Pugwash

If I recall correctly, when the DK Hill estate was being revamped, some of the properties were sold off to another organisation to help fund the refurbishment and some were going to be given to a Housing Association to run. I would imagine that these properties were originally right to buy properties and leasehold and that the owners may have died/gone into a care home. Southwark Council may have become Deputies under Court of Protection to manage this person's finances which would also include selling any property to pay care home fees.

Gumboots After School Club run a summer holiday scheme for 4 weeks in August for children 5 - 11 years. It is held at the East Dulwich Community Centre. Not sure what the costs are.

Music and O do not go, he could have a go on his Dad's guitar but is not interested. also daughter does not have the money for lessons. He is allowed his DS at weekends but not during the week/schooldays.

I think it is a mixture of the handwriting not being easily read/understood and the concentration needed for him to improve on this. he does have 'hand writing or rather letter formations. for homework at times and have slots for this during the school week. Daughter does not want his 'boredom' to become disruption as she knows he can be a handful at times. He is very chatty and will talk at length about something that interests him - I can imagine that he needs firm but fair 'control' to allow the other kids to have a say. His big sister's report is that she is too quiet in class and he is the opposite

As a local authority worker - we have been informed that our pay will be frozen - would rather have a job than increased pay. My colleagues and I work in health and social care, and it will be upto us to tell people that they will not get the level of services they are used to, and we as front line staff already get verbal abuse from some people who think they/their relative deserves more. On colleague talks in terms of cakes - you have one party cake the more people that want cake - the smaller the slice, you either have a small slice, pay alot extra for another cake, or have no cake at all.

Glad to see some common sense has now prevailed. I have a mixed race step daughter (Black/part Polish/white British)whose mother (Black Carribean) objected to her daughter being exposed to Black History as it was 'not relevant' to her. Stepdaughter grew up in a predominantly white area, where she was the only black/mixed race child in her school. It was left to me and her father to encourage her to explore her cultural back ground. Yet despite having a mixed race child, if hubby and I wanted to foster or adopt a mixed race child, as 2 white people we would have been refused. As we have friends from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, a fostered child would have a wide exposure to all religions ( we have Muslim and Buddist friends as well as Christians) all ethnic backgrounds, with many mixed race partnerships and had a loving home.

Our 7 year old grandson has come along in leaps and bounds since he has started school, but daughter was surprised at last weeks parents evening as to how he had progressed. It seems as though from a slow start his reading and comprehension has taken off and he is now the top reader in his year of 60 children. School has stated that he is exceptionally bright in all areas except his handwriting and that he will only concentrate on this if he is writing about a subject that holds his interest. Daughter has been advised to work with him at home on his concentration and handwriting. He is a very active child - loves football, his passion is animals and his knowledge of wild life etc is that equal to a secondary age child. Any tips on how to increase his concentration span and also improve handwriting. His parents do not have the money for private tuition, he has just started attending Beavers and also goes to football training twice a week. Apparently his language skills are very advanced for his age and he often tells the teacher that he is bored in class ( usually as he has finished his work ahead of others).Daughter lives in Bromley area - her older child did well with Kuman Maths and English, but O.is not the sort that would sit down and work through the worksheets. Any ideas gratefully received

Southwark Council like most other authoritys is a mixture of good and bad staff, those who are helpful and those who could not care less.It is also provides reasonable services on the whole My stepmother lives in West Sussex and a couple of years ago was in hospital for several weeks as a result of a fall. She had to pay for a taxi to take her home (?35) as the PCT would only provide hospital transport if people were in wheelchairs. She walks with a zimmer frame in the house and needs a wheelchair for outside. She was provided with 3 days help from social services as could not bend, cook food, do shopping or get to the bank, could do limited personal care. When it was found that she received an occupational pension as well as a state pension, all services were withdrawn by social services as they informed her that they could not continue to provide services as she was in receipt of a private pension. She now pays ?12 ph for a cleaner ( W. Sussex state they do not provide a cleaning service) if it was not for a neighbour who works in the local Co Op, she would have had to pay a similiar amount per hour for someone to shop for her. Since she lives in a small town and has used the same Nat West bank for years, the bank manager calls personally at her home once a month to give her cash from her pension. There is no Dial a Ride, the nearest shopping area is Chichester 8 miles away ( Return bus fare ?6) She struggles with undertaking personal care but has been unable to take a bath as needs one person to assist getting on and off bath seat. She lives in a Tory controlled area - a very rich area but services are nowhere as good as London. Be thankful for what we have - ( or what we will have left after the cuts)

