James Barber

Hi bel123, I'm afraid i can't keep tabs of every thread on the forum if by councillor you mean me. Southwark Council have changed their street cleaning regime. They now sweep our streets once a month and litter pick roughly every other day. So around those parameters our street will look messy to varying degrees. I voted against these changes but sadly they were passed.

Hi peterstorm1985, The logical conclusion your suggesting is no inspections. The Food Safety Agency believes it has evidence such inspections have improved public health.

Hi Katie1997, Not sure why you think they're unhelpful. They indicate whether business is meeting food hygiene law - http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/webpage/faqsen#elem006

Hi DulwichFox, ?78,000 at ?1,800 a road hump + ?20,000 officer overheads should buy 32 sinusoidal road humps in one scheme. Hi Maxxi, Several bonfire nights happen every year in the area - 5th November locally Dulwich Sports Ground, Dulwich College Prep School (Gallery Road), Brockwell Park, Crystal Palace Park. Further afield Blackheath,Battersea, Beckenham. Sunday 6 November Lord Mayors Show Firework 5pm. If the council absolutely must spend the ?78,000 allocated to events in our area on firework we suggested Belair Park but its appears the council leader is looking at Southwark Park to punish us for the temerity to suggest the money could be better spent on the Dulwich Festival (which could end with Fireworks!). Hi StraferJack, I've not spoken to The Evening Standard and we've issued no follow-up press releases. As councillors the council leader has not told us what he is planning.

Hi Marmora Man, The example you've given is where you could see and judge food hygiene and what's inside fridges. But your example is rare. Vast majority of food establishments you can;t see if the practices are safe, kitchen clean, fridge sane. The Scores on the Doors is not perfect but it does encourage better practices if used with a modicum of common sense.

Hi david_carnell and Jeremy, I sympathise with you but why can't all East Dulwich businesses achieve a better food safety/hygiene rating and still remain great places but with less risk of poisoning you? The point is get the APP and then make informed choices. Ask your favourite establishments why they scored badly if they did.

Hi Jeremy, The plan Network Rail have is to increas the number of through Thameslink platforms from 6 to 9 - hence the new viaduct across Borough High Street and to make space reduce the number of terminating platforms from 9 to 6. What they could do is reinstate 3 terminating platforms that have been used as a station and Network Rail staff car park since the 70's. Naivelly I would imaginje a train company would prefer space for trains over parked cars!

Most local councils including Southwark Council submit their food safety ratings into a system called Scores on the Doors. Food inspectors visit premises at least every 6-36 months depending on risk and stars out of 5 are recorded in the system. More stars equal cleaner and safer practices. You can get FREE Android and Apple apps to have access to this while on the move and help you decide whether you think a premises inspected hygiene is good enough for you and your family. I've found it eye opening. The more people use these scores the more businesses will take note and ensure they are clean. Some might even want to get reinspected.

Hi Herroeeey, I'm afraid this sort of thing isn't an instant fix. I've asked what and when can be done and will keep pushing.

Hi Sue, I was highlighting an outlet for people that few know is available to them. Equally anyone can ask a public question about any subject related to what the council does or should do.

I don't believe a visual assessment was made before the proposed changes. Southwark have a streetscape guide and team and I don't believe they were conuslted. The shade of blue of the new blue wheelie bins seems far brighter than the shade of previous blue wheelie bins. The older shade isn't anywhere as offensive as the new shade of blue. Anyone heated about this want to ask a public question about this at the next council assembly? IF anyone does get in touch with me.

I have keys to the noticeboards. If you email me a notice I'll place it or we can arrange to meet at a particualr notice board or you can post it to me via Southwark Council, 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2TZ.

And everytime the cemetery and other council buildings have lead stolen I point out to the council Director concerned that the chances of this theft could be slashed if they deployed metal property marking.

I thought council tax was a form of property tax. Council Tax banding is defined versus historic property prices from many many years ago. A mansion tax is just adding an extra council tax band defined using a more current house price threshold. Lib Dem policy is to scrap council tax as a form of property tax and move to an income basis for council tax. So I would suggest Vince's Mansion Tax isn't as revolutionary as it sounds - certainly grabs headlines - and would if ever implimented last only as long as council property based taxes.

But the plans to remove 3 of the 9 terminatin platforms will be painful if granted planning approval and would see the end of the South London Line. Weirdly London Bridge could reinstate 3 past cloased terminating platforms but seem to prefer long distance commuting into London Bridge rather than Southwark residents commuters.

