Sunday 31 May 2009

Housing Demo on May 30th


A few days ago, I made mention of a leaseholder demonstration, that was due to take place outside Brixton town hall on Saturday 30th May. I was sadly unable to attend (I'm not a leaseholder, and I was on a three line whip for household chores). However, one of my regular readers has kindly forwarded me a photograph taken at the event (many thanks!) so you can see what the SE11 (and other) protestors were up to.
Update 3/6/2009: There is an article and another photo (rather blurry) of the demonstration in the Streatham Guardian which does not feature the Lib Dem candidate so prominently.
I'd be grateful for any more photos in which participants don't all sport yellow ribbons.




Friday 29 May 2009

Guest post: attendee at John Bull Centre Hustings

For the first time, I have agreed to publish a guest post at the Lurking about SE11 blog.

Obviously, I have to publish a disclaimer, since the views presented are not my own, although I have received verification that the guest poster was present at the hustings and is not one of the candidates standing for election.

If any other participants were present at the John Bull Community Centre hustings, and wish to make a counter guest post, I will publish it (so long as it's not defamatory).

------

Dear SE11'ers

I was at the LGBGT candidate hustings last night and was utterly shocked at the response the Labour candidate gave in response to the question "would he support the use of the old Lilian Baylis site by the the All Nations Church given their teachings on homosexuality as a sin?" In a long winded response, he said that he did support them having the use of the site.


I find it incredible that an openly gay, prospective local goverment Councillor in one of the districts in the UK with a high concentration of LGBGT residents, is in support of such and organisation and has been actively helping them to secure their place on the site.

I hope that the LGBGT community will come out in force and let their elected representatives know that these organsiations have no place in multi-cultural Lambeth and should not be given the use or option of purchasing public spaces for propogating messages of intolerance of any sector of the community, let alone such a huge proportion of the Vauxhall residents.

Your truly
Concerned SE11

Protest against Lambeth Council housing sell-off and service cuts

Having been made aware (from the vocal protests at recent hustings) of the ongoing injustice felt by many local residents on matters of social housing eg. cuts in service, rent rises, non-functioning CCTV and outrageous bills from contractors, one campaigner has forwarded me details of two local events that people living on the housing estates in SE11 might wish to attend, which I've posted below.

In addition, I hope to publish a guest post from somebody present at the John Bull Centre hustings who wishes to provide their own take about the goings on. If anybody else is interested in making a guest post, please let me know. I don't want to publish anything directly from candidates themselves, as this blog attempts to be critical, but non-party political. However, if you're involved locally in any way (or have been present at an event of note), and want to make your voice heard, drop me an email: lurkingaboutse11@googlemail.com and we can discuss the possibility of a guest post.

PROTEST MARCH
North Lambeth protesters - Meet at the bus stop outside Fantasy Laundrette in Kennington at 10.30am and we can travel together.

Protest against further cuts in services and the selling off of empty flats.
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
11am Brixton Town Hall


LEASEHOLDERS REPAYMENT OPTIONS FOR SERVICE CHARGES - NORTH LAMBETH AND STOCKWELL & VASSAL MEETING

7pm June 10th, 2009 Pedlars Acre Hall, Opal St, SE11 (behind the North
Lambeth Housing Office)

For matters concerning the extraordinary meeting of the North Lambeth
Leaseholders Forum to discuss the proposed repayment options, please
contact the North Lambeth Area Housing office and ask for Frank
Tamplin or Liam Kelly who can give you details of the meeting and
provide copies of the papers.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Possible stabbing in Black Prince Road and questions about networking

Very occasionally, I wonder whether there's some form of news blackout that operates within the SE11 area. It's very difficult to find out certain pieces of information that it might be within the public interest to have made public.

A commentator yesterday remarked "I heard that there was a stabbing on black prince road on Friday 22nd May...any news?". My feeling is that this is probably not the case and nothing happened. Stabbings tend to generate a lot of hits here, with people searching for information. But the rumour of a stabbing must be grounded in something, most probably some sort of disturbance. It would be useful if there was a Lambeth police feed in which information was shared to alert residents to be on guard or remain watchful if anything was particularly amiss.

I understand that the issue of dangerous dogs was raised at Tuesday's hustings, dogs apparently being the "preferred" weapon of choice for those engaged in anti-social behaviour. However, I've not seen news reported anywhere on fights with dogs between youths. I heard that there have been a rise in burglaries on one local estate, but once again, no news.

My feeling is that the SE11 community is still not sufficiently networked. We have many civic organistions for linking people together, but many of them have significant overlap in committed members, and sporadic communication with those people who are not online. There's a low level of computer use/technological know how in both poorer and older communities locally (I saw a map of this that I might do a blog post about). The question is, how is this best overcome? I'm pleased with the contribution to this blog from regular commentators and anonymous lurkers, but my feeling is that there is still more local knowledge and resources to be shared.

In the meantime, don't forget the LGBT / gay hustings, which is on tonight at 7.30pm at the John Bull Community Centre. If you didn't make it to the last set of general hustings, I'm sure you'd be welcome to show up here, even if you've not got specifically LGBT questions to ask.

216 Kennington Road

It appears that planning consent is being sought (as from yesterday) for change of use on the ground floor of 216 Kennington Road from D1 (Assembly and leisure use) to Classes A1/A2/B1/D1 (retail or financial and professional services or business, office or community). Do look up reference 09/01201/FUL on Lambeth Council Planning database.

Additionally, permission is requested to build eight flats (and two new windows) on the first and second floors.

I don't think additional flats are necessarily contentious (although I'd be grateful for comments), but local residents have many times made clear that they do not support the ground floor being used for non D1 purposes (most notably retail purposes). Originally, I understand that the ground floor was intended for community use under an old Section 106, but I think that may now be lost to history.

I was emailed about this planning request by an informant (who I shall refrain from naming) who also adds: "Most interesting is that application is made by Gallaghers but these are acting on behalf of TESCOs so presumably they are intending Tesco express or Metro - so impact on local retailers won't be good"

I don't know how the information that Gallaghers are acting on behalf of Tesco emerged, so I shall have to leave that as merely hearsay for now, although I have no reason to doubt its veracity.

So, it's time for the people of SE11 to unite again... You know what you have to do. Click here to comment on the proposal and submit your objections. I see no reason to object to the housing (it's in keeping), but only to the change of use requested for the ground floor. However, if somebody leaves a comment with a good reason to object to the proposed housing, I'm happy to consider it and amend this post.

Wednesday 27 May 2009

Accident in Kennington Lane

This morning, the tweeter named "Kennington" broke the news that there was a traffic accident involving a young boy hit by a lorry in Kennington Lane. I've had lots of requests from people for further information about the accident today, but my searches have turned up little.

Please add a comment if you know about the well being of the child involved or witnessed the accident (or know anybody that did).

Edit: 1/6/2009 - Due to the Kennington Association blog pointing out that there was more news in the South London Press re. the accident, I bought a copy. The SLP (p7) says that the accident happened at 5.30am on the corner of Cottington Street/Kennington Lane, the boy in question was 15 years and that the victim suffered serious head injuries, but was breathing on his own when the paper went to press.

I'm receiving a lot of hits from people querying for more information, and I'd be very pleased if anybody who knows the status of the boy in question could post an update. I hope the boy and his family are well supported, and good wishes for recovery are sent from Lurking about SE11.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Community Hustings for Princes Ward, SE11


Sorry for the late notice, but I just received the following information on a hustings (prior to the elections later in the week) in Princes Ward, to take place tomorrow (Tuesday 26th May, 7pm - 9pm at Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre.

Friday 22 May 2009

Girl gangs in Kennington?

Sadly, due to not being a full time lurker in SE11 (it's not that I have a second home elsewhere... I just have to work in north London), there are certain pieces of drama that I miss.

