James Barber

Hi binary_star, Yes it's true. Once you rent a council property no follow up mean testing. During the last Lib dem Southwark led administration we amended the tenancy agreement to remove grandchildren rights. Effectively you hand down the tenancy agreement to your kids if they are living there. In the past they could then hand it down a further generation as well.

Haven't the sort of cahs and risk that might involve - we have considered it though.

This year 34 out of 213 SE22 children who applied for sceonday school places have failed to be allocated any secondary school. If you're on of the 34 families affected do get in touch with one of your local councillors - we will try and help you. Numbers who received their 1st pref - 101 2nd pref - 37 3rd pref - 23 4th pref - 9 5th pref - 7 6th pref - 2 Part of the problem is that local schools Kingsdale, Charter and Harris Boys were significantly oversubscribed this year with applications from both Southwark and out of borough residents - more than 3,100 applications for 530 places across these three schools. Largely the problem is Kingsdale and Harris Boys admissions policy not being based on distance from the school.

Hi Renata, That's a useful suggestion and some might find it acceptable but some parents I've spoken to have now visited this school and were so shocked that they're now applying for Dulwich College Prep School and working out how on earth they can afford to do this.

This year 44 Southwark children have not had any secondary school place allocation. 34 of these are from the SE22 area. This must be bewildering for the kids and presenting terrible concerns for the parents and family. IF you are one of these families or know of one of these families please do get in touch this is exactly what councillors can help with.

The licensing committee sat last night. Due to family things I couldn't attend. The licensing committee is a semi judicial committee and is not legally allowed to be whipped along any party lines. I'm told that the licensing committee Labour members tried to ignore all the recommendations of the Dulwich Community Council that were formed after a very frank public meeting with residents, market traders, shop owners, council officers and local councillors. They then realised thy'd thrown out any expansion and had an ajournment. Alledgely the Labour members of the committe met privately with council officers. They then found a way to re vote on the issue and voted to review sunday operations in 6 months time. Quite disturbing in that the committee apparently gave the impression to some that it might have been voting along party lines. Equally after so much local East Dulwich consultation to have local views thrown out is very frustrating. So we will have to ensure the administration gets the message Sunday market operations is bitterly opposed by local residents. [Amended to correct revote to re vote.]

Really chuffed to see so much thinking into what Grove Vale might be. But we have the immediate problem of the administration imposing something now that is far short of anything discussed so far.

Who has the latest update on this? Can you see through the water clearly? whenever I've been it looked clear but I have'nt been for a few weeks.

Hi flocker spotter, They have and after months of chasing I've yet to receive a response from officers. I'll chase again. NB. During the next three years Southwark Council plan to increase its unallocated reservces and contingency funds from ?22.2M to ?49.2M. Saving for a riany day while its raining!

Hi henryb, The East London Line phase 2 linking Denmark Hill to Clapham junction is happening during 2012. Generally, I'm not keen on raised areas on buy roads as per Walworth Road they are really uncomfortable to bus passengers, neighbouring properties with the vibrations and dangerous to people on two wheels. I'm sure smarter ways having a similar affect can be found - and have. Also such raised areas costs a small fortune each and rarely stand the test of time without frequent expensive maintenance. Replacing the two stage pelican crossing is useful to create local parking but replacing it with the flawed Puffin crossing concept which as often causes more collissions than it reduces is clearly a waste of money. As a local councillor I was asked for my views. Those views have been ignored and the Dulwich Community Council has been bypassed. so what is proposed to happen has no local democratic mandate and large parts of what is proposed are an expensive waste of money. Of all the times to waste any money now isn't one of them.

Southwark offers free cycle training and will practice a cycle route with some one to get to school or work. Carrying a saxophone. either rucksack as suggested OR get a pannier rack and pannier. London Recumbents based in Dulwich Park would give some good advice or Herne Hill Cycles.

Yes, the council is planning to spend a lot of money on Grove Vale to reduce the number and severity of collissions. The raised treatments along Grove Vale will make bus and cycle jounrneys particularly unpleasant and cause considerable vibration to adjacent homes. A huge amount of money is also going to spent replacing speed cushions currently on Tintagel Crescent with sinusoidal humps and a speed table (raised area) outside Goose Green school on Tintagel Crescent. Both seem unnecessary. Frankly I see half the money being spent as a total waste and have asked that they not undertake that half of the works. I've also asked why the plans haven't been presented to the Dulwich Community Council for our formal input. Officers and the Cabinet member appear to be ploughing on regardless. ALso plans to replace a pelican crossing with a Puffin crossing and at best ambivalent evidence puffic crossings are more dangerous at some locations and safer at others. Frankly the whole thing feels like a screw up.

Hi bigdavid, aspidistra, I'll try and find out but please don't hold your breath. Hi Penguin68, Sadly that's my understanding.

