Central London Labour Leaders condemn government's cuts to local councils

The three Labour leaders of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark Councils have issued a joint statement laying out their opposition to the huge cuts for local councils announced today by the Coalition Government. As part of the settlement for local government the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, has cut funding to the three councils by millions of pounds.

Between them the three council leaders represent nearly a million people including some of the most deprived communities in the country. Today’s settlement is not the first government decision that will disproportionately affect people living in inner-city areas, but comes on the back of changes to welfare, higher education and social housing.

Cllr Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham and Cllr Peter John’s statement:

“Between us we represent some of the most deprived inner-city areas in the UK and almost 1 million people. The Tory/Lib Dem government’s announcement today to cut council funding by millions of pounds is a hammer-blow to our boroughs and hit s our people hard. This was not an inevitability but a short-sighted political choice; it was not an unavoidable outcome but a calculated decision to put dogma ahead of decency.

“We will each work with local residents to try and minimise the pain of these cuts but we are united in our opposition to them. Today's decision will force all Councils to cut highly valued services. We share local people's anger about this, and will stand alongside our communities through the challenging months and years ahead”.

London Councils calls on London MPs to fight for the capital

Council leaders from the three main political parties have today written to all London MPs urging them to fight for the capital’s public services ahead of next month’s local government finance settlement.

The settlement could fix funding levels for London’s local authorities up to the next four years and estimates suggest that they will see a £1.5 billion reduction in funding over that period.

With the situation looking so bleak, London Councils has called on the capital’s MPs to persuade the government to ensure London’s local authorities get a fair deal from the funding settlement.

Please lobby our MP to support Lambeth’s public services! You can contact Vauxhall’s member of parliament, Kate Hoey MP as follows:

Kate Hoey MP

House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA

Phone: 020 7219 5989

Fax: 020 7219 5985

Email: hoeyk@parliament.uk

'Lambeth Labour Party' - conference to start the fight back against the ConDem Government's cuts.

See Lambeth Labour Leader, Councillor Steve Reed, comment on a conference held Saturday, 20th November 2010.

http://cllrstevereed.wordpress.com/

Lambeth aims to become Britain's first co-operative council

Message below from Cllr Paul McGlone, Labour Councillor, Ferndale ward, and Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Finance:

"Our work to become Britain's first co-operative council has become the subject of a film.

Made by Local Government TV, an internet-based television channel, it describes our ground-breaking vision and describes how the co-operative approach has already been successful in Lambeth."

http://intranet.lambeth.gov.uk/videosintranet/CooperativeCouncilVideo.htm

Ferndale and Clapham Town Campaigning - Saturday, 27th Nov. 11.00am

Save the South London Line!

Ferndale and Clapham Town are running a new campaign to stop the planned cuts to the South London Line which will deliver misery to commuters using Clapham High Street. Read more about the campaign on Clapham Town's website and sign up to the petition online (please pass the petition on to anyone who might be interested!):

http://www.claphamlabour.com/

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/claphamlaboursll

Councillors and members will be out collecting signatures on Saturday, 27th November from 11am around Clapham Manor Street. If you can spare a hand for an hour or so then please contact Clapham Town's secretary Paul Gadsby (paulgadsby09@gmail.com) for more details. All support appreciated!

ps To find us on Saturday ring Paul on 07943 821 060

Paul
Secretary, Clapham Town Labour Party

'Big Lottery Big Local - £1 million for Brixton housing estates'

In July, North Brixton was confirmed as a winner of at least £1m from a Council lead bid to the ‘Big Lottery Fund - Big Local Trust’ scheme. One of only 50 areas nationally to benefit, Stockwell Park Estate (in Ferndale Ward), and part of Loughborough estate (in Coldharbour Ward) will benefit from £1 million over the next 10 years to support community development type projects.