The Evening Standard have reported a rather odd crime in which a girl gang targeted a 41 year old woman near Hyde Park, threatened her with a BB gun and then returned her money(!). The police caught the gang in Kennington, outside the post office on Kennington Road. I can't help wondering whether they just hopped on the 159 bus and landed at Kennington bus stop, only to be cuffed by police who were tracking the bus. But that's just speculation... Anyhow, there are some rather dramatic pictures here.

One difficulty with this is that we don't know where the girls are resident. The crime doesn't exactly help the Kennington's image as a safe and friendly place to live, but they could be from anywhere in London and just happen to have been arrested in Kennington

MPs in Vauxhall, Oval and Kennington?

I'd really like to know how many MPs live in Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall, in and around SE11. Estimates on Twitter vary between 30 and 90, but we're just throwing figures around. If you include Vauxhall/Stockwell and head down into SW8 or SW9, MP figures could be even higher... I never seem to see any of these MPs, but then I probably wouldn't know what most of them looked like. I'm fairly sure that most of them don't shop in the Biggest Gay Tesco in the UK, but then their allowances probably mean they can afford Ocado deliveries or hike over to the Biggest Gay Sainsburys in the UK (unless they're permanently eating out in Ghandis).

I presume that there's a list of MP second addresses somewhere. I'm not really interested in breaching their privacy and knowing what their exact addresses are. That would be rather unfair. However, I would like the figures for MPs with houses and flats in the area. Is that info in the public domain? Does anybody know?

So far, currently definitely resident:

Oliver Letwin
Jack Straw
Charles Kennedy
Phil Willis

Previously resident:

Hazel Blears used to live around here, but didn't like the sirens, so sold the flat.
Alistair Darling has a flat in Kennington, but rents it out
Geoff Hoon (sold his Kennington flat)

We know that there are many more and I commented on the Conservative boards in Kennington Road here. It seems I'm not the only blogger to notice. There's a Labour blogger on a Blog From The Back Room who also wonders why the Tories want to advertise their four storey houses in Kennington Road.

I'd appreciate comments from readers who definitely know of MPs living in and around Kennington, Oval or Vauxhall so that I can them to my MP-ometer.

Classical music and incense sticks at Vauxhall Station

I'm sure I can't be the only person to commute through Vauxhall tube station during the middle of the day to be surprised at the pervasive smell of incense and loud classical music. A friend advises that the incense comes from a shopowner who is burning sticks of it underground, but the classical music...?

Well, I caught an item in Camden New Journal that suggested there have been classical music "trials" in Vauxhall station in order to "soothe stressful journeys" and "cut crime" (they're trying it in Camden at the moment). Well, apparently, it's too early to say whether the trials are working, and I'm not sure whether the music is to be a permanent feature. They appear not to play music in the mornings when most of my commute takes place (or maybe the trial lasted only a few weeks).

Do readers have any more info? Do you like it? The quality wasn't very good, and I would prefer buskers (but I've heard some dire buskers underground too).

Oh yes, the Victoria line strikes are rather annoying (hardly "strike hell" as a certain newspaper suggested. But I'm pleased that there are still unions large enough to be able to suggest strike action, and be taken seriously. Power to the people (those that still have powerful unions, anyawy), and all that.

Monday 18 May 2009

Fairford House stabbing in Kennington... they kept that quiet

Kennington Association news blog has a report from the South London Press about a stabbing in Kennington. I get a lot of hits for people searching for stabbings, (often old events), but I did wonder why I had so many hits for Kennington Lane. See the SLP news report for further info, but it transpires that a 22 year old man was stabbed eight times on 26th April 2009 in Kennington Lane, outside Fairford House. Tha man hasn't been named. Amazingly, he survived the attack (get well soon!), and two 17 year olds are in custody.

Does anybody know the whereabout of Fairford House on Kennington Lane (in SE11)? Google maps can't account for it, and I'm not sure whether it's a residential building or an office block.

I haven't seen this stabbing reported anywhere else... It would be very useful to have reports from Lambeth police force about crime in the area, but as far as I know, no such news is available. Please drop me an email if you work with/for Lambeth police force, and would be interested in making news public to local news outlets or bloggers, other than the SLP.

Update of all 7 questions with English Democrat responses from Janus Polenceus

A quick update this morning with the seven responses to the questions I posed to all candidates. I've added Janus Polenceus' views to those of the other candidates, having received them on Friday.

I'd like at this point to add that none of the views of the candidates represent my views and that I am trying to be critical, but non-partisan in commentary on political points. I have just pasted the responses, as received, from each of the local candidates to best aid the SE11 electorate.

There are links to all of the 7 questions put to each candidate here:

1. Name three main policies for Princes Ward

2. Commitment / previous work or affiliation with Princes Ward.

3. Serving local youth and older residents.

4. Serving local people of varied income

5. Why belong to your chosen political party?

6. What do you disagree with your political party about?

7. Views on the construction of new developments in Princes Ward

Saturday 16 May 2009

Summer events in SE11 - Kennington + Vauxhall

16th May + 17th May (2pm - 5pm both days) - Friends of Lambeth Community Care Centre: Garden Open weekend (Monkton Street, SE11)

16th May (11pm - 1pm) - Kennington Association Bazaar in St Anselm's Church Hall (ok, I'm a bit late on this one)

Sat 6th and Sun 7th June, 11am - 4pm - Roots & Shoots Open Garden Adm £2, chn free. Plants for Sale

Saturday 6 June 2009 – Albert Square Summer Fete

Sunday 21 June 2008 (10.00am - 6.00pm) - Vauxhall Park Summer Fair
Vauxhall Park

Saturday 27 June 2009 (2pm - 5.30pm) - North Lambeth Parish Fete

12th July - Cleaver Square Fete

Any more summer events to add?

Friday 15 May 2009

Hustings - LGBT - Please circulate

I was sent this re. LGBT hustings for Prince's Ward. Please circulate:


The text says:

Thursday 28th May
7:00 – 8:30pm

The John Bull LGBT Centre
64 Tyres Street
Vauxhall
SE11 5NL

0333 700 1232 (John Bull)

Hustings - Disability - Please circulate

I was sent this information re. disbility hustings for the Princes Ward by-elections and asked to circulate:

the newly formed LAMBETH PAN DISABILITY FORUM IS HAVING A MEETING WITH SPEAKERS FROM ALL MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES LEADING TO PRINCES WARD BY ELECTION AND EURO ELECTIONS COVERING ALL ISSUES AFFECTING DISABLED AND DISABILITY ON MAY 28TH 1.OOPM TO 3PM AT 336 BRIXTON ROAD SW2 PLEASE RSVP

David Hart
11 Heather Close
London
SW8 3BS
NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US
davidhart9@btinternet.com
0207 720 4150
fax 0207 720 4150
mobile 07918757096

Thursday 14 May 2009

Question 7: Views on building development in Princes Ward and SE11

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 7:
Please highlight your views on the ongoing property development in Prince's Ward and the SE11 area.


Michael Poole-Wilson:
I think we need to treat proposals for housing development on a case by case basis. In general, I share Mayor Johnson's concerns about tall buildings. In Prince’s ward, I am concerned about planning decisions that will mean increases in population density in an area already short of amenity space. Priority should be given to improving existing housing stock.

Janus Polenceus:
Building more houses/homes is good, providing that the priority goes to people who were on the housing waiting list for a long time before giving them to new comers.


Joseph Healy:
I would oppose any more largescale applications by large shops etc, and think that small businesses and local community based organisations should be supported.

I would also like to see more pedestrianised areas and the quality of the built environment is essential. As a historian by background I appreciate our architectural heritage and think it should not be swept away in the rush for profit.