James - I suggest that one of the alternative ways of saving money is to increase debt collection from those Southwark Residents who have not paid rent/council tax/community care charges. There are obviously some people who genuinely do not have the money or have not claimed the appropriate benefits - there needs to be more staff able to visit these residents and help them claim benefits. Community Care Charges - Lewisham Social Services send a letter to all those receiving community care services and arrange to visit them at home within 6 weeks to complete a financial assessment form. They also have welfare rights training and can get additional benefits for those who have not claimed. Officers can also identify those residents who need practical help in form filling and managing money and can alert the appropriate services.

The Lordship Lane Surgery - Dr. Doha's, came last in the GP satisfaction list recently published

I went in the old St. Chris Shop once and the place was crowded and items a bit tatty.When my mother in law died, I took a couple of sacks of good clothing, hardly worn to the shop and was told that they were not accepting donations as they had too much stuff to sift through. I ended up talking them to the MIND shop and one other shop in Beckenham. Eldest daughter buys all her clothes in a charity shop in Petts Wood - she gets good stuff there for less than a fiver - some of it Monsoon and Next

Yes James is one of the best. Having attended most Dulwich Community Council since they started, James and his LD colleagues have represented their wards well. Pity more councillors do not take time to seek their local community's views on line. James - do council officers love or hate you asking so many questions!!

When are we going to see improvements to the traffic lights up by the harvester - Lewis Robinson did mention last year that TFL (I think) we going to improve safety at this dangerous junction,

having seen the programme on C4 tonight - I think this sounds like a good scheme - I am sure even the busiest of us all can sign up for 4 hours a month.

I have always told my kids that you cannot take from society unless you are prepared to give. Hubby and I have done Voluntary work since the late 1970s - it keeps me sane!. We do it because we enjoy being with people of a similar mind. Over the years I, along with others, have been asked to take someone 'under our wing', - the shy, depressed Asian mother who had a series of miscarriages and who was finding it difficult to marry her westernised ideas with that of her culture. This lady is now running her own organisation, meets people from all walks of life and has received many awards for her work. Over the years my kids have become involved in voluntary work - one worked as an unpaid assistant on a stroke unit in her local hospital - a decision which eventually lead to her retraining for a professional qualification. The other - primarily works with disabled children and teenagers as a voluntary drama and youth worker. Also is part of a youth project (Worthing Media) - a drama group for teenagers and young people who are coached in film making. This daughter also works in a paid capacity with young people with behavioural and learning disabilities. I always remember many years ago a work colleague was complaining about the cost of Christmas and that her son wanted a particular computer/computer game costings hundreds. It would seem that in order for their children to have 'equal status' amongst their friends, the family were frequently putting themselves into debt in purchasing expensive presents. Many young people and also some adults have been caught up in the'gimme,gimme ' trap and equate money/expensive goods with happiness. This I believe is the basis of many of the crimes now committed - 'if I cannot afford to have the latest phone why should he'. Many parents are afraid of setting boundaries for their kids - from simple things like table manners, times of coming home at night, respect for property and other people. There is a word called 'no'. Teenagers will rant and rave at these so called restriction but the majority will eventually see sense. I had to laugh when my eldest daughter complained about the stroppiness of her near teen daughter, and asked how I put up with her as a teenager as she remembered she was far worse. She complimented me and her Dad by saying you gave me rules, which I hated, but I stuck to them and I fully appreciate now, as a parent, that you were both fair, reasonable and always willing to talk and be there for me. ( I must admit I shed a tear after that). To me the basis of a community must always be mutual respect, to seek the goodness or good points in others, praise effort and determination and to see others as individuals. One of the posts talked about young offenders making things for sale - being praised for doing something selfless and for a good cause.

