbish collections will have caught up - just in time for all that non recycleable Christmas rubbish most of us will generate. That all recycling collections wont have caught up by then. Painful as we've had no recycling collection this week either and our blue bags and boxes are at capacity and overflowing.

[Cora]

Thanks for getting back James. I will try again after Christmas but was told that ALL school sessions would be closed over the holidays not just the one today. Will get back to you if that turns out to be the case.

[Fly]

Dear James,

The Dulwich estate are very difficult in allowing anyone who lives there to change their property if it changes the way it looks. They won't allow solar panels if they are visible (which they will be if the sun can see them). Can you do anything to overide their decision?

Jane

[RDJ]

James, thanks very much for clarifying all that, but it's disappointing that although the the pilot scheme for recycling is going really well, prioritising the green bin collections over the recycling collections seems to be a little bit contrary to the stated aims of Southwark's refuse policy.

Ironically, it will now certainly be the case in our house that all the recyclable things go in the green bin over the next week or so, as we don't have anywhere else to put them!

[ruffers]

RDJ - thinking it through though that makes sense. Putting non recyclable stuff in the blue bin would cause all end of problems at treatment and sorting stage, but putting recyclable stuff in green bins is just more rubbish. On that basis prioritising the green is the only logical action I'd have thought.

[RDJ]

True, it's just a shame to us that we've mountains of recycling but only a half-full green bin

[James Barber]

Hi Cora,

If you get told that school swimming at Dulwich Leisure Centre pool during school holidays are NOT for general swimming please take their name. I've been assured the manager is clear what's required and that all staff are clear.

Hi ejhturner,

If you live in a home that Dulwich Estate have a say over then little they or you can do. I believe solar panels are ok if not seen from public highway - please correct me if that isn't allowed.

Dulwich Estate are tasked with keeping the civic amenity of the lands they control AND providing cash for schools they have charitable obligation to support. Tricky. The areas so controlled look nice and are remarkably expensive but moving there comes with restrictions. It must feel like being in a conservation zone with very good enforcement and you pay for this.

HOWEVER, the Dulwich Estate is keen to engage with residents - they've held one public meeting. Colleagues and I are very keen to encourage and help more of this happen.

Hi RDJ,

Understand and the same thought crossed my mind. I can see that with fortnightly green wheelie bin collections that then not collecting from them could potentially undermine the 'pilot' popularity. This will have been a political decision. The backlog in my opinion was such that I'd have kept the recycling teams catching up and the green wheelie bins teams catching up to avoid undermining recycling, Labour councillor Barrie Hargrove chose to prioritise green wheelie bins and drop recycling collections.

[James Barber]

Came across station usage - see attached - which for the last year published 08_09 showed 1.5 million entries and exits from East Dulwich station.

[mikese22]

Can't we all cut the refuse guys some slack? It's hardly the end of the world to save a few bags of recycling until after Christmas - it should all be clean after all would so would not be a health risk whether left in the garden or Stored in the house

RDJ Wrote:

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> James, thanks very much for clarifying all that,

> but it's disappointing that although the the pilot

> scheme for recycling is going really well,

> prioritising the green bin collections over the

> recycling collections seems to be a little bit

> contrary to the stated aims of Southwark's refuse

> policy.

>

> Ironically, it will now certainly be the case in

> our house that all the recyclable things go in the

> green bin over the next week or so, as we don't

> have anywhere else to put them!

[James Barber]

Hi mikese22,

Temperatures predicted to continue to be hovering at nought degrees C or slightly below so nothing is going to go mouldy or smelly. We're just not used to thinking in this way.

Rubbish people normally miss around 100 collections per 100,000 - around 0.1%. So I also think they've earnt a bit of slack.

[Dickensman]

Hi James. Have contacted Southwark council several times about the condition of Barry Road and resulting vibrations from heavy traffic. This getting progressively worse and shakes my house! Have not yet a useful response from the Council. Any ideas? Thanks!

Wrote headphonauts.

Hi James,

I have the same problem with the house being rattled and shaken mostly by the 12 bus but in fact any lorry such as the binmens truck has much the same effect it rattles and shakes the back of the house. I have contact the council on the state of the road surface several times over the last two years but to no avail.

What would you suggest I do now?

[James Barber]

Hi Dickensman,

IF you think it's the road surface then relatively easy to fix.

If you think it's a raised area such as the one on Barry Road where it meets Goodrich Road then you'll need to prove that the vibrations come from the road and have someone suitably qualified such as a structural engineer to formally claim for damages.

If the former I can help if the latter then without that professional proof I wont (from experience) be able to successfully help you.

[James Barber]

The planning application for a new building replacing the Dulwich Garden Centre with 21 flats, a retail unti and replacement Grove Vale library has been delayed until the new year.

I'm excited by this as prospect of a new Grove Vale library double the current 144m2 floor space to 300m2.