James Barber

Lots of news: 18-22 Grove Vale - planning permission given last night for development of 20 flats, small shop unit and new Grove Vale library of 250 m2 + 50 m2 terrace. So useable library space will double from current 100 m2 to 200 m2. I cam up with this schemes concept of a new Grove Vale library in 2005. It's likely to be built 2014. The recession causing 5 of those years delay. Mayor of London has decided new countdown system will be placed where existing countdown units are and a few more locations. This probably has more to do with logistics of deployment of majority before mayoral elections.

Hi kford, Agree on the white lines but they don't ask cllrs before doing maintenance. I've just been sent the crash stats for the junction of Goodrich Road with Lordship Lane. In the 3 years up to March zero reported crashes. Slightly further afield - 5 slight and 2 severe road casualties on west half of Lordship Lane between Heber Road and Townley Road, 3 slight injuries across from junction with Landells road, and finally 1 slight injury 50m south from junction with Milo Road. I'm hopeful that the road layour changes near to Plough Lane will resolve those 3 going forward. What has come from this is a problem around the bus stop by the dentists. Echnically being the west side of Lordship Lane these happened in Village ward but I don't think I'l be treading on their toes by asking where this location fits in officers plans for reducing road casualties.

Hi Fuschia, The 2010-11 Section 251 report (it has been renamed) can be accessed from this link: http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xls/s/workbook%20budget%2010%2011%20southwark%20210.xls Council officials are still in the process of resolving some queries on the 2011-12 Section 251 Statement, that have arisen after this has been uploaded onto the DfE website. These should be resolved by the end of next week.

Hi ianr, Sadly no rules to declare an objection vexatious. Ita a very convoluted process and as a member of the Audit and Governance committee it was a relief they didn't follow it through to the courts. The working papers is annoying. Ive repeatedly asked the audit commission for a copy of their annual audit project plan. They've never been able to produce one. I did once try to FOI it but they declared it had to e kept secret. So without such a plan and listing when they need to see what papers it does make it harder for council officers to support. But i suspect it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

in this day and age that would be ridiculous - making people attend in person. I've chase the educatino dept finance partner for latest sectino 52.

It's a tricky one kford. Good sight lines often result in speeding. Barry Road/Underhill Road will take a year from the changes to decide whether they've had the impact I hope they will. Lets find out the crash stats for this junction. One my current understanding of crashes in East Dulwich we should get Lordship Lane between Goose Green and Melbourne Grove 20mph.

We have had one chap object to the last five years accounts. Each of these objections has cost the council MANY tens of thousands of pounds for the audit commission to investigate. The council has an Audit & Governance committee which I sit on and has plotically rotating chair have chaired in the past. It was meant ot have tory chair this year but they messed up somehow. We never have any members of the public coming along but all are welcome. Meeting dates. The last meeting was a hum dinger - annaul fraud report pages 8-28 sections 28, 32, 48, 52, 56 in particular of the following: http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=3868&T=10 A question I've asked via colleagues is when fires have happened in council blocks officers have anecdotally told me very high proportion of illegal sub letting detected and I've asked what has this been found to be.

Banana bicycles in Dulwich Park. Or take a pedalo out in the lake/pond. Buy a Stomp rocket from Just Williams. Further afield - London eye. Have fun.

The gas works on Denmark Hill, for those of us that use buses into town etc, are due to finish 29 July. The temporary lights failed 7.30am today and it took until 10.50 for them to be fixed - while the gas workers directed traffic. So expect long bus delays for another fortnight. The planned works for Friern Road. Council officials had been challenging Southern Gas Networks to ensure everything finished before Xmas. But another arm of the council has placed an advert saying the authorisation has been agreed from now until end of April'12. I'm trying to get these differences resolved.

Hi brain_opera, That block would cost from memory ?2.6M to sort out so the councils plan approved from memory about 6 weeks ago is to sell the block. Shame as it has 8 family sized council flats as well as other 1 & w bedrooms flats.

Hi Renata, I asked residents to repeat the feedback they'd given me. I also asked why the pilot food waste pilot didn't include any council blocks of flats. At the Environment Scrutiny and meeting council officers in private I volunteered East Dulwich to trial both. Hence why Crebor Street used to trial blue wheelie bins and Friern Road blocks of flats. Officers have also decided to have food waste bags without handles but have agreed to trial 2/4 Friern Road blocks with handles and the other 2 blocks without handles to see if it makes a difference to the amount of food waste recycling collected. Going commingled was programmed to happen last Summer and Autumn but your administration have different priorities. How do you feel about no longer collecting recycling weekly but going back to fortnightly? I think we'll see a drop in recycling.

I've asked for details of the last three year crash stats for this junction and will share here when i have them.

You must live in Crebor Street where the experiment offering blue wheelie bins is being carried out - this is as a direct result of feedback people gave me on the forum and nagging council officers. Hi Roy of the Rye, Email me and we'll get this fixed - this problem has occurred several times on Derwent Grove.

That contextual valud added means Goodrich is in the top 25% of primary schools in the country. Could it improve of course. Can it improve as quickly as a much smaller school of course not. If parents are for or against the proposal by the school governors for Goodwich to beocme an academy they should be properly informed and allowed to vote on it. If they decide yes (which personally I think is sad but ineviatble and rather a matter of when) they should then vote on which school to federate with, with each selling itself to the parents. If the governors don't follow such a democratic path I would encourage parents to organise a petition perhaps online and submit that to the secretary of state with personal letters with their views - I'd be hopeful a Secretary of State who is the final decision maker on schools becoming Academies would not allow such a change if parents had clearly expressed a contrary view. Written like a true democrat.