I am opposed to the Lilian Baylis school site being used by an organisation which is homophobic, as I would be if it represented ideas hostile to any section of the community living in the ward. This is especially relevant in an area which has become London's second gay village and where many LGBT socialise at weekends etc, as well as having many LGBT residents.


Mark Harrison:
In general I'm supportive of any attempts to build more homes and space for businesses in the area, as demand for housing is at crisis point in our borough. Too many families are living in cramped flats, and too many people in need are stuck on housing waiting lists. Any responsible politician should be encouraging more housing, and in particular more social and affordable housing - it would be disgraceful and selfish not to do so.

That said, development should be of the highest quality, should be sustainable, and should not be detrimental to the area. I'm passionate about good-quality architecture and design, and think it is possible for us as local residents and as a Council to demand higher quality developments. The planning system is far from adequate, but I will do my best to work within it to advocate good quality developments and oppose poor ones.

I suspect this question has the Vauxhall riverside area in mind, as it is the focus of most intense development. The Vauxhall Supplementary Planning Document has some good ideas about how Vauxhall can accommodate more homes and businesses. I'm minded towards encouraging high density, medium-rise development, rather than tall towers. I support removing the gyratory system, opening up the riverside and the railway viaduct, and creating better-quality public and green spaces in Vauxhall. I'm excited that new development in Vauxhall can help fund improvements to Vauxhall Spring Gardens, and other improvements to the surrounding area.


John Roberts:
I think that at the moment there is still a general presumption among planners and developers that tall buildings are always beautiful, especially in the Vauxhall part of Princes ward, and that the views of the local community don’t matter. I say this is wrong and they must genuinely listen to local views. I don’t want a Berlin style wall built along the river front that we blook our beautiful skylines.

For instance, the plans at No.81 Black Prince Road, if the planning inspector allows it, risks putting another barrier between the local community and the river. Two other very important points are that :
- when developments do go ahead, they should be sympathetic to local needs and that the priority for any section 106 money (which developers can sometimes be asked to pay to mitigate the impact of their development) must go towards the local community in Princes Ward to improve our area
- affordable housing targets are stuck to, as too often developers try to get away with too low a quota.

While we must realise that new developments are sometimes inevitable in inner London, there is a balance to be struck and at the moment it is too firmly skewed towards the developers.

Question 6: Ways in which you disagree with your political party

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 6:
Name one issue that your political party advocates with which you personally disagree. (To demonstrate independence of thought and refusal to be tied to party line)


Michael Poole-Wilson:
I think the party could go further in allowing schools more freedom to run their own affairs.

Janus Polenceus:
There are views that I disagree with other members in my party, but they are not included in our party manifesto so it does not matter.


Joseph Healy:
Tradable personal carbon quotas. I voted against this several years ago. I believe it to be socially unjust.

Mark Harrison:
I was angry at the abolition of the 10p tax band, and the fact it took the government too long to recognise the effect it would have on people on low incomes. I'm pleased that our MP Kate Hoey opposed the move from the start, and that eventually people were compensated through the rise in personal allowances.

I also think central government should go further in devolving power to local government, so that decisions are made at a more local level, and people take a stronger interest in the work their Council does.


John Roberts:
At the moment, the party’s policy on bioenergy mentions longer-term targets under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, a new assurance scheme to ensure bioenergy is sustainably produced and transported, and reform of existing woodland tax breaks.

While this would be a step forward, it doesn’t go far enough because I think that increasing fuel efficiency and going straight to second generation biofuels would be more effective.

Question 5: Why you belong to your chosen political party

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 5:
Name one issue that your political party advocates with which you strongly agree. (To demonstrate fidelity to your party and show why you are a member of your chosen political party)


Michael Poole-Wilson:
I oppose the government's ID card scheme. I think the scheme is both an affront to civil liberties and impractical. Reports have indicated it could cost in the region of £20 billion; a clear waste of money.

Janus Polenceus:
I strongly agree that my party is campaigning that this country needs an English Parliament on the same lines as the Scottish Parliament.


Joseph Healy:
I strongly support the concept of a Citizen's Income, which would guarantee all citizens, whether waged or not, a basic standard of living. I took voluntary redundancy in September and was signing on at Kennington Job Centre for four months. Fortunately I had savings as it would have been impossible to live on £60 per week. The treatment of unemployed people and their ritual humiliation is shameful and many people are experiencing this for the first time. The Labour government's Welfare Reform Bill is one of the most pernicious pieces of legislation ever enacted and is, of course, supported by the Tories. It would make unemployed people work for less than the minimum wage and hand over control of the Job Centres to private companies who would make a killing on the misery of some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Mark Harrison:
Labour's commitment to high-quality, properly-funded public services is the primary reason I am a member of the party. At the national, London-wide, and Lambeth levels Labour has shown itself to be serious about rescuing our public services from neglect and investing properly in the future. The results can be seen in brand new school buildings and hospitals, better-paid staff, lower waiting times for operations, falling crime and increased police numbers, and a real commitment to improving and expanding social housing.

John Roberts:
Many different reasons, I think the Liberal Democrats have a strong commitment to equal rights for all members of Lambeth’s diverse community and I was proud to have been awarded the Scarman Award by Lambeth Council recently for increasing equality and inclusion in the borough.
But I am especially proud of how my party led the campaign for the Gurkhas to be given full rights to come and settle in the UK if they wish – after all they have put their lives on the line for our country, so it is only fair we welcome them to these shores!

Question 4: Serving all income brackets in Princes Ward

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 4:
How will you demonstrate that you intend to serve those of low, modest and high income in Prince's ward?


Michael Poole-Wilson:
* Low and modest income residents can be helped by forcing Lambeth to think again on rises in social housing rents and excessive housing charges, and by campaigning for the abolition of income tax on savings for basic rate taxpayers.

* High income residents, like everyone else, want the basics done well - among other things, that means real progress in educational provision, clean streets, and properly managed green spaces.


Janus Polenceus:
I will serve everyone equally, but most of all I would focus on those who are more in need or at a disadvantage.


Joseph Healy:
* My priority is those on low and moderate incomes. I think those on high incomes have the wherewithal to access a lot of services etc. However, I would be an honest and approachable representative and would oppose planning applications etc, which I did not deem appropriate for the ward.

* For those on low and moderate incomes, I would try and ensure that the Council does more on actual job creation and debt counselling than at present. The Green Party's policy of free home insulation, which has been carried out in Kirklees, Yorkshire, would also lift many poorer residents, particularly pensioners, out of fuel poverty and give them a better quality of life, as well as helping the environment.


Mark Harrison:
* Labour is the party of equality, and as a Labour supporter I'm committed to representing all residents, no matter what their income.

* Currently I'm particularly concerned that this year's rent increase is hitting working people and pensioners on low incomes particularly hard. That's why I'm working with Kate Hoey and councillors to lobby central government for funding to reduce the increase. I personally live on a housing estate, and it's undeniable that we face some of our most serious issues on estates. I'm committed to working hard for people on our estates. However, I intend to work hard on behalf of all residents of Prince's ward.

* People on high incomes in street properties pay most for Lambeth's services, and it's right that they get value-for-money and high-quality services,including waste collection, streets, schools and libraries.


John Roberts:
* Low income –The local Lib Dems helped the campaign to stop the Lambeth Walk Post Office on Vauxhall Street from closure last year, as local financial services provided by the post office are especially important for those on low incomes, and our Parliamentary Campaigner, Caroline Pidgeon handed in a petition to keep it open to Post Office HQ. The Liberal Democrat Group is fully committed to supporting the Lambeth Savings and Credit Union as it offers an affordable way for people on low incomes to get loans and thereby protects them from loan sharks but the only problem is at the moment you have to go down to Brixton Hill to use its services – I would like to see the council working with it to try and find a base in the Kennington area as well for local financial advice surgeries.