The programme will be managed by an independent trust appointed by the Big Lottery. The Trust working in Lambeth will be confirmed by the Big Lottery in early 2011 following the completion of a tender process which is currently underway. The trust will establish itself during 2011 and ‘open for business’ in 0ctober 2011, after which it will be in a position to start awarding funds to local projects. During the development stage and subsequently, the Big Local Trust will be required to work with local residents and stakeholders to agree priorities for the programme. The intention is for the programme to respond directly to local needs and priorities with genuine stakeholder participation.

On the 25^th October the first consultation meeting was held at the Stockwell Park Estate (SPE) Community Centre, organised by the Big Lottery to formally let community organisations know about the fund, the Trust and the above timetable. They flagged up the possibility of some development funding (£10k) to organise community events and raise awareness of the programme that is available now.

Local Councillor Paul McGlone commented, “Thanks to the excellent work of Lambeth officers in our Finance and Resources Department in putting this bid together with the local community, the £1 million fund will be used for local projects decided by local people in and around Stockwell Park and Loughborough Estates in the next few years. My fellow councillors Neil Sabharwal, Sally Prentice and I will stay involved with the Big Local Trust and unsure the money is spent wisely on what local residents want”.

Ferndale Community Sport Centre hard court and astro pitch refurbishment.

Ferndale Community Sports Centre has received a major facelift during August and September 2010. An investment of £75,000 has upgraded all sporting pitches and courts which support 6000 active users each month. The improvement works carried out include:

· Resurfacing and relining two hard court surfaces, allowing Ferndale to host competitive netball in addition to tennis.

· Refurbishing all four football pitches with new underlay and the latest third generation astro turf. These pitch refurbishments will also include new goal line boards and fencing.

Lambeth Council and the operator (GLL) worked to ensure minimal disruption to user groups by erecting signs notifying users of the closure and emailing regular users.

Anyone can book hard courts and 3G astro pitches by calling the Ferndale Community Sports Centre bookings line on 0845 130 8998.

Labour challenges Tories and Lib Dems to back anti-trafficking laws.

Lambeth Council leader Steve Reed has called on local Lib Dems and Tories to support proposed rules to tackle human trafficking across Europe. The coalition government has dismayed campaigners by refusing to sign up to the new rules, but Labour hopes a cross-party campaign can persuade them to change their minds.

The new guidelines would work to ensure that EU countries work together to prevent trafficking, ensure successful prosecution and make sure victims of trafficking are properly looked after. Researchers estimate there are an average of 100 trafficked women and children facing regular abuse, including physical and sexual abuse, in every London Borough including Lambeth.

Astonishingly the coalition government have said they will opt out of the new rules that are supported by many well respected campaign groups including Anti–Slavery International and ECPAT UK which campaigns against child sexual abuse. The government’s failure to support the new rules seriously undermines European–wide efforts to tackle the misery caused by this crime, abandoning victims in Lambeth and elsewhere to their abusers.

Lambeth is home to the Poppy Project, part of Eaves Women’s Housing, which offers support to women and children who are freed from their abusers. They have also backed the campaign for the government to sign up to the new rules.

Cllr Steve Reed said:

“It is unbelievable the Government is refusing to sign up to new rules that could help protect some of the most vulnerable people in our country. Hundreds of women and children are trafficked to the UK every year and suffer untold abuse at the hands of their captors. I’m calling on Lambeth’s Tories and Lib Dems to join Labour in demanding a change of heart from their colleagues in government. We must do everything in our power to stop this vile abuse of women and children.”

Clapham regeneration scheme woos judges in national award scheme

Lambeth Council's redevelopment of Mary Seacole House on Clapham High Street, in partnership with Cathedral Group, has beaten off the competition to win a major national housing award.

The 'Clapham One' development - which is seeing a new library, healthcare centre, café and 136 homes built in the heart of Clapham - triumphed against 97 other entries in the prestigious Housing Design Awards 2010.

Judges praised the quality and innovation of the building's design and architecture, as well as its low energy use and sustainability.

