James Barber

Hi ianr, Thanks for correcting my silly mistake. average of 4 libraries on duty for each hour - still implies more than double the necessary run rate even allowing for huge book buying. Hi Smiler, Agreed. I hope that each library is left to be managed locall with local user groups to focus on devolving running a great service and attracting more users from their popularity. In Hilllingdon they've seen step increase in people using their libraries, increased the number of libraries, renovated their libraries while decreasining the budget.

Hi Cora, I'm sorry to say this was a decision the Labour run council took in February when they set their budgets. Cuts had to be made but they chose to cut by ?9M more than required and squirrel ?9M extra into reserves every year. Cynics in my group believe this is a war chest to go on a spending spree before the next local election in 2014 and to be honest it is hard to imagine why they would over cut now and eliminate or reduce valued services such as the noise team. Weirdly the Labour budget was more right wing and cutting than even the tories proposed. Best person to raise concerns/frustration/anger about noise service being drastically curtailed is the council and Labour leader Peter John - [email protected] Yesterday their capital spending plans were revealed which include putting ?6M extra into reserves every year.

When the free weights stacks were purchased they come with 1kg to 30kg weights as standard. A little confusion abotu whether all these weights should be put out. With immediate affect the higher weights will be put out today. Many thanks to those that raised this issue and the council and Fusion staff who've sorted it all out. If you tell me about a problem I will alwats try and get it fixed. The creche is also open to non members using the leisure centre facilities. So can anyone show me how to use the free weights this Saturday 10am at the grand reopening?

After talking to Elsie Road and Tintagel residents and Goose Green school I've formally requested that parking enforcement take place probably via a smartcar. I've also suggested that the school may want to suggest an informal one way use along Tintagel for parents dropping kids of.

Hi languagelounger, Current library funding comes from Leisure dept. I'm hopeful the current model of libraries is drastically changed. The budget is large enough to increase opening hours, reinstroduce home book service for housebound residents and save the sums being asked. Our libraries are open collectively for 518 hours per week. The budget is ?8M in the last statement given to me by the head of leisure incl. libraries. That's ?15,444 for each hour that a library is open. Even our biggest libraries would only have half a dozen staff covering them so must have huge overheads. Any librarians out there?

I've asked whether higher than 20kg free weights have been purchased and locked away. Would seem an odd thing to do but I'd like to know either way. Glad so many regualr users like it and hope potential new users will join in the official mega reopening this Saturday 10am.

Southwark Council is undertaking a 'library review'. The consultation process for the review includes a survey questionaire which will commence in all libraries next week, as well as an online version of the survey being available on the Council?s website. (I'll add the link to this when it become available). The terms of reference for the review have been agreed as follows to: - make recommendations for savings and efficiencies of a minimum of ?397,000 over the years 2012/13 and 2013/14 (potential library closures). - review demand and usage patterns in order to determine appropriate choices for the future scale and nature of provision (potential library closures). - consider and make recommendations on innovative methods of service delivery including through the delivery of other Council customer services - maximise the use of ICT in terms of service delivery and as a service (books arnt very fashionable in Library services). - consider what other services might be delivered from libraries (talk of coffee sales) - review the impact of opening Canada Water Library on the total service offer (as it will cost more to run than the ROthehithe Library it replaces). A public meeting is being held at each library which locally are: 05/07/2011 7pm to 8pm Kingswood Library 11/07/2011 7pm to 8pm Dulwich Library 13/07/2011 2pm to 3pm Grove Vale Library PLEASE DO GO ALONG SO THAT THEY ARE VIEWED AS POPULAR. If we want to keep Dulwich Library opening 7 days a week people need to go along and tell them. IF you want to keep Grove Vale Library and kingswood Library do go along. For background of what might be possible - http://jamesbarber.mycouncillor.org.uk/2011/03/22/expanding-libraries/ Following these ideas the current Library budget should allow for cuts and more opening hours. What do you think should happen to our public libraries in Southwark?