* Modest income – I will work hard to keep the council tax down so people on modest incomes and just above the benefits line do not get a rough deal. I also fully support the new campaign launched by London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon to help get cheaper bus travel by allowing Oyster card users to travel for an hour on different London buses without paying for an extra journey – details at

* High income – no matter what their personal wealth, all local residents have a right to expect their local councillors to help them if they have a problem, so no matter how rich or poor you are I will do my best to help you!

Question 3: Serving the youth and older residents in Princes Ward

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 1:
How will you demonstrate that you intend to serve the youth and
older residents in Prince's ward?


Michael Poole-Wilson:

* I will continue to fight for enhanced funding of youth facilities in our area.

* I will campaign for a £2,000 rise in the pensioner's personal allowance (non-taxable income) from £9,490 to £11,490. The weekend before this election was announced, I was out campaigning on Kennington Lane for exactly this policy. [We are sending a petition to Gordon Brown.]


Janus Polenceus:
As councillor it will be my job/duty to serve everyone who lives in the ward by listening what problems or needs they have and by trying to help them however I can.


Joseph Healy:
* I have worked closely with older people over the last few years and have campaigned strongly on issues such as ensuring a 24 hour Freedom Pass for pensioners etc. I would campaign strongly for better social care for older people and for important facilities such as the Felix Post Centre at the Maudsley Hospital (which helps older people with dementia) not be closed.

* On the youth side, I have always been a strong supporter of small local theatres such as the Oval House and the Blue Elephant in Camberwell. I think the experience of Venezuela shows that many young people from poorer areas (and there are many such in Princes) can be enthused and given new vision through the arts - such as the children of the barrios in Venezuela. The recent visit of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra to the South Bank, which I attended, proved that. So I would say less funding on big 'Viagra Projects' and much more on community arts etc.



Mark Harrison:
* I intend to serve young people by supporting the community organisations that do so much good work with young people in the ward. Electing a Labour councillor will guarantee that the Old Lilian Baylis School site is saved from developers and secured as a permanent community facility with services provided by the Sports Action Zone. I strongly support Labour's doubling of spending on youth services. I'm a Patron of a local charity that works with young people to raise their aspirations - I want all young people in our area to grow up with a positive attitude and believing they can do good things in their lives and in the community. I strongly support Labour's introduction of a Lambeth Youth Mayor, which has galvanised young people's participation in political decisions about funding youth services in the Borough.

* With Kate Hoey I have visited several of our sheltered housing schemes to speak to older people living there. Issues raised included the need for greater support for older people to get the most out of the choice-based lettings scheme, the need for older people to be aware of the many services on offer to them in our area, and the need for older people in North Lambeth to involve themselves in the fora that represent them at the Town Hall. As a community campaigner I have already met with and acted on behalf of many older people in the ward. I feel it's particularly important for councillors to stand up for people who have worked all of their lives, contributed so much, and who deserve excellent housing, leisure and care services.


John Roberts:
* Older residents – I will fight the council’s appalling home care charges – they currently charge £17.50 an hour which is the highest in London! It is wrong that Lambeth – one of the poorest London Boroughs – charges the highest rate in the capital for essential home care services. And the huge hike in heating and hot water charges in Lambeth's housing estates has hit older people especially hard.

* Young residents – As a qualified youth worker and one of the last remaining youth workers in Lambeth- (I used to work on the Kennington Park Estate) I am experienced and fully aware of the issues facing our young people. My Lib Dem colleagues on the London Assembly, including former Princes Ward Councillor Mike Tuffrey, are working on plans to include a Youth Worker in police Safer Neighbourhood Teams, so the small minority of young people who do get into trouble have help and support before they get drawn into gangs and criminal behaviour. I think this is a really good idea and would like to see this funded for our area. I also fully back good plans that would give our young people more things to do – for instance in my manifesto I mention I fully support the Sports Action Zone at the old Lilian Baylis site, I have also fought for community resources that young people benefit from like the Vauxhall City Farm and the Durning Library. I want more youth and outreach workers in our estates so our most vulnerable young people are safe to play outside without fear or prejudice. I am so sick of the council demonising our young people. Working with thousands of young people over my career I can honestly say that they have all wanted the same as every one else, to be treated with respect and to be safe from harm.

Question 2: Commitment to Princes Ward (SE11) area

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 2:
What, if any, organisation(s) have you been involved with which demonstrate your commitment to the area, and how long have you lived/worked locally?


Michael Poole-Wilson:

* I have lived in Kennington since 2002 (having worked in London since 1998).

* I led a campaign opposing Lambeth’s closure of the Redfearn Centre, on Kennington Lane, as a centre for special needs children and young people. In connection with this, I sent a mass petition to Kate Hoey.

* I organised a demonstration at the Town Hall to promote the campaign to ensure stable funding arrangements for the Charlie Chaplin adventure playground in Kennington Park (which provides an important leisure option for children with disabilities).

* I have been a school governor at a local special school for 3 years and helped raise over £2,000 for Stockwell-based charity Anti-Slavery International.


Joseph Healy:
* I have worked in Brixton for the last five years and have dealt with many local older and disabled people through the two organisations I have worked for - Transport for All and Disability Advice Service Lambeth.

* I also only live five minutes away over the borough border and often use social facilities in the ward such as the Little Apple, the only local LGBT venue, where I held my birthday party several years ago.


Janus Polenceus:
As a child I use to attend the Summer Project run by the Kennington Metropolitan Police at Lilian Baylis School and in 2000 I was a member of staff.

Since May 2004 I have been working at the Box Office at the White Bear Theatre on Kennington Park Road and also performed on stage there on few occasions. For a short time I also worked part-time in the kitchen at the Amici Restaurant on Kennington Road.

I used to also be a member of Vauxhall City Farm and did work experience at the farm in 1999. Also attended horse riding lessons at the farm.


Mark Harrison:
* I've lived on the Ethelred Estate for nearly five years.

* I serve on the Ethelred TMO Board; The Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall Forum Board; and The Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens Board.

* I am a member of the Kennington Association and attend Safer Neighbouhood Team meetings.

* I attend other residents meetings like those of the Vauxhall Five, Vauxhall Gardens and Penwith Manor.

* With neighbours I am working to investigate setting up a community garden on Lambeth Walk.

*As Labour Action Team Member for the past two years I have helped arrange several community events, including a meeting on guns and gangs with the SE1 United Youth Group, and community coffee mornings for people to meet their neighbours and councillors.


John Roberts:
* I have lived locally on the Ethelred Estate (just off Black Prince Road) for over 15 years and have been involved with a wide range of local organisations, including:

- Vauxhall City Farm – I chaired the Trustees body for 7 years and helped save it from closure 2 years ago.
- Friends of Spring Gardens – I am a member and helped the campaign to save the open space when there were plans to build on it.
- Ethelred Estate Tenant Management Organisation – I have been a resident member of this right from the start in 1999.

* I have been a member of KOV forum since the start and a member of Kennington Association.

* I regularly support the local fetes in the area and you can generally see me in the kitchen making the tea and sandwiches.

* Last year I volunteered for the Ethiopian millennium celebrations at Kennington Park and spent the day in the children’s lost and found tent. It was a great day - and fortunately only a few children were lost.

* As a first aider I also help out and volunteer to support other fun days and art events including the Vauxhall festival where you could see me wearing my first aid tabard.

* Friends of Durning Library – I supported the fight to keep this open when the Labour run council wanted to close it down.