In their appraisal, the judges said: "The proposals… take a corner site and let rip. Curved buildings of seven to 12 storeys spin off a vortex which houses the library, its book shelving edging a ramp that spirals upwards like the access ramps within the GLA or the Vatican."

The Clapham One scheme is part of Future Clapham, a major regeneration project being led by Lambeth Council that also involves the creation of a new leisure centre with 25 metre swimming pool and gym at the existing leisure centre and depot site.

The council has been working with its development partner, Cathedral Group, on the £80 million project, and local people have also been involved in steering the design process. The architect is Studio Egret West.

Councillor Sally Prentice, Lambeth Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning, Employment and Enterprise, said:

"To get this recognition is of course a bonus, but the real satisfaction will come when the new library, leisure centre and other facilities open to the public, at the end of next year.

"This major project has been in the pipeline since 2007 and despite the economic conditions it is now coming to fruition. This is a truly inspiring development that will provide much needed high quality homes as well as fantastic new community, sport and health facilities in the heart of Clapham."

Lambeth Labour Councillors call on Government to commit to Decent Homes for Tenants

Labour Cabinet Member for Housing, Lib Peck today called on the Government to commit to funding Decent Homes in Lambeth. Lambeth Leaders wrote to Housing Minister Grant Shapps in June urging him to commit to funding for decent homes but he has yet to respond.

Lambeth Council is campaigning for continued investment in the Decent Homes scheme, which was started by the Labour Government, to bring all of the borough’s social housing up to a decent standard.

The Decent Homes scheme is under threat after the Tory-Lib Dem Government made no commitment to complete the programme in their manifestos or the Coalition Agreement.

Cllr Lib Peck said:

“We’re calling on the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government to fund the decent homes programme in Lambeth. In total this amounts to £233 million for Lambeth Living; and “25 million for United Residents Housing. This money is desperately needed so that our homes can be made safe, warm and secure. It will pay for new roofs, new boilers, new windows, new kitchens and new bathrooms that are desperately needed by our residents. The last government promised this money – we don’t want the new government to break this agreement and let down Lambeth residents.”

Rt Hon John Healey MP, Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning, said:

“I want to see the new Government back tenants’ desire to live in a decent home. They deserve the improvements that others have already had.

“If ministers fail to give a clear commitment to finish Labour’s big refurbishment programme, tenants will be left in limbo and we’ll see the widespread unfairness of two-tiered council estates in our communities.”

Please help support Labour in Lambeth’s call on the government to commit to Decent Homes for Tenants by clicking on the following link http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=183&RPID=10738965

Councillors slam Tory/Lib Dem school building cuts in Lambeth

Labour councillors have slammed the recent admission by Tory Education secretary Michael Gove that he is cutting more than £200 million in Lambeth schools funding, just days before contracts were due to be agreed and building work was to begin.


Local schools in Lambeth including Landsdowne and the Fenstanton Project had been promised rebuilt or refurbished school buildings under the Building Schools for the Future project, but the Tory/Lib Dem coalition government has now dashed their hopes. Michael Gove has now cancelled Lambeth’s entire program, affecting thousands of pupils at eleven secondary schools. The cancelled investment in schools was desperately needed, both to renew or rebuild tired buildings, and also to provide much needed extra places in the borough, including a new school for Brixton. The creation of hundreds of local construction jobs will also be dashed.

Labour Cabinet Member for Children and Young people Pete Robbins said: “Teachers and pupils across Lambeth’s schools had been promised millions in funding to bring their school up to modern standards. Now the Tory/Lib Dem government have destroyed their dream of modern buildings by cancelling Building Schools for the Future in Lambeth outright, affecting the life chances of hundreds of local children in Lambeth.

“Lambeth is still desperately short of places for secondary school age children, despite Labour building three new schools from scratch in the last few years. Labour’s plans for school rebuilding would have created the extra places our borough need – but the Tories and Lib Dems will leave our children having to travel miles out of the borough to get to school.


