James Barber

Hi danrees, I'm the LD shadow transport spokesperson. The first set or bollards are from the terrible motorcycle and scooter problems they used to have there. I have panniers - often bulging with LD leaflets I've never had a problem. The anti lorry high islands on Bermondsey Street from memory are to help keep lorries out of the contraflow cycle path. Are you a member of the London Cycling Campaign and/or Southwark Cyclists they loveto have a commuter cyclist added to their ranks giving useful input. Hi Alex K, The developer wh's purchased the Dulwich Garden Centre has two planning applications in and the community gain being offered is a new Grove Vale Library double the size of the current one. I was wondering the oppisite side behind the advertising posters whether any room for cycle lockers...any one able to take a peek this week?

I've had a complaint from a Dunstans Road resident about their hedge. They received a letter from Southwark Council officer asking them to trim back their hedge within two weeks. They asked for a slight extensino due to other commitments. They trimmed the hedge back partly. After the agreed deadline council officers checked and decided it was still partly blocking the pavement and instructed contractors to trim it back. As officers can only trim back to the property line they did. It looks savaged as had clearly been left unattended before the current residents took over the property. So, if you have a hedge please do maintain it correctly to ensure pavements are kept open and to avoid any such hassle. If you need any help let me know and I'll try and put you in touch with organisations to help.

Hi Marmora Man, Parents have more choice but tax payers don't. Not all tax payers want to pay for unusual schooling for the public good. We already have 90% subsidised religious state schools. Happy to continue via PM but ideally this thread would be kept to issue and problems in East Dulwich that I can help with.

Hi Marmora Man, Hmmmm, free schools. Their are some really wacky people out their creating free schools - you only need to look at. Sme of the new academies created with fundamentalist religious beliefs denying respected scientific theories. So personally I don't likes the concept of free schools.

Someone mentioned avoiding general election. I think all the parties want to avoid one. Labout because they could lose all those Scottish Labout seats to the SNP. Conservatives because they want to see the reduction in seats from 650 to 600. Liberal Democrats because the legislation for fixed term parliaments is close to being passed.

Hi Fuschia, I also feel quite concerned - free schools feel bonkers - Academies were a Labour idea which the tories have taken up a notch or two with no opposition from Labour. In a Lib Dem led Southwark we'd done a really job getting school results up and rolling out near universal pupil developement hubs in each school. But many council don't do a good job running education. So I can see the attraction of freeing schools up to fully run themselves. The key seems to be council offering the once held central services to see what the schools actually want to buy. My biggest concern is the governing bodies coping without the council safety net. Also, I can see primary schools going academy and linking up with secondary level academies. The latter are already curting the former. Hi peckhamboy, Yes, that does seem daft. Several aspects of the proposals I formerly and privately have objected to but the Labour councillor in charge Barries Hargrove has the final say. A public meeting was proposed 24 May at the cafe at 39 Grove Vale. But with full council assembly being moved from 18th to 24th that Grove Vale now needs to change.

Hi xone, Appalling. I'm sorry you've had a such a dreadful fright. My memory tells me the street lighting is poor from overgrown garden trees and hedges - is this your understanding?

Hi Sue, If you email me a choice picture and your full name and address, date time of happening I will get a full explanation of how it wont happen again.

Hi skyblue, I spent, with my ward colleagues Cllr Rosie Shimell and Cllr Jonathan Mitchell, Monday visiting ED Harris Boys Academy, Goodrich School and Kingsdale School. Really informative and useful day. All the schools were impressive in different ways. Harris Boys has absolutely no thoughts about changing to coed BUT will be sharing it 6th form with the ED Harris Girls Academy. It plans to invest ?400k in Athenlay sports club to have closer sports facilities - change into PE kit at school and then job across the park to the sports club. I still think it bonkers that they book football pitches in Peckham Rye park but schools from further afield can. One day sanity will prevail. The years 7 & 8 boys were impressive and more advanced than I was at that age. I remember the plans for the school and its a lot bigger on the inside than I'd imagined. I will be amazed if its GCSE results when they start coming through aren't also very impressive. The Harris Federation is looking to have primary schools join it. The head and the Harris Federation Chief Executive were both very generous with the time they gave us and had put together a fascinating and enjoyable programme to demonstrate the variety of teaching the school undertakes. Hearng about the Harris federation confirmed my understanding that they are now bigger than many education authorities with pronounced economies of scale and sharp focus on teacher performance. Goodrich School head was great and I was completely taken by the Sunshine Centre and such a buzzy school of 700 kids and over 100 staff. Lots happening at Goodrich with new reception and entrance area opening on Monday 16th. New Sunshine office about to open. It was good to hear that the website is about to be transformed and I asked if past weekly newslatters could be stoed there. Fingers crossed SATs being taken this week will reflect all the hard work of kids, parents, teachers, governors etc. Goodrich appears to be being courted by both the Harris Federation and Kingsdale as they would like to be involved with such a sucessful school. Kingsdale School was also particualrly interesting with the recent shortage of popular secondary spaces in our area. After siblings they had 15 applicants for every place. They approached three primary schools to forge much closer links - Goodrich, Ivydale and Langbourne. Depending on how close these primary schools forge such links, kids from these schools could be given better chances of going onto Kingsdale (subject to admissions criteria changing after a formal consultation). Kingsdale benefits from influncing its inputs more. This year they've reached 50% girls which is partly from their marketing and I suspect partly from ED Harris Boys changing the mix. The head and chair of governors spent 2 hours with me which was exceptionally generous of them. If anyone has anything to add please od PM me. I'm not looing for this thread to expand on these reflections!