* As a former member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, for four and half years I channelled 200k worth of funding through the community police fund to numerous local projects, to help support people make a difference to their local community. We funded SE1 united, a local youth group, to develop the leadership programme, black and lgbt history month as well as inter faith football and other sports activities. I was the person that secured funding for cctv at the LGBT clubs in and around spring gardens and at Vauxhall city farm. My tackling crime track record is well known through out the council and police. I also worked with local police to get funding for extra police officers here in Princes ward, after a strong of violent attacks and rise in crime. I also got funding for a mobile police station after a rise in attacks in the Spring Gardens area..

* My team and I have already reported dozens of local cases of graffiti, dumped rubbish and vandalism to the council – if they are not tackled, it all adds up to making the area feel neglected and unloved.

[I edited slightly to remove two mentions of opposition parties from Lib Dem entry]

Question 1: Name three main policies for Princes Ward

Nine days ago (before we even knew who all the candidates in the Princes Ward by-election would be), I sent out a series of questions, to be answered by all Princes Ward Council candidates. The questions and answers are intended to help SE11 voters choose who to vote for by ensuring the candidates speak about their policies, rather than focusing on name calling campaigns.

I now have nearly all responses (English Democrat has promised his are to come) and now intend to publish the results one question at a time. Anything in square brackets or in bold, I've added to standarise the format of responses across the parties or as summaries. I've not changed any of the text that I was sent by email, but I've had to move certain answers across to different questions in order to keep the answers similar (I've indicated in all cases where I've made any adjustments, so tell me if you object). I'll probably save my personal comments for a post at a later stage as I want these questions to represent the candidates as best possible. I've put responses in alphabetical order, depending on the name of the party, and I've colour coded them for your ease:

Conservative = Michael Poole-Wilson = Blue
English Democrats = Janus Polenceus = Purple
Green Party = Joseph Healy = Green
Labour = Mark Harrison = Red
Lib Dem = John Roberts = Orange

Question 1:
Name the three main policies that you will make your platform for election in Prince's Ward, eg. crime/transport/street care/environment etc. and highlight the strategies that you intend to undertake to implement the policies. Do not mention any of the opposing political parties in your answer.


Michael Poole-Wilson:
A. [Housing] I will campaign for a reduction in social housing rents and better repair services, which can be achieved if housing is managed more efficiently, including contract management.

B. [Council Spending] I will campaign for a reduction in wasteful spending at the council. For example, I will fight to stop production of the propaganda paper "Lambeth Life" and seek to end 6 figure salaries and unjustified bonuses for council staff.


C. [Parking] I will oppose over-zealous parking enforcement and am in favour of a freeze on the cost of parking permits.


Janus Polenceus:
A. [Crime / anti-social behaviour] To tackle street crime we should look at putting more police on foot or even on bicycle on every street especially through out the night, as a kind of night watch. In my opinion CCTV cameras are not much help to our public's safety.

To avoid youngsters being encouraged to get involved into street crime there needs to be much more discipline in local schools to educate our young ones why things such as crime, violence, discrimination & bullying is wrong. If a teenager is proven of committing a crime or behaving wrong then the local authority has to have a closer disciplinary act on the teenager's parents. Bad behaviour often originates from bad parenting.

Anti-Social Behaviour: Often especially on Sunday afternoons in Spring Gardens at the back of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern pub there is a large number of homosexual couples that are lying on the grass and enjoying themselves in broad daylight. This is not a good example/view for our children and not everyone wants to watch such activity in public. These couples should learn to be discreet and do such flirtations/activities inside the gay bars in Vauxhall or at least out from the public eye.

B. [Environment] The should be more bins placed on each street to encourage people to drop their litter into a litter bin.

To make life easier for people who have dogs there should be more Dog Areas created on our greens such as in Spring Gardens, Pedlar's Park, Lambeth High Street Recreation Ground and Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green;

Also in these parks there should be more playground attractions for children and more sports exercise facilities for adults.

C. [Heritage] The English Democrats Party believe that there should be more focus on promoting local history, heritage & culture. For example in our ward there is what use to be our famous 'Lambeth Walk', there is even a famous song about this place. Now for the last few decades the Lambeth Walk has been more or less like a ghost town or simply just a regular neighbourhood housing estate. For The Lambeth Walk not to be forgotten what it once was there should be some sort of memorial museum on the street itself for the people to learn what was so special about this place/area that use to be a busy shopping high street filled with entertainment. The Lambeth Walk was famous for its Music Hall, shopping malls, pearly kings & queens and famous local people such as Charlie Chaplin who shopped and also lived inside the ward. There should also be events & walks to keep the spirit of The Lambeth Walk going, such as the music of the time and costumes like the pearly kings & queens outfits that people wore in them days. This should be researched by our local schools.
The Lambeth Walk is part of English & Lambethean heritage, history & culture.

Also we should acknowledge the fact that South London was in-fact Surrey County until 1963 before it was recognised as part of what is called Greater London, also as part of local history study. Local history is very important especially for the young ones to know more about where they come from and live.


Joseph Healy:
A. [Housing/Homeless] I am opposed to the privatisation of First Call emergency repairs service, concierge service and North Lambeth Cleaning to even though existing contractors do an unsatisfactory job for the Housing Dept. I want radical action on empty properties so that they can be used to house people as soon as possible.

B. [Schools /Hospitals] I also support free school meals for children and a push by the Local Authority committees and Lambeth NHS to ensure that the quality of food in local hospitals is improved and is locally sourced if possible and nutritious. The current quality of much hospital food is appalling and militates against a speedy recovery.

Mark Harrison:
A. [Crime] Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour
* Compulsory tagging for dangerous dogs on estates - there needs to be a focus from housing officers on this issue to ensure that all dogs being kept on estates are monitored and fitted with microchips to aid identification. I will press for greater resources for Lambeth's dog warden services, and continuing attention from the police on the issue.


* Guaranteed funding to get CCTV working again - With the Ethelred TMO Board I've been campaigning over the past year for the Council to pay the contractor to come back on site and get the system up and running. Pressure on Lambeth Living has resulted in the Chief Executive meeting the TMO and negotiations are ongoing. We're hopeful that continuing pressure will pay off. Other estates with CCTV that is broken should have its repair prioritised.

* Hit drug dealers and buyers with ASBOs that ban them from SE11 - it's totally within the Council's powers to issue ASBOs to individuals who are causing a nuisance by dealing or buying drugs. Labour is committed to using ASBOs as a useful tool for tackling anti-social behaviour.

* Support Labour's Safer Neighbourhood Police Team - Labour is committed to the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams because we set them up. A Labour Council will do everything in its power to support the Teams. As a ward councillor I will attend the meetings and ensure officers are fully aware of all the issues in the ward.#

B. [Youth / Community] Youth and community services
* Commitment to securing the old Lilian Baylis School site as a permanent community hub, with continued support for the Sports Action Zone and other community facilitiies.##

* Support for Labour's increased funding for youth services, luncheon clubs, street cleaning, trees, streets, children's services, and domestic violence prevention.

C. [Housing] Housing
* Work with Kate Hoey and councillors to lobby government to help reduce this year's rent increase
* Continue extensive work with residents' associations across the ward to help them in their battles to improve services from Lambeth Housing
* Campaign to radically improve customer service from Lambeth Housing
* Help the Vauxhall Five Estate win its new windows and balconies
* Help get the Ethelred's CCTV and security doors working


The # and ## symbols indicate footnotes in which Mark responded to previous comments that I've made in this blog and elsewhere. I'll try to publish his comments in a later post since I've sought to avoid mention of opposing parties in this question.