“What’s more, Lambeth has already spent more than £6 million on preparing planning permissions and producing designs for the eleven new schools – local taxpayers will be outraged that the coalition government’s decision will see that money go to waste.”


Lambeth Labour are now leading a ‘Save Our Schools’ campaign, to shame the Tory/Lib Dem government into reversing their short-sighted decision. They are urging local parents and children to write to Education secretary Michael Gove telling him how their decision will affect their education, and urging him to restore the funding Lambeth needs. He can be contacted at:


The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London SW1P 3BT


Or email: ministers@education.gsi.gov.uk

Ruth Ling wins it for Labour in the Tulse Hill By election

Labour candidate Ruth Ling claimed victory in the Tulse Hill by election which was held yesterday on the 1st July 2010. After a hard and well fought campaign by Ruth Ling and the Lambeth Labour Party which included guest appearances from Blur drummer Dave Rowntree and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, Ruth won with a 490 majority on a 21.4% turnout.

The result helps strengthen Labour in Lambeth’s fight against ConDem cuts and plans to work more closely with communities and customers of council services as a co-operative council to improve service quality for everyone.

Cllr Ruth Ling said:
“I’m delighted to be back on the Council and I would like to thank all the residents in Tulse Hill who have been so friendly and supportive to me over the last few weeks. I look forward to working hard on their behalf.”

Council Leader Steve Reed said:
“The by-election result was a powerful endorsement of Ruth Ling and Lambeth’s Labour Council. The result, with Labour’s share of the vote even higher than in May, sends a clear signal to the Tory-Lib Dem Government that people in Lambeth will not take their unfair cuts lying down. For the Tories, as the country’s governing party, to win barely 4% of the vote just a few miles from Parliament is a humiliation. Ruth has many years of experience and will be a hard-working champion for the people of Tulse Hill”.

Full Results:

Labour – 1235
Liberal Democrats – 745
Green Party – 256
Conservatives – 94
UKIP – 36

Labour to work cross-border to protect services Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth

Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham are building on plans announced before the election to work together to cut costs and protect frontline services.

Partnership working between the three boroughs has taken on a new urgency in light of the unprecedented cuts from the Tory/Lib Dem Government that local councils will face over the coming years.

Sir Steve Bullock, elected Mayor of Lewisham, Cllr Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth and Cllr Peter John, Leader of Southwark, have today written to their respective Chief Executives to commission them to begin joint discussions to consider where potential exists for efficient and effective joint working. They have been asked to work together to present a range of options by the autumn.

Cllr Steve Reed said: “Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark councils all provide many services that are identical, but do we really need to pay twice for separate sets of senior management and back-office support? We need to proactively look at making savings at a time when the Tory/Lib Dem government is making cuts to council funding in order to protect frontline services”

Cllr Peter John said: “Local councils are facing unprecedented cuts from the Tory/Lib Dem Government. We know that we’re going to have to change the way we work to rise to the challenge those cuts present and carry on making the improvements to local services that our residents need. Pulling together with our neighbouring boroughs, which face many of the same challenges we do, promises to deliver some of that change.”

Mayor Sir Steve Bullock said: “We have to seek dramatic improvements in efficiency by working in partnership with our neighbouring Councils, other public services and the private sector. Every pound we can save through efficiency is a pound we can spend on frontline services. I hope this innovative approach can be used as a model across Local Government, rather than a return to slash and burn cuts”

Lambeth's Cooperative Council Challenges Camerons Big Society

Lambeth Council is launching detailed proposals that will see the South London authority become Britain’s first-ever cooperative council.

