James Barber

I have asked the head of parks about this issue. Whether people/groups booking have ot leave it in a tidy state. If not when wil lthey have this added. And if they do have this condition why it's no being enforced and how many people/groups are now banned from bookings due to the state they leave behind. Many thanks for raising it. Suspect it's a generic Southwark parks issue.

Hi malcolmchurch, I can just imagine how tricky this is - espeically when icy. A great way to make this happen is via Cleaner, Greener, Safer capital funding. I would really suggest you apply with this idea. https://forms.southwark.gov.uk/ShowForm.asp?fm_fid=998 Please do email me when you've done OR if you're not minded to apply.

M&S were VERY specific that their shop would not generate more car journeys. Their experts stated the aresa currently didnt suffer parking stress. The Planning Inspector was clear that the M&S/freeholder assertions were likely to be wrong. Based on the evidence and the inspector seeing fo themsevles the aresa DOES suffer parking stress the appeal was refused. It was good work from Southwakr COuncil Planning Officers - well done to them - and local residents objecting. East Dulwich were delighted to play our part in this. After a refused planning application has been refused their is no further appeal process. An applicant can only take such a decision to court IF they think they can prove the prccess wasnt correctly followed. We know Waitrose are happy to use the Iceland shop as is when the Iceland lease ends January 2014 (Iceland don't want to pay the proposed rent increase). Worst case for those that want such a shop M&S walk away and we get a Waitrose in the New Year. Most lilkely scenarios is M&S accept the site as is.

The twinkly light failures were due to dodgy goods sold by Philips replaced at their expense. BrandNewGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > DulwichFox Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > > > Like painting Bollards pretty colours and > carving > > Totem Poles. > > > > DulwichFox > > You forgot the twinkly lights outside the station > that need mending at huge expense

The new 20mph speed limit goes from goose green roundabout to Melbourne grove. This section of road does have a high incident rate of crashes. Please see www.crashmap.co.uk In our area it is one of the most collision prone in East Dulwich. Lordship Lanes further south does have crashes but not the same incidence rate and largely are junction design issues. As said before on this forum further south from the new 20mph speed limit area of Lordship Lane is the border between East Dulwich ward and Village ward. As Village councillors were unable to agree to Melbourne Grove between East Dulwich Grove and Lordship Lane being 20mph despite the speed cushions already in place they were certainly not able to agree Lordship Lane from Melbourne Grove southward to become 20mph.

Hi Louise, Waitrose when I spoke with them were very clear they would be delighted to move in ASAP to the existing shop footprint. They think it's fine and they anticipated the planning result M&S experts failed to foresee.

M&S planinng appeal has been rejected by the planning inspector. Please do read the attached report for the full details.

Latest and please do read the attached for the full explanation. The M&S appeal has been refused.

Hi edhistory, No. Southwark Council transport officers told him he had to pay for such a bay to aid passenger drops off and pick ups as well as any shop deliveries/waste removal. They were explicitly told the previous garden centre arrangements of reversing into Railway Rise were not acceptable. Hi timein, I think supermarket is perhaps a little grand for the size of unit planned.

The new development with planning permission 2011 for the old garden centre categorically has a new grove vale library. It's taken significant effort to ensure this. I think the confusion is that the 2011 planning permission due to economic situation changed the scheme from 22 flats and a new library to 22 flats a new library and a shop unit. That shop unit has turned out to be Morrisons local because M&S and Waitrose didn't want to take the unit (too small for their ambitions for ED). The new library will be double the current library size. Hopefully it will feel bigger than that being one large space with outside if narrow terraces. BUT the library will be to the rear with a wide passage way to reach it and massive letters saying library. Is this sufficiently clear and answering your question?

It's that time of the year for cycle and traffic counts. They do this with a video survey apparently. " Dear ward Councillors, I am writing to advise you that between the 28th September and 13th October 2013 the Council will be undertaking cycling counts as part of our annual monitoring programme to see how travel is changing in our borough. These are undertaken via camera which will be installed in various locations in the borough including your ward (see attached map for locations). These videos will be used to count the number of pedal cyclists using that road and no other purpose i.e. enforcement. Should you get any resident enquiries over the next few weeks please feel free to inform them of the reason for the cameras or forward them on to me and I will be able to provide further information. "

Hi unlurked, I thought my responses dealt with whatever issue people have had problems with and explained how people could report matters themselves. Equally many people posting requests for help have tried the official channels and are escalating issues to me as their local councillor. For those that don't have or don't wish to have access to this forum we regularly print and deliver Focus leaflets and letters about specific issues, write a regular column for the SE22 magazine and we have posters on noticeboards. All detail how residents can contact us. All take considerable effort. Any volunteers to help? As for being CC'd on planning emails from residents. That's simply to know how people feel about a scheme and whether we've missed something we should have called-in for councillors to take the final decision rather than officers under delegated powers. The idea that planning officers would be intimidated by this is ridiculous. I also make no apologies for trying to shape and in my mind improve the area. Little point in being a councillor if you don't have a purpose or sense of direction. Still an awful lot to do but we've made massive strides even while in local opposition for the last three years. Now can we please all get back to local issues on this thread please.