Hi Loz, I've had further clarification that Gallery Road resurfacng will take place at night time. Hi ruffers, The description of road closures etc doesn't sound like temporary traffic lights will be required. Hi aspidistra, I could'nt agree more. Hi Alex K, Licenses to sell alcohol are issued by local authorities - Southwark Council for our area. Southwark Council certainly used to have a programme to test shops to see if they would sell alcohol and knives to underage people.

Royal Wedding The deadline for applying to Southwark Council events teams ([email protected]) 020 7525 3422 to close a Southwark street as part of a Royal Wedding street party on 29 April is 17 March. Any problems let me know and I'll try and help. Gallery Road The council will close Gallery Road starting 7 March for two weeks. Amazingly this isn't taking place during school holidays. Lordship Lane 21 March - 3 July Gas works. The section between Friern Road and Melford Road will have the bus lane closed to allow more gas works. The section of Friern Road between Lordship Lane and Etherow will be one way anti clockwise. Overhill Road at its junction with Lordship Lane will be closed. They will finish one day.

The deadline to hold a street party that involves closing a Southwark street is 17 March. Any problems let me know.

I obtained a couple of years ago the bullet points from criminologists Prof Felson's UK lectures - see attached. It's in criminologists speak and shorthand but I've found useful insights that I've tried using locally.

Every mugging is a mini horror story of long term fear and intimidation. The increasing incidence of highly valuable smartphones after a long period of mobile phones becoming less valuable is the prime cause. Highly portable expensive items. Rash of such crime when mobile phone were originally expensive and had just become popular. Even TV ads telling people how valuable 2nd hand phones are.

When will the Dulwich Leisure centre renovations finally finish. The last revised date I had was March. Its now 30 May handing the building over from the builders to the council and fusion and then within a fortnight it will reopen fully. So before 13 June. Hi bawdy-nan, I wouldn't want to encourage anyone to stick stickers onto lamp posts unless approved by the council who can take into account the painting regime of the lamp posts and what damage the stickers might do. But I wont pretend it isn't tempting.

Lots of concern about dog poo problems locally. One way to try reducing it is to place occassional anti dog poo stickers on lamp posts reminding dog owners of the penalties involved. They don't solve the problem but officers assure me they help reduce the problem. Council officers were in the process of reprinting these stickers. They'd gained approval from the councils 'comms' department but have failed at the Public Realm department hurdle as it will impact on the street clutter policy. Ironically it appears they'd prefer more dog poo and no stickers than stickers and less dog poo. You definately have to keep a sense of humour as an opposition councillor.

The licensing committee will hear evidence from the Police about the recent incident and whether they think this licensed premise is well run and safe or not. A court case can take a VERY long time before it takes place. Any licensed premise should be reviewed urgently after such serious incidents. Failing to undertake a review could mean further avoidable incidents. Equally if the venue is considered safe then such a venue does'nt have to wait a long time for its practives and management to be confirmed as acceptable.

Hi ilondoner, All these betting shops I'm sure have the correct legally required licences. Tessa Jowell our local MP when she was the Culture Minister changing licencing laws. Previously an applicant had to prove a need for any new licenced premises. After her law was passed objectors had to prove that a new licence would postively cause harm. The grounds for doing this are very hard. Effectively its become a near free for all. It was around the time she was trying to create super casinos.

Hi Alex K, No saldy its not. I believe its his boss. I had thought I'd be meeting Barry as it was Barry I'd spoken to a number of times about what he thought East Dulwich station needed next that we, East Dulwich councillors via our East Dulwich ward CGS funds, could help him with. Unusually, the side the covered area went on is in South Camberwell ward (whose councillors had declined to contribute). Any ideas what the station needs next? The pavement lights being fixed perhaps? The bicycle lockers seem to attract lots of flyposting? More cycle lockers somewhere else? Indicator panel before you go up to Platform 1 facing into London Bridge?

Several years abotu the East Dulwich Estates, Which weirdly is in South Camberwell ward, might have to be sold because it was in such a dreadful state. After a lot of concerns, horror and useful suggestons from the tenants it was decided a mixed approached to find the ?30M required. So some 'laundry rooms' which Im told are some of the huge spaces at the tops of blocks with washing lines - you could see them from a distance as the top floor without windows on the openings. Again from memory of the 650 homes involved 100 to be sold privately. Hi PeckhamRose, The coalition government has offered ?77M towards making Southwark council homes decent. Southwark has to prove in the next 12 months it can spend this money wisely. This is added to the ?45M a year current tenants contribute towards decent homes pa via rent. So total of ?257M of the ?330M required to makes all homes decent by the next local elections. To help close that gap the new adiministration is increasing the sale of council homes such as those ascquired decades ago in the likes of East Dulwich street as they become free If they'll cost more than a certain amount to make decent - the new much lower number of ?15,000 has stuck in my brain and I don't have the time today to double check this. But mixing tenancies types up, as all new large developments have to, should lead to a more sustainable community.

Hi Alex, For pointing out that I'd omitted to add photo. Hi Vik, I don't know why and will try and find out.