Lambeth’s cooperative council model – first trailed in the national media in February 2010, months before David Cameron announced his Big Society proposals – will see residents take on a bigger role in running and shaping local services. The model contrasts with the Tory ‘EasyCouncil’ model in the London Borough of Barnet that aims to create two-tier services with substandard services for the majority and better options available only to those wealthy enough to pay for them. While there are some similarities with the coalition Government’s Big Society proposals, Labour’s model in Lambeth takes a more thorough-going approach applying the cooperative values of fairness, accountability and responsibility across a broad range of services. It is built on four years experience trialling the approach in specific services in Lambeth.

Lambeth’s Labour leader, Cllr Steve Reed, will publish detailed proposals on Wednesday 26 May at the same time as the council sets up a Citizens’ Commission to consult local people on the proposals. The Commission will identify new services where the cooperative model can be piloted and will explore how the approach can be rolled out across further service areas later this year. The Commission will also explore how an ‘active citizens dividend’ could be paid to reward people who get involved in running local services, possibly in the form of a council-tax discount.

Lambeth has led the country in exploring the cooperative approach to service delivery in recent years. The council has more tenant-managed housing estates than any other borough and is transferring more assets to community control than any other council. Notable examples include Raleigh Hall in Brixton which is set to become the country’s first National Black Heritage Centre; the Weir Link children’s centre in Balham which is a service run by residents in a building built by the community; and the Old Lilian Baylis community sports hub operating out of a disused secondary school in Vauxhall that has won praise from leading politicians of all parties as well as international sports heroes like Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan.

Other community-led services already succeeding in Lambeth include 2XL, a peer mentoring programme that has dramatically cut youth reoffending levels on tough inner-city estates, the country’s first parent-promoted secondary school in West Norwood, and Community Freshview, an environmental programme that sees local people given tools and support to transform derelict or overgrown wasteland into community gardens or public spaces.

Lambeth’s Council leader, Cllr Steve Reed, said: “Lambeth has spent the past four years exploring how the community can get more involved in running local services. In widely different service areas like schools, housing and tackling crime we’ve learnt this approach delivers better services that cost less. Now we will take the model further and become the first council in the country to apply cooperative values right across the board. Our model differs from the Tories’ Big Society because while they want to roll back state, we want to change the role of the state, creating a new settlement between the citizen and public services with more power and control handed to local people. Our model empowers people to get on and make the changes they want to see in their local area, building better services and a stronger civic society at the same time.”

Labour appoints a new leadership team

With the election finished and the people of Lambeth giving a resounding thumbs up to Labour in Lambeth you voted in 44 Labour Group Councillors including 13 new faces to the council in the Borough elections on May 6th 2010.

The Labour Group would like thank those who voted to keep Labour in control of Lambeth and give us a mandate to carry on the work of improving Lambeth and carrying out our Manifesto commitments to you.

Councillor Steve Reed and Councillor Jackie Meldrum will continue as Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council but there are some new faces. Cllr Florence Nosegbe and Cllr Pete Robbins have both been appointed to the Cabinet for the first time.

The Cabinet is also the most diverse that at any other point in the council’s history. There are 6 women and Cllr Nosegbe and Cllr Campbell as representatives of our diverse communities.

Cllr Steve Reed leader of the Labour Group and the Council says “Thank you to all of those who voted for Labour to continue running the Council, it’s a testament to the Labour Group that we have been getting things right and most importantly listening to what you want in Lambeth. The Labour Group is really looking forward to getting on with the job in hand and making Lambeth a better fairer place for all”

Labour in Lambeth can exclusively reveal the new Cabinet is as follows;

Leader of the Council – Steve Reed

Deputy Leader – Jackie Meldrum.

Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety – Cllr Rachel Heywood

Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and the 2012 Games – Cllr Florence Nosegbe

Cabinet Member for Housing – Cllr Lib Peck

Cabinet Member for Environment – Cllr Lorna Campbell

Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning & Employment – Cllr Sally Prentice

Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing – Cllr Jim Dickson

Cabinet Member for Finance – Cllr Paul McGlone

Cabinet Member for Children’s & Young People Services – Cllr Pete Robbins