When I was training I worked in another SE London Borough in the Fostering and Adoption Team. There was a heated debate when a couple of children needed long term fostering who were Asian Muslim. The borough did not have any Asian Muslim Foster Parents but had a single white woman who was Muslim. There was heated discussion as to whether the children's ethnicity or their religion was the most important. The children were later placed with Asian Hindus. Many children in care have had traumatic lives and tend to be of school age, it takes a special person/couple who could cope with often emotionally unstable children who may make their lives hell for a year or more until they learn to trust their adoptive parents.

This is a Forum where everyone is entitled to their views- regardless of political inclinations. Agree with James and others that the Free meals is a joke. I think Labour would have scored more highly if they stated that they would provide free cereal, toast and fruit breakfasts for all primary children. I think the kids are more likely eat this than the lunches and it would be cheaper.(My grandson has breakfast at his pre school club for 50p) MOW - not many people like these, and there is a lot of wastage. However it is the only means by which many can get a hot cooked meal. However if Southwark Council Officers chase up all the debts outstanding to Southwark by it's residents, there will be money to reduce the number of cuts. If you think of all those unpaid rents, community care charges, client contributions for care homes, council tax etc - they must add up to a few million. There will be people who are genuinely unable to pay their debts - many elderly who are entitled to Housing Benefit and other benefits but have not claimed, but equally there are others who delight in cheating the system. Do the high paid very senior council officers really earn their money? Does Susanna White and Annie Sheppard deserve their salaries? Cutting or redesigning Youth Services at a time when more young people are out of work and some being drawn into crime. The previous Labour administration closed our local youth club and it took the power of local residents, with the help of the Police and local Lib Dem councillors to get it reopened - it is once again under threat. Cutting grants to Age Concern who provide a large number of day centres and other services to the elderly of Southwark - - this 'voluntary agency/charity' represents the very concerns that David Cameron talks about in his Big Society debates - the local council passing down to local/voluntary/charities to run services on their behalf.

All care homes have their good and bad points.it also depends on the resident and also their families, expectations. Most staff in care homes, including nurses, are poorly paid,some are happy in their work despite this, the owners of the homes need to make a profit otherwise they cannot survive themselves. Never make an appointment to visit a care home, just turn up. Ideally after 9.30/10 am is a good time, all residents having been washed, dressed and breakfasted by this time. Avoid going after 7 pm when many residents starting going to bed. If you visit a home on Tuesday afternoon and like it, go back at the weekend as frequently different staff. Whilst the building appearance is important - it is the staff that make the home- how long have they been there, their manner with residents, do they treat each resident with respect and individually. Is the TV in the lounge on continiously , what activities take place and how frequently, will staff take residents to local shops or churches. How do staff treat visitors. As a professional person, I have visited several hundred home over the past 15 years throughout the country, and judge how staff treat me as a visitor as an indication of their care. One home I visited in Essex - I had travelled from ED via train to the place and found that no buses ran so had to get a taxi for about 8 miles. Dying to go to the loo when arrived ( the train did not have a loo nor did the station) I introduced myself to staff, showed my ID and who I was visiting, and asked for the visitor's loo. I very begrudgingly shown the loo, saw my gentleman and I had some concerns that his wheelchair was a liitle wide for the doorway (massive indents in doorframe, dents in wheelchair. Staff showed me how they got him and and out room by 'bumping the chair' up and down (scratching it even more)poor old boy petrified at being bumped. met with staff who were concerned more about him dying and how long the local authority would pay for his room after death. Was there at the home for a good 3 hours, not offered a cup of tea or glass of water, I asked them to call a taxi to collect me, they refused. eventually they gave me a phone book and told me to do it myself. In the days before mobiles, they eventually allowed me to use a phone. Having left ED at 8 am and getting back to office around 3.30 pm without having a drink all day (no shops or cafes near either station) I was not a happy bunny. I called the old boy's daughter and asked her what she felt about the home and discovered that they way they treated me, was similiar to how they treated some resident's families. I advised her to remove her father and find an alternative home. Wrote a pretty damming report which I sent to the managers and Essex Social Services. This was the only time I have had a very bad experience at a care home, and often relate this tale to new staff - how they as professionals are treated, can often be a reflection on how relatives and residents are treated. Obviously if they go the other extreme and fawn over the professional,one also queries how residents/relatives are treated. My aunt spent 2- 3 happy years in The Elms before she died, very good management and staff, very caring. I am now in the position of having to decide whether to have my frail 87 year old mother live with us and have a care package or let her go to a nursing home. My mother does not want to do either, but needs someone to be with her the majority of the day as she cannot transfer independently or care for herself.

