Labour in Lambeth freeze council tax for the next two years.

Labour in Lambeth will commit to freeze your local council tax for the next two years running at the Cabinet meeting on 12^th November.

With living costs rising and the price hikes recently announced by the energy companies, the Labour group of Councillors want to support residents. Labour has frozen your council tax levels since 2008 – which would mean a 6 year freeze.

Labour cabinet member for Finance and Resources, Councillor Paul McGlone said;

“The economic failure of the Coalition Government means the cost of living is increasing and many local people are now struggling to make ends meet.

“We are doing what we can to help residents and the council tax freeze is part of that. It is a historic decision that means council tax will have been at the same level for 6 years running.”

London Living Wage accreditation

The Lambeth Council Cabinet meeting in October is due to formally adopt as policy the Labour administration’s commitment to tackling low pay and our ambition to become accredited as a London Living Wage Employer. The Total Facilities Management procurement contract agreed in July has delivered our first London Living Wage contract covering services that employ cleaners, security and maintenance staff. 

The council’s Pay Policy Statement lays out the aim that all council employed staff should receive the London Living Wage (currently £8.31 per hour) as a minimum. All but a few staff are paid at the LLW or above. We are reviewing our procurement policy to ensure Living Wage is paid on new contracts. This would be done at the point of re-letting or tendering for new contracts with a requirement that those contractors bidding for the work incorporate a pricing option that includes the payment of the Living Wage as a minimum, and will be agreed subject to affordability. In some cases there will be significant costs for council contractors to bring their pay in to line with the LLW. For example, in adult social care lots of workers (e.g. carers) are paid the minimum wage. The estimated annual cost of implementing the LLW across all existing contractors in Lambeth is £10 million per annum. About 60% of this is social care.

Living wage employer accreditation is managed by Citizens UK and provides employers with a licence to the living wage employer mark. Lambeth Council will be a fully accredited Living wage employer soon.

A message from your ward councillor Paul McGlone about the ‘Move Your Money’ campaign

Much interest is being generated by the ‘Move Your Money’ campaigning group (www.moveyourmoney.org.uk)

to influence individuals as well as public sector banking choices

 ‘Move Your Money UK’ launched in February 2012 in order to help transform widespread public anger with the big banks into active support for ethical and mutual banking sector in the UK. The Move Your Money campaign is now seeking to encourage institutions to move their money out of the four largest high street banks, with a focus on the role of local authorities. A local campaign and petition is active (http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/lambeth-council-move-your-money-moveyourmoney) and ‘MYM’ representatives have recently contributed to discussions held at Finance Scrutiny Sub Committee on the future of Lambeth Council’s banking services.   

New library opens in Ferndale ward!

The first new library in Lambeth for over forty years was official opened on Friday 20^th July 2012 in Ferndale ward.  The new Clapham Library is in the renamed Mary Seacole House, built on the site of the old Lambeth Council social services building, at 91 Clapham High Street, SW4 7DB. 

The library was opened by Councillor Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, local author and broadcaster John O’Farrell.

From left: Lambeth Council leader Steve Reed,
John O'Farrell and  Ferndale councillor Sally Prentice

Your local Ferndale ward councillors Paul McGlone, Sally Prentice and Neil Sabharwal celebrated this achievement along with a large gathering of local guests.

This event was an opportunity to celebrate Labour’s commitment to Lambeth’s library service, providing local residents with an innovative new library which is modern, light and airy, with over 20,000 books, café space, performance space, free wi-fi and internet access.  It features a distinctive spiral design that draws inspiration from Manhattan’s famous Guggenheim Museum.

Designed by world famous London based architects Studio Egret West, the library is part of an innovative public private partnership between the council, primary care trust(PCT), Cathedral Group and United House Group to rebuild Mary Seacole House, making it home to not only Clapham Library but a medical centre and 136 residential flats as well. 

Vauxhall councillors at the opening of the Clapham Library

Ferndale ward councillors outside the Clapham Library

Future Brixton - find out more and have your say

Brixton tube station
by Richard George

What is 'Future Brixton'?

The Future Brixton programme is a 15-20 year regeneration programme that started with the Future Brixton Masterplan, approved by Lambeth in 2009.  

It aims to pool the council’s assets, along with the energy and enterprise of local people, to get the best deal for Brixton and lead to a number of transformational projects to improve the fabric of the town centre and the lives of residents and businesses – such as better homes, employment, training, leisure facilities and public realm improvements.

How can I give my views about the Future Brixton plans?

In the next couple of weeks there will be a number of opportunities to feed into the drafting of the Brixton supplementary planning document (SPD).  

Pop-up market stalls will be set up in Brixton town centre on the following dates so that you can find out more and have your say:

• Thursday 19 July – Tunstall Road, 2pm - 8pm  
• Saturday 21 July – Windrush Square, 11am - 3pm
• Tuesday 24 July – Electric Avenue, 12 noon - 4pm.

What next for Future Brixton?

The next stage of the process will take place in September 2012 where there will be public workshops to discuss the Brixton SPD in much more detail. A statutory consultation phase is scheduled for early 2013

For more infomation

Website - www.lambeth.gov.uk/futurebritxon

Telephone - 0800 052 633

Email - futurebrixton@lambeth.gov.uk

Stockwell Park 'Fun Day' - Saturday, 14th July 2012

Community Trust Housing, landlords of Stockwell Park and Robsart Estates, held their annual residents 'Fun Day' in Slade Gardens, Robsart Street, SW9 on Saturday 14th July 2012. Despite the erratic weather and rain, a large number of residents enjoyed themselves with a variety of activities from football matches, circus rides and clowns, information stalls and lots of delicious food!  Community Trust Housing used the day to consult residents on their plans for the next phase of the regeneration of the estates, including demolishing and rebuilding a taller Wayland House. 

Local Ferndale Councillors Paul McGlone, Sally Prentice and Neil Sabharwal had a "Meet your local Labour Councillors" stall. We were joined by fellow Labour Councillor Adrian Garden, as Slade Gardens is just inside Vassell ward which he represents. This allowed us to meet and talk with local residents about the regeneration plans, carry out a survey on residents views on local leisure facilities provided in Brixton, and pick up individual problems that we will help them with.

The cake Sally made as a prize for filling in our leisure questionnaire was won by a local resident who donated it to the Community Trust Housing staff for their Monday morning tea break!

Councillor Paul McGlone commented, "The rain did not dampen the fun people had! These events are important to generate community cohesion and I know we councillors enjoyed the day immensely." 

 

Free nursery scheme boost for Lambeth’s disadvantaged children

Disadvantaged children in Lambeth are to benefit from an extra year of free early education under a new scheme launched in Brixton yesterday.

The council’s successful bid to be a pilot area for a new scheme that will see 2 year-olds who come from disadvantaged backgrounds given extra early education for free is a welcome initiative after some hard lobbying of government by the Lambeth Labour Group following the Tory Lib Dem savage cuts to early years Sure Start funding.


Lambeth have been given £400,000, which will provide free places for more than 100 two year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds which help give them the extra skills needed before reaching primary school.
The scheme which will go nationwide in September 2013 has been developed with evidence showing that Children who have access to high quality early education are more likely to start school ready and able to learn, with the skills they need to succeed.

Cllr Rachel Heywood, Cabinet Member for Children and Families at Lambeth Council, said:
“This is great news for children and families from some of the most deprived parts of Lambeth. Studies show that many children from poorer backgrounds start primary school at a disadvantage. This funding is vital because it will help close the attainment gap by making sure they start school with the skills that they need to do well, given these children the chance which they deserve.”