Hi Ladydeliah, I get this but you don't need greater than 18kg to stave of osteoporosis. Also much of the equipment is giving sufficient resitance to stave of such conditions, build up strength. BUT as I said. When i pop along on Saturday 1-am for the grand reopening I'll be asking about the free weights.

Hi slims, What I said was a lack of heavy free weights doesn't mean it's not a gym and the assertion that only doing cardio vascular excercise isn't healthy - is a bit silly. I also said when I visit at the official reopening on Saturday I'll make enquiries. Clearly having the kit and keepin it in storage at best odd. Some comments that Lambeth have nominated one gym to really cater well for people who want heavier free weights might be a sensible option. Problem is the centre of the borough would for Southwark would also be Camberwell geographically and the centre for Southwark based on population would be centre Old Kent Road.

Transferring assets to small groups of local residents means they no longer fall under local political checks and balances. So transferring assets to community groups can be anti democratic. Equally where local politicians no longer support a service I can see the attraction of 'taking it back' into the community. But I don't agree with big councils such as Southwark running very local assets. We have 8 community councils who should be running such local services and assets and getting better value from budgets. It would also bring back more civic pride if significantly more budgets and powers devolved. I can;t imagine a local community council or ward council oving to month street sweeping. Local residents wouldnt want don't want that BUT deciding this for 1/3rd million people in an office block near London Bridge by passes local accountability and makes such decision far to anonymous.

UDT, You can't believe the last government devolved more decision making to local councils. They really didn't. The current government is stretched. The Tories idea of localism is bypassing local councils. The lib Dem view is to empower local authorities but with Eric Pickles as SoS...

Hi Alex K, You sound like model rececylers perhaps you should brew your own gin....to recycle gin bottles. Hi sky-blue, I'll take a look at the weekend and then ask council officers to investigate. It can feel lame asking for enforcement officers to visit when I can't quote a named witness who's seen it (EDF aliases don't really do it). OR email me with a couple of registration numbers and I could report it tomorrow.

Hi Hackblade, I was thinking of things like rowing machines - clearly machines that resist and developed upper body strength. I've also yet to see a public health campaign saying people need to developed their strength for a healthier life but we've all seen lots of such campaigns about regular cardio exercise.

IF anything is overflowing onto the public highway/footpath then officers can also servce notices about that.

I was also in Dulwich Park and the same thought crossed my mind and I used to chair Southwark Cyclsits for a number of years. I'll ask if park wardens can encourage more appropriate considerate cycling during busier times.

Hi Chippy Minton, Yes, its crazty to run a pilot scheme involving over 10,000 homes, declare it a success and then do something largely different. One of the concessions I've obtained is blue wheelie bins for those who want them. So yes. Hi Freddy1929, I agree. One of the really useful things about the pilot was for behaviour the counci lwanted to encourage those items were collected weekly and discourage fortngihtly. IT really boosts recycling. I can see lots of people bothering sa little bit less and more going to landfill than necessary. REducing the total amount thrown out. Partly national legislation and agreement encouraging less packaging etc for things sold via supermarkets. Also, we all need to push back on packaging by considering changing who we buy from and of if we think it has too mcuh packaging.

Hi Hackblade, Vast majority of people including me need more cardio vascular excercise to stay healthy. That many of the cardio excercises will increase any lack of strength to a level we need for good all round health. I'll be there on Saturday at 10am at the official reopening. Please do come along and tell me what's missing and why.

