Petition to Save Fairlawn Nursery

[dbboy]

Unfortunately Lewisham Council have already said they are withdrawing funding for the library service as they are with two others in the borough. A tendering process is in progress and the new organisation will start to run the library from June/July this year. A whole thread about this is on SE23.com. I envisage an organisation with current experience of running community libraries are likely to be awarded a contract.

This all derives from local authorities funding being reduced by central Government to reduce the National debt. And as regrettable as this is, due to what the last but one Administration did to the UK's finances, the people (everyone) is going to experience the consequences. This is not party political, it is a consequence of what happened. This is not about those who have against those that do not have, it is everybody who is being affected in some way or other.

And for the record I believe Osborne is totally Unjustified in penalising the poorest and weakest in society, and in particular those who have it probably harder then the rest of society.

[yas]

yes, thank you for that. The lady who is putting a list of volunteers together for forest hill library is also collecting manual signatures for our petition.

national debt reduction can be done by other means such as getting better at collecting taxes from the very rich etc...

[JoeLeg]

yas Wrote:

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> council wasn't. it was with the school! we have

> suggested fundraising but you can't run a nursery

> relying on fundraising year in year out! so there

> has to be a sustainable way of maintaining it.

So if the council was not involved in the process of Fairlawn, why are you drawing parallels with planning issues that did involve the council? Apples and oranges...

This is the point - he council had nothing to do with the decision, so petitioning them was the wrong direction to go in of you were hoping to change the situation.

[JoeLeg]

yas Wrote:

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> "I'm beginning to think Yas is just satirising the

> whole concept of petitions. I keep getting the

> image of Nigel explaining his amplifier goes up to

> 11."

>

> How do you mean?

>

> So by your argument petition to save lewisham

> libraries is a waste of time?

You've either not understood the point or are deliberately constructing a strawman argument.

[dbboy]

Yas, yes Pauline's consortium are tendering, it will be interesting to see who the council award the contract too.

In Southwark, they appear to be continuing to provide a library service, shame Lewisham cannot replicate this.

[yas]

JoeLeg, i am ignoring you as the direction of your argument is getting personal again!

The point i was trying to make is if everyone stuck to consultation results, then nothing can be changed! So for instance in place of Forest Hill Leisure Centre, we would now have a block of flats and a tiny swimming pool! M and Co would've gone and its place we would have had Morrisons who had the licence for that premise.

Lewisham Council is the correct body to direct our petition as they provide the funding for the schools!

[Penguin68]

Lewisham Council is the correct body to direct our petition as they provide the funding for the schools!

Then your petition should be about Lewisham Council changing its overall funding policy on nursery provision. It cannot allocate additional funds which don't meet its funding criteria or formula just to support your favoured nursery. It would, inter alia, then have to remove funds from another nursery to meet its budgets. You could use 'your' nursery as an exemplar of why you want them to change their funding formula and budget allocation - but that's what they would have to do.

In your position I would have inquired of a local councilor what the options were for additional funds to be found - if there are any. But tax payers' money is not available for disbursement just at the discretion of any local authority - they have to allocate funds based on open and agreed criteria. Funds under their criteria are not sufficient to keep your nursery open, based on its falling roll. What you are petitioning the council to do, I would suggest, is likely actually illegal - since such a funds allocation would not then meet its declared criteria for funding.

And the decision to close was not the Council's - nor could they then make a decision to re-open.

[yas]

Sorry no offence, but Penguin68 you are not in a position to speak on council's behalf. Nor do you know what else we had done before taking up this petition or what else we are planning to do to support our case.

So please kindly let other people make their minds up as to whether to sign our petition or not!

[JoeLeg]

yas Wrote:

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> JoeLeg, i am ignoring you as the direction of your

> argument is getting personal again!

It's not a personal attack to point out how you are making strawman arguments. If you start a debate you need to be willing to have your position challenged. You take it personally, you shouldn't, it's not; simply an observation that you seem to be twisting people's words. If that's not your intention then I apologise, but it's how it looks.

> The point i was trying to make is if everyone

> stuck to consultation results, then nothing can be

> changed! So for instance in place of Forest Hill

> Leisure Centre, we would now have a block of flats

> and a tiny swimming pool! M and Co would've gone

> and its place we would have had Morrisons who had

> the licence for that premise.