If you're catchin ga bus to ED station then worth staying on and travelling to Denmark Hill and taking train to Victoria which is as good as Charing Cross for Westminster. Cycling would take 30 minutes and safe you buckets of money over the year and you'd get to know London better while getting fitter. Southwark Council will provide free cycle lessons and your trainer would be hapy to rehearse your cycle commute.

I've been assured that these lockers have a waiting list. If we could find more space we'd arrange ore lockers and many people in converted flats don't have anywhere they feel comfortable keeping bicycles.

After allowing for siblings the remaining places had 15 applicants per place this year. So it is a hugely popular school. I can see why.

Hi ceefer99, I've contacted the ehad of highways in the council to ask why these works are taking so long and being done with such a lack of resident consideration. Hi Rusty12, Southwark has just over 5,000 privately owned empty properties. Sadly the council is unable to borrow sufficient money and the compulsory purchase order process is so long to largely resolve this. The disincentives available are flawed because making a home uninhabitable removes any council tax payment. But as Peckham native said if you think it a dangerous structure do let Southwark know and they'll visit and ensure it is made safe - still probably ugly but safe. My experience of bringing empty homes back into use is that its at the very margins we're talking a handful a year. Worth a try but realistically they're not making a dent in the over 5,000 empty homes.

What a lot of rubbish. Whatever your political views having the Prime Minister visit is a great event to make the children feel their school is special. The chair of governors is a Southwark Labour councillor - and has been both for many years. Funilly enoguh I visited the day before and the head and chair of governors very kindly gave me two hours of their valuable time. The kids I met were smart and the school was clearly up to something preparing itself. Had really useful discussions about admissions and I suggested some changes that they were clearly partly already thinking about. I also suggested the chair a cross political party potential way to hel pthe scholl serve Southwark even better.

The election systems, excepting London Assembly and European elections, mean we're rarely not in a two party system in a particular constituency. In Southwark it's two party between Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Hi silverfox, Good to see you're magnanimous in victory.

In case any one asks - Dulwich Cars have placed a number of adverisiments across the road from East Dulwich station entrances, junctions of Lordship Lane with Landells and Crystal Palace Roads. Council officers have written asking them to remove all such unauthorised signs to preempt the council taking enforcement actions.

Hi Victor, Me if it's in East Dulwich. Can you please email me the address and I'll check. It might be a leased flat and not directly rented out by the council.

I'm not quite so despondent. An elected House of Lords via PR is not on the cards under the constitutional reforms agreed in the coalition agreement. So I think changing how we elect MP's won't change for some time but probably sooner than a lifetime!

Hi Ko, On the case. hanks for pointing it out.

East Dulwich Councillors out on election day. Great reception after a thorough campaign locally. http://jamesbarber.mycouncillor.org.uk/files/2011/05/IMG00142-20110505-1651-150x150.jpg Shame it didn?t work out nationally.....

Hi srisky, I can't see that vehicles can be relocated without some warning not to park there. If anyone suffers this please do get in touch asap. Hi buggie, Its also a problem for blind people as guid dogs don't look above to check their owner wont be blocked. One local blind chap had to visit casaulty from the mess an over growing tree made of him when he walked into it. It seems this yar as if every hedge etc has suddenly encroached over the footway. IF YOU HAVE A FRONT GARDEN PLEASE DO ENSURE YOUR HEDGE, ETC ISN'T OVERGROWING THE FOOTPATH PLEASE. If you physically can't please get in touch. If you think a neighbour needs to some help please do offer to help.

Southwark residents voted 53% for YES. At the box count it looked like 79-80% of East Dulwich voters voted YES. I'd like to say a big thank you to every resident of East Dulwich who voted but especially those who voted YES. I'd also like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped deliver the 4 YES leaflets and 2 YES letters during the last 6 weeks and those that came out yesterday to Get Out The Vote. Fantastic team work.

The AV count starts at 3pm today. It felt really positive for a YES result in ED yesterday but the news channels are suggesting a very clear NO result.

the parks are locked shut at night time partly to protect people from becoming victims of crime and partly to help protect the huge investment in these parks. it doesn't guarantee no vandalism but it is believed to significantly reduce it. could the park be unlocked earlier. couldn't the friends of peckham park form a rota to unlock at dawn?