I'm not clear its canned. Yesterday all Southwark councillors were emailed and directed to the attached Southwark Events Strategy 2011-13 which became council policy yesterday - pending a one week period where it can be "called-in" which my group is considering. This events strategy clearly shows something along the lines of the "The Colour Thief: A Winter Extravaganza Celebrating The Changing Of The Seasons". It also shows that the total cost of the Dulwich event would not be ?55,000 as originally reported but ?78,000. Below is the email my Dulwich Lib Dem colleagues and I sent the council leader Peter John - in summary we'd prefer these resources support an even better Dulwich Festival. What do you think ?78,000 should be spent on? " -----Original Message----- From: Barber, James Sent: 26 September 2011 13:01 To: '[email protected]' Cc: Rosie Shimell ([email protected]); [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: FW: The Colour Thief - 4th November Hi Peter, We have been expressing concern about the proposals for The Colour Thief to Cllr Ward and officers for some time. It is unfortunate that these seem only to have been picked up at this late stage, once we had repeated our concerns at Dulwich Community Council and to the local press. While we appreciate that plans are underway, we had hoped for a fuller and franker discussion at an earlier stage. We are keen to hold an event which will be based in Dulwich, and as you point out yourself, the north and middle of the borough have already benefited from large community events this summer. However, we fail to understand why the only alternative to the Colour Thief which you are proposing is a Southwark Wide firework event for the entire borough, based in Southwark park. In contrast, The Colour Thief was billed as a local event for 2-3,000 people. It would be far more sensible, and comparable in scale to allow the people of Dulwich - and indeed the borough as a whole - to hold non council led public bonfire nights. This has happened previously, and we should encourage more schools and the like to run such events. They increase community involvement, minimise travel and are good fund raisers for them or the charities they support. We were assured at the Dulwich CC that you have no contracts in place for an event that weekend but only options. So commercially you do not have to proceed. Dulwich has many events during bonfire weekend so we would prefer that the new "The Colour Thief..." not take place. That Dulwich Society and Friends of Dulwich Park think it would damage the park and we would not want to see any damage take place. That local police tell us this is the worst possible weekend for an extra event in the Dulwich area. That we would prefer to see the money spent on supporting the Dulwich Festival charity holding a bigger festival reaching more people and involving more community groups and schools. This festival already covers much of South Camberwell and Peckham Rye, as well as ED, Village and College. We would expect a bigger festival to reach further. Frankly after seeing Southwark events team in action we would prefer that they not be allowed anywhere near an event in the Dulwich area. They had planned to near completely outsource running this event and presumably did for the other two. Why do you have such a big team? Our ideal would be devolving the complete events team budget to CC's. Then each CC could choose with its ?45,000 to support whatever local events they think most appropriate - this might mean some CC's clubbing together for major events or not. The Community Fund mechanisms could be used. In the Dulwich area I would expect us to club together around the Dulwich Festival which could then ensure more events within the whole CC area especially parts of College ward. What to do with this years ?55,000. You could decide to upgrade some Christmas lights supporting local shops and traders? You could roll it over to support events next year on a slightly larger scale? Regards, Cllrs Barber, Shimell, Mitchell and Crookshank-Hilton "

It is possible to get metal property marking kits. Not cheap and no guarantee that idiots wont still try and steal it.

Hi Alan Medic, Please contact Southwark Environment team for an anti junk mail pack via 020 7525 2000 http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200276/how_to_reduce_waste/1666/junk_mail/1 Hi peterstorm1985, As most letter boxes don't say no junk mail I suspect many must be happy to receive it.

Agree Penguin68 that blue wheelie bins for the green Eco recycling, brown wheelie bins for green garden waste and food waste bags and green wheelie bins for the non recycling residual waste is unfortunate. Funny how the original idea of green wheelie bins would make them fractionally more invisible in front gardens now looks like a daft decision. Good decision on the then facts all those year ago. I have talked to council officials about whether any council has changed it colour coding and whether Southwark could consider changing but they felt it was a none starter. The extra plastic of rebalancing the numbers of different colours wheelie bins compared to any potential increase in recycling.

Puffin crossing will be activated Monday 26/9 Road easier at puffin to meet footway height 21/10 All other road works finished except road resurfacing by 28/10 Road resurfacing 28/10 - 4/11 Not a summer to soon! I'm not clear if the strange idea to chop of the pavement outside Blackbird Bakeries is still planned and moving the bus shelter.

Hi coach Beth and Townleygreen green, I've just been told that the Grove Vale crossing new Puffin replacing the previous staggered Pelican crossings will be activated Monday 26 September and road raising 21 October during half term. All other works planned for Grove Vale will take place by 28 October and the road resurfacing will take place 31/10 - 4/11.

When I was one of the trustees of Bankside Open Spaces Trust ooh must be a dozen years ago I remember discussing an offer of ?60,000 for an advertising hoarding beside one of the parks we were involved with facing onto a road less busy than Lordship Lane. So we're not talking small beer.

Hi Starferjack, The colour thief was council policy. I was only when local cllrs insisted it was daft idea on so many levels that the administration agreed to hold a public consultation. When press interest mounted the colour thief suddenly was nothing to do with the council. As for the colour thief being something from the past - until 8am on tuesday when the administration read the South London Press it was their plan and policy.

Hi Lynne, Funnily enough I was thinking exactly that yesterday when coming home via London Bridge - East Dulwich stations. The slopes are currently much steeper than DDA 1 in 20 requirements. The 5 little steps and funny angles does make it feel it has the potential for a crowd crush. I have met with Network Rail and Southern about and to make this station fully DDA Compliant NR believe they need to constant a new ?1M retaining wall on the southern side. They'd then be able to install a lift and full set of stairs and would want to remove the sloe. Realistically i don't see that level of investment being obtained. Id like to speak with Southwark Disability Association how study would feel about any dispensation to remove the steps and extend the slope.

If you are for or against a 10m x 7m advertising hoarding here let council planning officer [email protected] know. The revenue from such a position may be sufficient. For the scaffolding to remain for some considerable time. Also it might set a precidence for a permanent hoarding - but as I say for or against let Southwark council officers know and really copy me as a ward councillor.