My daughter (now 25) went to the South of France when she was 15 and doing GCSE Art with Sydenham School, had a smashing time painting, visiting artist houses etc. Went for about 7 days and costs around ?300. A friend's daughter who went to St. Dunstans went within the last 2 years to the far East for 2 - 3 weeks for ?2000 with the school

I too live nearby - I have no problem with any of the residents, if you walk on that side of the road you will often get a smaile from the men. Going in and out of the gate (which leads to the church) residents may say hello to you. Martin the manager is very helpful and if you have any concerns, talk with him.

I am not for a Sunday market - it's bad enough trying to walk up NX Rd on a Saturday. I support the idea of more stalls but a greater variety and less expensive produce.

Just to add to the comments re Denmark Hill - it took me 35 minutes to get from Barry Road to Camberwell this morning, 20 minutes stuck on the stretch of road going down from Dog kennel Hill. 20 minutes late for work. Talking to a Dr at Kings this morning - he was 20 minutes late yesterday morning for his shift. Had to leave work early at 2.50 - sailed all the way through and did not have to stop!!

After reading comments on the 'broken LD' can we weigh up the arguement and ask the same question of Labour. What is going on with labour in Southwark with yet another councillor appearing to desert the party. Do we know why John Friary resigned?. With 2 other councillors suspended - is the going too tough for Labour? Recent budget announcements - how many Labour councillors thought in private that their party was misguided aa to where the cuts had to be made. It is inevitable that cuts have to be made but cutting Holmhurst Day Centre and now announcing that they are withdrawing funding for all non council run day centres in the borough - affecting the elderly, frequently isolated and vulnerable, suffering from dementia, is not the 'caring Labour party' it makes it out to be. From what I have heard about John Friary - he appeared to be a well liked experienced councillor - did he jump or was he pushed?

many thanks for all the advice. Trouble is there is nobody who can go and stay with her, the lodgers have the only spare room and bed. Whilst hubby can stay one night on the sofa - could not do so for an indefinate period in terms of time and his comfort ( he has arthritis as well as another disability). Lodgers have not been seen since Tuesday lunch time, daughter went into their room - TV and playstation still there as well as some of their clothes. Room is a pigsty with mouldy food, unwashed plates, etc. Rent day is Monday, they have already had one warning about late payment of rent and treatened with eviction. We have agreed that I write a letter giving 28 days notice of termination as since hubby is medically retired, he can go and stay with daughter for a few days and we do not want to pay hotel fees. This takes some pressure off daughter, but does not solve the bailiff situation. I have advised her that since the lodgers may let the bailiffs in whilst she is at work, to put stickers on all her property with her name on and place notices in prominant places that all furniture, white goods, TV etc is her property and any attempt to remove will be classed as unlawful. If the lodgers do not return by rent day and rent is not paid, are they still entitled to the 28 days eviction notice and how do you serve it on someone who is not there?. My view is that if you pack their things up and keep in a secure place i.e. a locked cupboard, they cannot make a claim against you for disposing of their belongings. Will certainly change the locks.

When we cleared parents in law house in West Dulwich - the police loaned us a few police cones to put outside the house. Best thing is get someone to go to the house early and put a oouple of dustbins out with string/rope between them, with a note 'space reserved for removal van'. Most people are quite happy with this.