Hi rahrahrah, Appeals such as that from M&S/freeholders normally take 6-8 the case officer tells me. Hi Jeremy, Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisons suggests M Local format sell "...wider range of ready-to-eat hot food such as pastries, coffee, rotisserie, porridge and also a salad bar...". and ask anyone who appears under 27 years of age to show ID. I'd also suggest having an active store front should in theory make that area safer. Some pictures of an M Local store http://www.retail-week.com/stores/analysis-morrisons-convenience-format-m-local/5047853.article

Hi reddulwich, The primary purpose of this thread in the General Issues area of the forum is to help with casework. The lounge is normally reserved for political debate. Yes the national party is in coalition and it feels good to have Lib Dem policies and views implemented. Your comments could just as easilly be made for our actual MP Tessa Jowell. She voted for the orignal Labour introduced 'bedroom tax' which buggug and yourself didnt raise objections about on this forum. In some respects it's great to be in a political party people have such higher expectations e.g. student tuition fees where people hardly raised the issue when Labour broke exactly the same election manifesto pledge when in power.

Thanks everyone. You kind thoughts and comments are really appreciated. People at Kings were fab. Lady who helped picked me up and all stuff billowing everywhere was especially fab. Right ankle 5 or 6 double stiches (I was too wimpy to watch) are killing me despite the nurofen. I hadnt appreciated how painful it would be until the adrenalin reduced and local anesthetic subsided. Apparently I was very lucky with tendons and artery. Hobbling to work I REALLY have a sense for how useful dropped kerbs and accessible public transport are. So you'll all be glad to hear I wont be knocking on your door for a week or so. But I will be phoning people to see what's bothering them.

It is sad that when canvassing for every person who says to me they post o nthis forum, 9 say they feel too intimidated to post. For the record. The 'bedroom tax', which is a reduction in housing benefit for surplus spare bedrooms, was first introduced by Labour with respect to housing benefit related to privately rented accomodation. I don't recall buddug asking pointed questions of Labour councillors then. The tory part of the coalition have extended it to publicly owned accomodation. Lib Dems obtained a number of concessions related to armed force, disabled children, pensioners and I'm pleased to see the courts are extending these exemptions - most recent was far reaching about where a bedroom wasnt used as a bedroom but for medical purposes for a disabled adult. But the principal of encouraging people in publicly subsidised accomodation with spare bedrooms to move to smaller homes making way to those with terrible overcrowding seems reasonable to me. The nudge is a 14% reduction in housing benefit for 1 spare bedroom. If someone is living in a Southwark council home the 14% would equate to sround ?12pw which is a lot of money to someone on benefits. But renting home for ?92pw is something many can only dream about. The rules do allow a spare bedroom to be rented out for upto ?80pw tax free without loss of benefits. Locally this is compounded by the council targetting the sell-off of 1 and 2 bedroom council properties. Exactly the property sizes so many are now looking to move into from larger properties that so many others need due to overcrowding.

Many many thanks to the lady on Townley Road close to Lordship Lane end who came to my aid when I crashed earlier today. Fortunately after a big scare about tendons just a few stitches to an ankle. Eek and phew. Great treatment at Kings.

Hi reeks, Thanks for pointing this out. I'll ask the council trading standards to investigate. Hi buddug, Yes I'm sure you've quoted me correctly if partially and out of the large context I gave. Excuse my cynicism but you've indicated you're a journalist to ex.journalist and removing the context isn't very fair.

Hi buddug, That's not really. what I said.

Thought it perhaps worth adding link to ground floor showing library, flats entrance and shop unit plans: http://planningonline.southwark.gov.uk/DocsOnline/Documents/139585_1.pdf