Thanks Siduhe but I think Fuschia didn't mean the admissions forum but rather the statement of what Southwark Council spent on education and who got what. The Southwark website points people for up to date information to the Dept of Education old website - it changes with ridiculous monotony. Following that redirection just dumps you on the 'new' DoE website home page. Searching for Section 52 returns the latest I could find were for financial year 08_09 i.e. two years ago. Local Authorities are always slow to produce annual accounts as the Audit Commission has to sign them of and they don't work to the Gregorian calendar but something very other worldly. But I would expect FY 09_10. I'll ask council officers if they have these however they're about 2Mb so unable to post hear. If you EMAIL me I can send them to you.

The Academy tide is very strong. The powers governors have as an academy are stronger. So the key is probably how well respected the governors of this school are. Do you trust the governors to no longer have local authority oversight of them but instead invisible civil servants in Whitehall? If you do trust them then sadly suspect its only a matter of time before all schools are strong armed into becoming academies. When that happens local authorities are unlikely to offer any support services. If you feel the governors patronise you now then that wouldn't bode well for them running the school as an academy. And I can confirm Kingsdale did ask Goodrich and two other schools earlier this year whether they would like to federate with them - the other two schools had emergency governor meeings within 24hours and fed back their responses within 24hours. Goodrich governors did not treat this offer with urgency and I'd be amazed if they didn't burn of some goodwill in the process.

Hi toast, ?4.6M is my understanding. Lyndhurst ?5.0M.

The Academy concept was dreamt up by Labour and the Tories have taken it up several notches in terms of pressure and scope. It's clear from government rhetoric that all schools are being encouraged to become academies. Personally I think it a real shame that schools will no longer have local democratic accountability but report to central government. Joining Goodrich to a secondary level school COULD result in preferred admissions. I realise steps to go through but that could be one useful outcome. Secondary schools admissions is an increasing problem so this could really help famalies aoid a lot of future heartache. But what's critical is the school being federated to and its ethos and whether that matches the ethos Goodrich parents want. I know Harris federation were keen and Kingsdale have expressed an interest in joining with Goodrich. Both are gresat in different ways. Very different schools/federations.

I was shown a report of where the students come from and vast majority come from Southwark with a tiny number from Lewisham. So we're talknig abotu a Southwark located school serving kids from Southwark. If anyone feels strongly about this then do join the humanist society who campaign at a national level about faith schooling.

It sounds a beautiful instrument. You must be a decent player. Good luck recovering it.

Hi Sophiesofa, Parking permits are available online and via the post and telephone. The parking office you inferred has been closed for many months. The parking problem appears to have become much worse since the congestion charging zone was introduced and to be fair to not many people predicted that was coming - and jolly effective it has been) - and therefore the parking near stations outside the CCZ would see more passengers. Herne Hill area did see some scope creep but their is a limit to how far people will park and walk and instead use a more local statino to where they live.

Latest Southwark News advertises p.53 that Village Way will be closed for up to 18months form its junction with East Dulwich Grove to Red Post Hill. What an amazingly long closure. I can't help but feel Southern Gas Networks arn't working hard to minimise delay and street closures.

I don't like the concept of religious education and seperation BUT this system is based on national government policy developed over many decades. As a local councillor I think it would be VERY wrong to penalise these kids for a national system that isn't going to change. This school is in dire need of rebuilding in places, some new build and renovation in other parts. 1.5 form entry is sub optimal for the kids and school management and 2FE is considered optimal ie no mixed year classes. So I whole heartedly support this extension and small expansion with a good travel plan being put in place. It is a very successful and over subscribed school. We need to make all Southwark schools equally successful. The key for me, and why it was in our local manifesto pledges last year, is that all Southwark schools must become good or outstanding. At that point many of the local dilemmas faced by parents go away and admissions becomes much simpler and less stressful. Church attendance is then through belief rather than for some as another school admissions strategy.

A consultation on whether residents within the East Dulwich ward area bounded by Melbourne Grove, East Dulwich Grove and Grove vale and mirror image area the other side of Grove Vale in South Camberwell ward is planned for this Autumn. The parking stress survey took place in May and the results are being analysed. Lots of reasons for and against. I've asked that residents be asked about controlled parking zone operating 11am-noon Mon-Fri. That would kill commuter parking which anecdotally feels like the cause of the problem but minimise impact on residents, visitors and local shop customers. At the same a review of parking is taking place and it looks like any implimented CPZ could see my request for some yellow and double yellow lines removed espeically from the northern end of Melbourne Grove.

This is incredibly important. One man Murdoch controls 40% of the UK's national print newspapers and desire's to replicat this oon Broadcast media. Blair flew across the world when summoned by Murdoch. The first day of Cameron being Prime Minister Murdoch is seen leaving no.10 by the back door. It is not safe for a democracy to have so much media controlled by one person who has been very clear in wanting to be the 'kingmaker' of British politics. With having such a huge share of the print media and with plans to do the same with broadcast media the old adage - power corrupts, etc - and clearly NoTW had been corrupt in ethical terms for many years. We need to move on from a simplistic competition regulations in commercial terms of media which has allowed such aggregation of media power into regulations designed to limit political influence. I suspect limiting media ownership to 10-15% of print media with no cross ownership with broadcasting and requirement for UK citizenship ownership is required UNLESS they remain politically neutral and are regulated to remain so. The BBC is clearly influential but its charter is about keeping neutral.