Yes, I absolutely agree.

>

> Lewisham Council is the correct body to direct our

> petition as they provide the funding for the

> schools!

If your intention is to change things in future, as a direct adjustment of policy, then again I agree. But this kind of thing takes years and isn't going to get Fairlawn reopened next September. Too little too late for that.

Seriously, read what people like Penguin68 say - they have it right; unfortunately you don't.

[JoeLeg]

yas Wrote:

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> Sorry no offence, but Penguin68 you are not in a

> position to speak on council's behalf. Nor do you

> know what else we had done before taking up this

> petition or what else we are planning to do to

> support our case.

>

> So please kindly let other people make their minds

> up as to whether to sign our petition or not!

Ok, you know what? I'm backing away from you now.

That's just rude. You have no idea what you're talking about.

[yas]

but we would've spoken to council about it, wouldn't we before taking up a petition like that?

[yas]

incidentally joeleg, you backing away is a relief for me! First you target SSW, now Save Fairlawn Nursery, i mean one might think you despise ppl who care about their community?

[Loz]

yas Wrote:

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> So by your argument petition to save lewisham libraries is a waste of time?

No, putting a petition to save Lewisham libraries that is directed to Fairlawn Nursery governors would be a waste of time. Much like putting a petition to save Fairlawn Nursery to the council is a waste of time.

[JoeLeg]

yas Wrote:

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> but we would've spoken to council about it,

> wouldn't we before taking up a petition like that?

And the council ignored you? And you didn't learn from that?

Surprise surprise. Enjoy your ignorance.

[yas]

ok guys, you have finally done it. i am backtracking from this campaign! back to my kitchen where i belong :)

[yas]

Of course, I was kidding when I said we are giving up on this campaign. we have now written to senior politicians in Labour Party and asked them to take an interest in our bid to save our little nursery. Fingers and toes cross!

Save Fairlawn Nursery!

[Loz]

What do you expect senior members of the Labour Party to do?

You have a lot of good energy, yas, but you do rather seem to direct it in the least useful way. Writing to your local MP (who is, if you live near Fairlawn, Labour) would be a far better idea.

[yas]

Well, we have written to council about it. I had some personal dealings with Jeremy Corbyn in the past (working on a couple of refugee cases) as he was my local MP and found him to be very helpful so i thought i should try my luck.

[Growlybear]

This thread just gets funnier with every post! I was taken in for the first few pages, but realise now that this must just be a very amusing wind-up.

[Loz]

It all reminds me of a few lines from the old 'Captain Beaky and his Band'. (Showing my age there).

'Quick men,' said Beaky, 'No delay,

You mustn't let him get away.'

And leaping off, said, 'Follow me,'

And ran head first into a tree

[yas]

see i am going to sound rude again, but this is the problem with you non-parents (i should hope), you simply don't understand why we are prepared to go to such an extent to protect our children's future! Making a great fuss about a public nursery closing, caring about our local woods are just part of it!

[nxjen]

Huge assumptions regarding "non-parents" and you know what they say about people who assume

I don't understand why you are spending so much time and energy arguing your case on the Forum, you are not reaching the decision makers who can change things, if indeed anybody can. Anybody who feels inclined to sign your petition will already have done so and your constant bickering is not likely to encourage others to sign. Can only think

(a) This is just a wind-up as I've said before, a satire.

(b) You're just looking for a fight.

[yas]

actually no, we put this petition on this site to collect signatures. ppl started to attack it left, right and centre. this nursery closing is very emotional and a rather sad event for both parents and the members of staff. having ppl call you a liar, arrogant when all we were trying to do was draw attention to this case is really very annoying at the very least. hence why i was inclined to engage in bickering!

[dbboy]

The thread that just keeps on giving.

[rendelharris]

"but this is the problem with you non-parents (i should hope), you simply don't understand why we are prepared to go to such an extent to protect our children's future!"

That is a thoroughly disgusting statement. I really hope you consider just how wrong it is. What do you know about us "non-parents," what do you know about the heartache or tragedy we may have gone through to end up in your "non-parent" category? How dare you assume that you care more about local amenities than we "non-parents" do? Plenty of "non-parents" put plenty into the community and not just out of self-interest because they want things for their own families. Thank goodness most parents aren't as smug as you.