John Roberts:
A. [Crime] If elected, I will continue to work hard to get more funding to tackle crime locally and I already have the links to get this moving. This would include holding advice surgeries with the police, to link the work of the police and the council – something some other Lib Dem Councillors already do. As an estate resident, I am concerned that recent cuts to funding on estates – including cuts to Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs) will encourage crime and anti-social behaviour; if elected I will fight to reverse recent funding cuts

B. [Housing] The council has just implemented a 17% rent rise at a time of economic hardship. The government recently launched an initiative to reduce the rent rise nationally from 6.2% to 3.1%. Like many others on the Ethelred and other Princes ward estates my service charge jumped from £210 to over £600, in two years. If elected I will be backing the Lib Dem Group’s call for a lower rent rise. [Edited this to remove mention of other parties.]

C. [Environment / Community] On the local environment and community resources
* I want Kennington Cross to be more than just a junction and am supporting plans from the Kennington Association like the Tree of Hope and the ‘Arts Lav’ to improve the pavement area outside the Dog House pub and St Anselms Church. We should be looking to support more local shops rather than yet more estate agents! I will continue to support our local parks and green open spaces. I am proud that the Lib Dems have consistently fought to protect our green open spaces like Lambeth Walk Open Space and Spring Gardens from development – in an inner city area like Lambeth, where few people are lucky enough to have gardens, green open spaces are vital for all members of the community to enjoy.

* With regard to the Old Lilian Baylis site, I fully support the Ethelred Nursery and the Sports Action Zone using the site – it was Lib Dem Councillors who helped launch the Sports Action Zone there in 2005. But the future of the site is still hopelessly uncertain at the moment. Lambeth’s latest plans would also see a new church developed on the site. It is not at all clear how the Sports Action Zone and the Nursery will be able to share the site with the church. Residents do not seem to have been given the chance to be involved with the plan. We need to know why established local community groups have not been included. We need to know what the governance arrangements will be. And we need to have evidence that the council is getting best value for local people if it does hand the site over to a third party.

* I will ask Lambeth Street Care officers to carry out regular walkabouts with me around local “grot spots” so we can deal with these issues BEFORE they become serious problems. I also look forward to working with residents groups to tackle such problems in their local area.

[Lib Dems answered this question with info about what the candidate had already achieved. That information fits better in second question so I've moved it.]


Wednesday 13 May 2009

Response to questions from Princes ward political candidates

Edit @ 12:45pm: Changed Lib Dems from red to green smiley as I've just received their response...

green smiley = Conservative - Yay, have returned the threewheeled one's questions.


green smiley = Labour - Yay, have returned the threewheeled one's questions.


green smiley = Green party - Have returned some general policy notes.


green happy smiley face = Liberal Democrat - no response to questions


yellow a bit smiley = English Democrat - Have promised to return questions





A quick traffic light update. I've now had a response to the email I sent about policy questions from three parties. Publication is imminent... I'm going to chase the last few people so that I can do a huge Princes Ward election post and reveal everybody's policies at the same time! If you're supporting John Roberts or Janus Polenceus, perhaps you could speak to them and encourage them to make a response, since it does not reflect well on their parties not to respond to a public request for information, especially from as illustrious a publication as Lurking about SE11...

LEAKED copy of Lambeth Council ALMO Draft Inspection Report

An anonymous contributor has leaked to me part of the Lambeth Arms Length Management Draft Inspection Report, which I referred to in my post two days ago here. The document is an inspection of Lambeth Living, Lambeth Council's social housing management wing, and is confidential, and, as far as I know, has not been released on account of it being so critical of the council's service.

The document is dated April 2009 and indeed alleges (amongst other things) that the complaint system within Lambeth Living has broken down and that the organisation is is bad at rent collection and the collection of service charges. Most alarmingly, the number of properties without Gas Safety Certificates is high. Anybody who knows anything about property management (and I know a little) might be aware that if a house blows up on account of faulty gas equipment (and indeed has no valid Gas Safety Certificate), and anybody is killed, the people within a company responsible for arranging the certificate might be charged with Corporate Manslaughter. There's a RICS report here to such end, should there be any interested landlords reading. It's a very serious alleged failing of a landlord duty.

The report (I'm presuming the copy I've received is genuine) does also say some good things. I wouldn't want anybody to think that Lurking about SE11 is unfair in its reporting, so it's worth recording that estate management is considered to be delivered effectively with "reasonable" standard of ground maintenance and cleaning, and that some improvements are beginning to emerge from the service overall.

However, the report is incredibly damning. There is no escaping the fact that major reform will have to be carried out. I suppose the main question will be; is there money to carry out the reforms of the department, necessary to drag it up from its weak position?

I actually do have a suggestion on the matter. In my view, property management is all about systems, and software systems in particular. With the implementation of excellent software, staff trained to follow procedure and use the software, and good relationships with maintenance teams, it's possible to turn around a management service relatively quickly. The report seems to suggest that Lambeth Living only manage 34,000ish properties, which isn't that many in the grand scheme of things. Let's hope that change for the better happens quickly since so many Labour residents are being let down.

Personally, I find it very interesting that this report should have been leaked so close to the Princes ward by-election. I doubt it has been leaked for precisely that reason (since the inspections took place in February, and relate to the entirety of Lambeth and not just SE11), but it's not going to help the local Labour team in their campaign efforts.

Ed: Actually, I think I'm going to change my mind about the fact that I said 34k properties aren't a lot to manage in the grand scheme of things. There's a recently published housing strategy by Lambeth Council (2009 - 2013) which suggests that Lambeth Living is the largest ALMO in London, which would imply they have a huge number of properties to manage. On reflection, perhaps that might be the problem.

Monday 11 May 2009

Hazel Blears in Imperial Court wheeze - *yawn*

User Kennington on Twitter posted a link from the Daily Fail to suggest that Hazel Blears is in trouble for not paying tax on a flat that she sold in Imperial Court. I'm bored by the whole MPs expenses row now so I'm not going to say any more except that I think that MPs' wages should stay in line with those of their Civil Service counterparts. There are some MPs who work jolly hard for their constituents, and who can be admired by all irrespective of their political party eg. the totally fabulous, very hard working and thoroughly independent Kate Hoey! Anyhow, raising MP salaries would allow the property allowances system to be tightened up so that the rules could not be bent in such a ridiculous fashion.

If you came here looking for information about Hazel Blears' Imperial Court property, you might be interested in a post I wrote about Alisdair Darling's Imperial Court flat and the reason that I don't think the flats are what I'd describe as "luxury" by any means...

The point of real interest in the Daily Fail article is the part that states "a source close to [Blears]insisted the sale was not to do with making money, but because the flat stood on a busy road and the ‘sirens at night were keeping her awake’." I'm not concerned with whether or not the sirens were the reason for the property sale. In any case, Blears is rather fortunate to be privileged enough just to "move" due to the property being too noisy. The frequency and noise levels of emergency sirens (mostly police, but some ambulances) on Kennington Road and Kennington Park Road is frequently noted by residents. Obviously living in the middle of a busy capital city, one should expect some noise, but because of where Kennington is situated between Kennington Road, Brixton and Walworth police stations, we do get more than our fair share of siren noise. Is it really necessary to have sirens on late at night when the roads tend to be empty? I'd encourage more MPs to actually work to resolve the noise issue as far as possible (particularly at night) than move house.

Does anybody else find the noise disturbing in SE11? I imagine that residents who live in SE1 near to the SE11 border on Albert Embankment must suffer from ambulance noise as well.

Apologies, I'm a bit over-active at the moment with so much SE11 news, so anybody that has signed up to the email list will receive a rather large bumper crop of posts today!

Lambeth Housing Audit - Conservatives drop bombshell

Personally, I'm not convinced that there's as much Conservative support in Princes ward as the number of blue/green boards in Kennington Road would have you believe. I think that the residents are highly likely to be local Tory MPs who have their London residences in the road. However, if the boards are representative, then Labour, Lib Dems and Green are going to have to work their socks off in the election to compete, as I've not seen as much visible signage anywhere else! Has anybody got reports of Labour/Lib Dem/Green signs up anywhere?