Hi Pugwash, I'm sure we can be a little mroe ambitious for what the Stion 106 of the hospital site could procure - but great list for starters! Hi Dulwich House, You PM'd me which I responded to at length. Hi Chippy Minton, The trial involved weekly food and garden waste collections, weekly recyclable collections and fortnightly for the residual waste. A few lesons learnt about some people wanting blue wheelie bins to replace multiple bleus boxes and bags and debate about whether food waste bags should have handles or not - handles costs a smidgen more. BUT this autumn a new scheme purporting to be an extensino fo the food waste trial/pilot will be introduced to the dxisting 10,400 homes and 37,000 other homes. It will be weekly collectinos for food and gareden waste and fortnghitly colelctions for recycleable and fortnightly for residuals. The pilot should high levels of recycling where weekly so they're changing it to fortnightly. In essense the pilot is being ignored and a new untested scheme introduced. Hi PeckhmaGateCrasher, Marmora Man, Noted. Council officers were gonig to go to no handles but have agreed to my request to compare and contrast the two options using four blocks of flats in East Dulwich. 2 have no handles and 2 do have handles. Hi adam85, I don't know the latest news on the Camberwell Gym and will endeavour to find out. Dulwich gym reopens this Saturday at 10am. NOTICE: one of my ward colleagues has had a heart attack Councillor Jonathan Mitchell. All going well he'll be released from hospital tomorrow to recuperate at home. Our thoughts are with him and his family and that he makes a full and swift recovery. While Jonathan isn?t well please contact either Cllr Rosie Shimell or myself if you need any help or have ideas to make East Dulwich even more special.

Hi Miacis, Can you please email me at [email protected] the locations and I'll ask council tree officers to check on the health of these trees.

I think MPs should sort their pensions out - fat chance of getting a majority for that - to show leadership. Private companies pensions also need to be fixed. Board directors should not be allowed to have seperate schemes from employees. They'd then have an interest in ensuring company schemes were good for all employees. Several parts of the public sector have no pension fund. I recall a report about the fire service stating they dont have a pension fund but instead pay pensions from current revenue. This clearly needs to be fixed. Linking public sector retirement age to the state pension age makes sense. Equalising the retirement age for men and women makes sense. But I can see some public sector areas where people don't currently last until 60 let alone raising it for employees such as teachers who seem to often burn out well before 60. Lifetime employment practices need to put in place to make such retirement ages work. 2007-08 report has been quoted saying the funding was secure and reducing proportion of GDP. That would be the year Ed Balls received a treasury memo saying stop spending money like crazy. Since that time the nations finances have been revealed as crazy and completely unsustainable. In Southwark from memory we have another 15-20 years before the Southwark Pension fund is fully funded. Currently lots of extra contributions to catch up. Another help would be pension funds having to take a long er view and not findin it so easy to make withdrawals when they appear at an instant in time to be over funded. My biggest fear in all this is poorer pensioners which could result in deflationary pressure as they compose as ever greater part of the economy.

The Orange Book came out in 2004 and 2007 Reinventing the State came out to redress the balance in the Lib Dems. I think you'll find ministrerial seats in both coalition parties were agreed by both. So you wont find the right wing of the tories in govt posts generally or bvice versa. Hardly surprising. As for centralists Lib Dem tendancies. Poppycock. The NHS reforms are now delivering 22 of 24 changes that the Lib Dem last conference wanted.

I thought the theatre was built to support the national youth theatre which originated andISS still based there.

Councillors are always mindful that when refusing planning permission against council officer advice to grant permission that they absolutely must have sound planning reasons to do this. Else any appeal would be successful and costs awarded against the council. This is as it should be. This deters any political grandstanding. I looked at this scheme as I also had concerns about light pollution and I could not see any grounds for refusal.

Hi Pugwash, I've just received a call from the council manager who assures me that he will be challenging SGN to complete the works 8 weeks quicker ie finish before Xmas OR stop works 31 November until the new year ot give peopel some respite over Xmas. It is complicated by keeping gas supplies in place throughout while replacing them.

I'm finding this puzzling. Our area has something like 450 reception places every year. Plans were in place for extra 75 bulge places on top of the permanent 15 extra plces at Lyndhurst. That's 20% extra capacity. We now hear of an extra 60 emergency places on top of this another 13% that gobbles up the few remaining options for buldges in 2012. At no point has anything about this been communicated to ward councillors. Decisions have been taken. When I've asked for details I've been told I'll recieve something in 10 days time the maximum allowed time for a councillor query to be responded to. Its now 9 days since asking - but if the evidence was avaiable for the caibnet member many weeks ago to make such radical decisions I find it difficult to understand why the delay. This feels like covering up which I'm sure it isn't.