Hi singalto, That did conjure a wonderful picture in my mind me wearing a batman outfit and somewhere a batman spotlight in East Dulwoich. Great for a dreary Friday morning. Thank you. Hi buddug, You're very welcome to shadow me to discover the work I do for residents. Casework over the last month - successfully helping a family 5 years of escalating debt and avoid them losing their home (one of my favourite bits of casework this year - bit cheaty of me because it was resolve in the last month but came to me 6 months ago), a home swap, business rates chaos that nearly killed a local shop, two residential council tax cases, Plough Lane wheelie bin invasion from Landells Road, road and pavement maintenance complaints, primary school problems, new schools, new cinema, admissions problem, new neighbourhood watch scheme, loft insulaiton for a council home (hope to extend this to all in ED), dog poo bin move away from immediatley outside someones front door, police enforcement of white lines, missing street name plate, new Grove Vale library, lastly being available to answer issues and queries such as yours and other more casework oreintated issues. I have to be honest I do now try and keep some emotional detachment from peoples dreadful problems. When I first started I didnt and it really got to me but more importantly was affecting my family home life. It can be really quite depressing as well as uplifting helping so many people. So I hope I'm still empathetic and really helpful but I can't solve every problem myself. I do try within the limits of being a councillor to do my best, trying to engage help from others, sign post people to help where others can more obviously help. I'm sure you along with me will welcome a test case reported this morning where a blind man has successfully argued he didnt have a spare bedroom but rather a store for essential equipment to help him manage life being blind. Good call by the judge from what I've read. It would take primary legislation I believe to undo this judgement and the implications for all disabled residents. I would even argue this would/should extend to those on housing benefit in private homes. The Southwark Council home swap information is here: http://www.southwarkhomesearch.org.uk/data/asppages/1/1178.aspx The mechanisms can also be used to move anywhere in the UK or RoI. Yes the council does support people downsizing properties: http://www.southwarkhomesearch.org.uk/data/asppages/1/1305.aspx It's not as generous as it used to be. The sums seems tiny now. And the lump sum is suspended at the moment. The incentive to move is curreently much higher so Labour Southwark Council has withdrawn this incentive of several thounsand pounds.

Hi buddug, Yes I have met families experiencing this. One with a disabled parent wanted to downsize to no longer have a spare bedroom as they have seen their housing benefits cut by 14%. 14% on ?100pw rent to many wouldnt be a problem but clearly for many on benefits it a disaster. I put them in touch with the home swap process. I also explained they could rent out the spare bedroom. But as a nation subsidising people in social housing to have bedrooms they're not using while paying large sums to rent homes for people isnt sustainable. Housing officers have been matching people up and some really good swaps have occurred on same estates. One example they discovered someone not claiming state pension. I agree it's harsh for someone who has had a council home for years to be faced with moving. It's also harsh for people with mortgages to be faced with moving or indeed outright home owners who find it hard to run a home without enough income. As per our PM's I would prefer the UK to emulate the German system. If you'd like to continue debating what is national policy and not local issues I can fix then perhaps we should continue this in the lounge?

Yes you're right that the regulations do affect people of working age who are disabled and have a 'spare' bedroom/s that the disabled householder feels they need for space for extra kit. Clearly this part of the proposal is nonsensical and I hope will be amended as indeed it was related to disabled children. However, all local authorities are being provided extra money to decide if they wish to pay the gap in such cases. They've also been given the ability to charge council tax for second homes at a premium rate raise extra funds to decide locally how to ameliorate or not welfare changes such as these. Southwark has decided not to ameliorate the changes using this power. If they had a large extra tracnhe of money would have been provided - effectively an incentive to local authorities to play ball on bhealf of their resudents.

Hi John K, buddug, The numbers I've been told affected for East Dulwich are here: http://jamesbarber.mycouncillor.org.uk/2013/02/11/welfare-reform-cap-and-spare-bedrooms/ Buddug happy for you to post my PM. Southwark have huge over 10,000 people on its council housing waiting list - huge proportion due to over crowding ie. not having enough bedrooms. At the same time the subsidies that council housing receive are being spent on providing some homes with more bedrooms that occupants. I think the changes should have been staggered but the economic climate and so many people living in over crowded situations have encouraged the government to act faster. The new rules for council owned social housing have been in place for people on benefits renting in the private sector since the last government. What am I personally doing? When people have contacted me about this I've encouraged them to try swapping homes. The last Lib Dem led council introduced financial incentives to encourage such swapping as it makes such a difference to those in overcrowded situations. Ask whether people would consider renting out any spare bedroom - they can do this for up to ?80pw without being tax or affecting beneifts - whereas the changes are circa ?20pw so potential to be much better of. If they have a medical condition then Helping them get that recognised. One area the rule changes havent gone far enough is homes that have been specially adapted at great cost to the council/tax payers for specific issues the resident has.

Hi Pugwash, Universal Free School Meals will be reviewed at a scutiny committee late October chaired by Cllr David Hubber. He has agreed to ask questions to answer your query. So it will be some time before I can accurately answer. Regards james. Pugwash Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > James - I was always wary about the Free School > meals in Southwark's primary schools for various > reasons. One of the questions I put to the last ED > labour candidates was success may need to be made > in measure of wastage. Kids can be very fussy > eaters and waste food - so free meals does not > always mean the food is going in the stomachs of > the kids. > Is there any feedback from the schools as whether > the free meals have a high or low 'wastage/swill > bin'?