In the meantime, somebody from the Lambeth Tories has, according to Twitter, managed to get hold of a report from the Audit Commission, damning Lambeth Living (the organisation that manages Lambeth's Social Housing). It's an Arms Length Management Organisation, for those who like the lingo. Apparently, the Audit Commission has said that every single area audited within the Lambeth Living organisation is "weak". More information about this matter is on the Lambeth Conservative website.

And what's more, due to the fact that the Auditor's report is currently being witheld, the Tories say they're prepared to publish the document on the Lambeth Conservative website for everyone to read... Looks like red hot stuff to me. I hope they have good lawyers!

Reasons I love SE11

This is going to become a series over a period of time because I do love my postcode lots and lots.

Reason 1: SE11 is brimming with civic and community organisations, all set up to do similar work to further the aims of making SE11 a more hospitable place.

It has the Kennington Association, the RCDT (Riverside Community Development Trust) and the Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall Forum (KOV). The KOV have a nice shiny new website, which they've used to make their comments on the Local Development Framework Draft Core Strategy (the same one that I commented on).

Also SE11 (and surrounds) have tonnes of "friends" groups which I listed helpfully for you last year.

Do Not Allow The Singing of Happy Birthday in church

Dear Priests and Laypeople of the Diocese of Southwark[1],

Please, please, please could you refuse to sing "Happy Birthday" at the end of Sunday morning church services? Do it during your own personal devotions for all I care, but don't inflict it on the rest of us.

It's bad theology (baptism, not birth), bad liturgy (liturgy should be joyful/solemn play, not showtunes), bad music (need I say more?) and it's, like, really embarrassing to be a Christian when you insist on ruining things. So just stop it. OK? Or I'll have to be forced to name offenders.

I'm not going to say it again.

The annoyed Three Wheeled One[2]

[1] SE11 is all in the Diocese of Southwark, and this habit needs to be stamped on before it escapes. It has now happened in at least 8 of the churches I've attended recently.

[2] And I reserve the right to be as spiky as I like because it's my blog.

81 Black Prince Road grounds of appeal

OK, after a number of hiccups, I now have the 81 Black Prince Road grounds of appeal in .pdf document form. It's only about 4 pages long so will not take as long to read as other recent missives!

Quick history:
As you'll have seen from the previous post on 81 Black Prince Road, Ristoia Ltd put in a request for planning permission to build a 23 storey building on the above site. The request was refused on 5 grounds by Lambeth Council. Ristoia Ltd have now appealed against Lambeth's refusal to the Planning Inspectorate. Consequently, those individuals (and groups) who objected to the building before can now object to the reasons for appeal and those objections must be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

I'm going to provide a quick summary, but I suggest that those people (or groups) that are appealing refer to the document itself

[NB. I'm slightly confused because Lambeth's minutes noted four grounds for refusing the building (see my previous post), but the document I'm quoting lists five.]

1a. Lambeth's ground 1 for rejection:
"The harm that would be caused to the setting of the World Heritage Site"
2a. Lambeth's ground 2 for rejection:
"Impact on the setting of listed buildings and adjoining conservation areas"

1b and 2b. Ristoia's objection to Lambeth:
Professor Robert Tavernor (probably helps that he's a professor) did the assessment and decided that the proposed building wouldn't be harmful to either South Bank House or London Fire Brigade Headquarters. By the way, here's a picture of the absolutely exquisite South Bank House:





Isn't it fabulous? And since they don't think it would harm (or overshadow) buildings such a these, they think that it complies with Policies 45 and 47 of the Lambeth UDP.

Additionally, they list policy 33 of the UDP, which assesses the criteria for suitability of sites and states that major development needs to take into account the adjacent townscape (which they think it does) and they also list the regeneration aims for the Albert Embankment, and, importantly, "consents granted for other tall buildings in the area" as reasons to proceed.

Also, they note that Policy 58 of the UDP states that the Albert Embankment is a "key stretch" of Lambeth's Thames frontage for "several major development proposals". Bizarrely, they consider that the fact that the building has "been designed as a sculpted pinnacle" is something that adds (rather than detracts) to the Albert Embankment.

Finally, Ristoia Ltd appeal to to Policy 40 in the UDP. Policy 40 is the "tall buildings" policy.

1c and 2c. My suggestion to all individuals objecting to the appeal:

Focus on why you don't think it complies with policies 45 and 47.

They're citing "other tall buildings in the area" as a reason to build. This threatens to set a dangerous precedent. There are some other tall buildings which were granted permission on Stockwell/Vauxhall border, and St George's Wharf in Vauxhall, but erecting this building risks making the Albert Embankment into another area in which tall buildings might be permitted. The Salamanca Tower is tall enough and I suggest that no new building be higher than that.

In objecting to their interpretation of Policy 33 and 58, I would argue as follows: "Yes, the Albert Embankment is listed as a focus for development proposals, but this site is not on Albert Embankment, it's actually on Black Prince Road, which is a highly residential area and full of low rise /medium rise buildings." The "sculpted pinnacle" effect does not work well when looking from Black Prince Road on to the Albert Embankment (south to north).

Finally, look closely at Policy 40 in the Lambeth UDP. The first aloowance that they give for tall buildings relates to Location and notes very specifically, "Tall buildings should not be located where they would harm the character of "conservation areas", "listed buildings", "riverscape and townscape", "strategic views" and "the Palace of Westminster Heritage site". Also, let's think back to some of the work I did recently on the draft Core Policy for the Local Development Framework. p63 (Vauxhall) notes that 'Along the river, Lambeth are anxious to avoid creating a wall effect, blocking out the Thames and want sufficient gaps between buildings.' Also, I failed to spot this line at the time, but p56 of the draft Core Policy says "Appropriate locations for tall buildings are the Vauxhall and Waterloo London Plan Opportunity Areas and the borough’s major town centres, subject to appropriate accompanying urban design assessments." It is very important to note that Black Prince Road could, by no stretch of the imagination be considered Vauxhall or Waterloo. I would argue that it is the riverside portion of Kennington, and most people might once have referred to it as just "Lambeth" due to the proximity of Lambeth Walk.

3a. Lambeth's ground 3 for rejection:
"Proposal would have an adverse impact on setting of Palace of Wstminster and Westminster Abbey World Heritage Site and would undermine important setting of St Stephen's Tower". [Ed: Where did this one come from? It doesn't seem to be in the meeting minutes...]

3b. Ristoia's objection to Lambeth
The applicant was supported by a Townscape and Visual Impact Assessment which concluded the development wouldn't harm either of the two sites or the views, and in fact, there's a neglible impact on the skyline from Whitehall.

3c. My suggestion to all individuals objecting to the appeal:
This one is a bit odd. It's entirely subjective. Lambeth say "X is true" and Ristoia basically just say "X is not true". I've no idea how one goes about disagreeing with a Visual Impact Assessment in an objective manner.

4a. Lambeth's ground 4 for rejection
"Poor quantity and quality of the proposed amenity space."

4b. Ristoia's objection to Lambeth
Interesting. On this one, Ristoia's reason of substance is "Reason 4 for refusal is unreasonable." and "The treatment of the open space is of a sufficient high quality".

4c. My suggestion to all individuals objecting to the appeal:
Hmm. Again, rather difficult to be sensible here. Perhaps it might be possible to proceed on the following grounds... p31 of the draft core strategy of the Local Development Framework states something like, "Lambeth, particularly in the north has little open space relative to population." If I recall correctly, it even talks about hectares... Hmmm. Oh yes, p16, "There are 1.54 hectares of unrestricted open space in Lambeth per 1000 of the population, but access is unevenly spread and limited in north of the borough". So perhaps objections might centre around the fact that with limited open community space around here, an extra special effort must be made to provide more than would ordinarily needed. What do readers think?

5a. Lambeth's ground 5 for rejection
"Overbearing impact of the proposed development and the creation of a sense of enclosure (particularly re. Salamanca Square)."

5b. Ristoia's objection to Lambeth
Development has been carefully designed to minimise overlooking issues and designed so that distance between adjacent buildings wouldn't have overbearing impact on nearby residents. Therefore, the proposals wouldn't result in sense of enclosure and overbearing impact. They quote policies 33 and 40 of the UDP.

Also, the development is sustainable and brings employment and housing that should regenerate the area.

5c. My suggestion to all individuals objecting to the appeal:
Oh dear. Again, it's another tit for tat objection. I have no idea how the Planning Inspectorate views these in any objective manner. Perhaps it's time to order some planning law books!! What's the likelihood that there are some rather important people living in Salamanca Square eg. MPs, who don't want people looking in their bedrooms? :) Seriously though, I suppose it's time to enter the nitty gritty of polcy 33 in the UDP (p94). However, I can't see any way of objecting to this sensibly "xii" is "not creating unacceptable overlooking", but who exactly is supposed to say what "unacceptable overlooking is"?

Friday 8 May 2009

Questions answered...

I now have a response from the Conservative candidate, Michael Poole-Wilson on all of the questions distributed to Princes ward candidates. The Labour candidate, Mark Harrison, has assured me that his response will soon be forthcoming. (This is becoming quite exciting, don't you think?) How do SE11 residents think the campaign is going so far?

I await the Lib Dem, Green and English Democrat answers, but I'm giving everybody a little more time before publication of the answers due to the fact that the early candidates have had slightly more time to provide responses, and I don't want to give away opposition party ideas to any of the candidates.

Former Lilian Baylis site and difficult hustings questions

I promised yesterday that I'd post about the former Lilian Baylis site and political parties. The history of the topic is now tedious and long. The reason it's so important in the local election is that there is both considerable support in favour, and considerable consternation against the All Nations Church (ANC) bid to own the former Lilian Baylis site. Nobody is talking much about that because nobody knows exactly how many ANC constituents there are in Princes ward (to gain votes from if one supports the proposals), or exactly how many LGBT votes one would lose in Prices ward by supporting the ANC ownership possibility. So it's a bit of a problem for the local candidates.

There are a number of questions that I suggest the public ask at potential hustings:
1. Do you support the bid of the ANC to own and act as lead partner at the former Lilian Baylis site?

This is the key question. Labour (so far) appear to be supporting this end, and are thus likely to garner the support of the ANC when it comes to winning votes, but are they doing so by sacrificing the LGBT populace opinion? On the other hand, would the Lib Dems, Conservative or Green party really be able to do any better?

2. How would you respond to the fears of the local LGBT community who are concerned about a public asset landing in the hands of an organisation that (whilst currently respectful towards them) might struggle to hold that homosexuality is a sin, at the same time as welcoming LGBT meetings at a public space?

3. Do you consider it better for the site to be held in trust with a local organisation or for it to be owned by a group, such as the ANC, outright?

4. What form of oversight would you like to see put in place to ensure that a former council building remained in inclusive community use?


5. At a time when council house rents are rising (and housing is scarce), is it possible for the site to be partially sold off for public use, at the same time as redeveloped for ANC, Ethelred and SAZ use?

See below for a very potted history. I'm just quoting some of the main bits that I've found, but I'll elaborate if any commentator says I've forgotten anything major.

1. In January 2005, the Lilian Baylis School moved to a new building.

2. The Lambeth Council Unitary Development Plan (proposed by the Lib Dem council in 2005, but published by Labour unchanged in 2007) says of the former LB site: "(b) Appropriate proposals for the Grade II listed Lilian Baylis school and its grounds would be supported... to enable redevelopment of the site for a mix of uses, including a mixed tenure housing scheme, community and leisure uses."

Labour welcomed the idea, in 2007 (proposed by the Lib Dems), that the site might be used for (amongst other things), housing. There were some older proposals for the site under the Lib Dems (which did support demolition of it), but these were not approved by the Lib Dem Council of the time and the above Lib Dem proposal went through unchanged by Labour.

3. Lambeth Council community consultation published by external agency in February 2006. Unfortunately, response rate was only about 17% and local people wanted the site to be used for leisure, housing (public, not private) and community purposes.

4. On 16th March 2006, the RCDT reported breakthroughs made at the Area Committee meeting by the then local Lib Dems who argued in favour of:
"a. Keeping part of the Lilian Baylis site for community and sports facilities for local people
b. Keeping a gymnasium if possible- and all potential purchasers to consider keeping the gym
c. Money from the sale of the site to go to new recreation centre and swimming pool in North Lambeth
d. Further consultation with local people about what’s on offer and what’s best for the community
e. A local project board, including residents and local groups, to oversee community provision on the site"

5. The "breakthrough" terminology used by the RCDT was disputed by Labour's Sam Townend (the naughty one) , who argued that an Area Committee can't make decisions, that the statements were ambiguous, that there was no "breakthrough" and the RCDT was being party political. The RCDT then requested a statement from Sam about the Labour position (this is made in March 2006, and involves two councillors still in position in 2009):

"‘We are committed to retaining and enhancing the current community, leisure and sporting uses of the site and adding to it educational and other social uses of the site by and for local people. Importantly the retention for the use by the community of the three gyms and sports hall. We want to see an expansion of the uses of the site by local people including potentially by Ethelred nursery..., use of the education facilities...... and the Sports Action Zone, and the large number of other local community organisations... We won’t allow the loss of the open playing spaces if at all possible. This does not mean that the site necessarily has to remain or entirely remain in the ownership of the Council. My preference would be for ownership to be transferred to a Community Trust, run and managed by local people. This obviously depends on if there is sufficient interest and commitment from people to carry out this work.... We would also like to see Ethelred TMO residents play a role in such a Trust as the site is in the middle of their estate."

6. Elections were held in May 2006. All three Lib Dem councillors were voted out. 3 new Labour councillors were voted in. Until May 2006, Lambeth Council (Lib Dems / Conservatives) apparently wanted to sell off the former Lilian Baylis School site on Lollard St. However, it does appear (above) that despite wanting to sell it off, they also wanted to retain it for use by local people.

7. On 17th March 2008, the Lambeth Council (Labour) agreed: "that All Nations Centre be placed ‘at the centre of any development at Old Lilian Baylis as a lead partner with security of tenure on an appropriate part of the site consistent with their needs.’" Quite an important statement, but nothing is said about ownership.

8. The Council (Labour) declared in January 2009 that it has chosen 3 "partners". These are: All Nations Church, Ethelred Nursery and Sports Action Zone (SAZ). It's leaflet is sketchy. It does not mention any issues related to ownership, governance or oversight. It does not mention relations with local community organisations. It has lost sight of many of the original organisations that might once have been involved. Are the Ethelred TMO still involved?

I made a mistake here in thinking that Mark Harrison (Labour) was attempting to save the site from the Council's plan in January 2009 and do something new (that was my error), but he has asserted here that he is campaigning in support of ongoing Labour council plans, and is concerned that, "The Lib Dems have recently been heard to be talking about selling off the site and abandoning the negotiations to set up a community trust to buy the site.". I've asked for clarification on that point, and I doubt we'll know any more until the Lib Dems answer their questions.

It's all rather unfair on Mark because he's the only one publically proposing any substantive policy so it looks as though I'm picking on him, which I don't intend to do.

Phewww.... sheer exhaustion has set in... Quite frankly, I'm surprised that four years have passed (part Lib Dem control, part Labour control), and that nothing appears to have happened. The current Council has proceeded with their campaign despite only a 16% community response to their consultation.

Have any readers got far enough to make any comments?

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