James Barber

The station has lots of CCTV as does the train. It should be stragiht forward to find these girls and the man on that CCTV. You should contact the local Police. NB you might want to change title to February.

I met Southern Railways today at East Dulwich station to officially open the new passenger shelter on platform 1 (facing London Bridge). See attached photo. The East dulwich councillors contributed ?6,000 from Cleaner, Greener, safer funding, roughly half the cost. Useful discussions about what future works could be undertaken to improve the station. If you have any idea please do let me know. I had'nt appreciated that ticker office is open from just before 6am until midnight - they also ensure the ticket machines are operating and keep an eye on things generally.

Hi Manda, Several speechs about needing more reserves just in case future cuts happen after the three year central government settlement. When the cross party delegation went to talk to Minister Grant Shapps the high level of unallocated and allocated reserves was brought up by the minister and the cross party delegation were told to use some of their reserves. I guess the national Labour logic is that they believe excessive cuts have been made. They've said they think this will lead to a double dip recession. That if that did happen the central government might decide it needs to make further cuts. A lot of other Labour councils have also cut in similar way to Southwark so perhaps they're getting central Labour advice about a double dip recession? Sorry Manda I can't be more specific it was a very heated meeting. Really frustrating I caught the mayors eye was never called to speak.

I attended a few comedy nights at this venue a few years back. The bar staff hugely heckled the acts. The acts were incredulous. My gut feeling was that no one was really in charge and we stopped going. If they convince the licensing committee that extra conditions can achieve a level of venue management then great. But the current licence had already had local residents complaining the licensed hours weren't being stuck to and that windows were not being kept closed to contain noise. I would hate to see the football club suffer but equally no neighbours of a football club should have problems from a badly run venue and all the risks that entails.

The licensing of Dulwich Hamlets Football Club is being reviewed due to the recent shooting which seemed to kick of in their function room/bar. If you have any views on this please email [email protected] If you could copy one of the South Camberwell ward councillors [email protected] and myself that would be really helpful. The consultation is at: http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/LicPremisesAppliedDetails.asp?systemkey=834054 The deadline for objections or support is 3 March.

The licensing of Dulwich Hamlets Football Club is being reviewed due to the recent shooting. If you have any views on this please email [email protected] If you could copy one of the South Camberwell ward councillors [email protected] and myself that would be really helpful. The consultation is at: http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/LicPremisesAppliedDetails.asp?systemkey=834054 The deadline is objections or support is 3 March.

Hi sheppdog, Have a look at the council budgets and supplemental agendas. It is absolutely clear Labour have chosen ten of millions of avoidable cuts and the Finance Director who has a legal duty to only sign of workable budgets has agreed also with the Lib Dem and Tory alternatives that this CHOICE isn't necessary. I really never thought I'd see the day Labour locally would produce a more right wing budget that local tories.

Hi Fuschia, You've lost me. Even allowing for FSM's Labour are unnecessarily over cutting. For example with the new targets regime being significantly slimmer the Cehif Executive has agreed she will need ?600,000 less per year as less forms to fill in. Labour have not made that saving so something else has to be cut by ?600,000. Madness. They've been offered non frontline savings and refused them in preference to make frontline cuts. This is either very cynical politics or imcompetence. Hi bawdy-nan, Labour Councillor Nick Dolezal asked a question at council assembly. The answer was current unalloaced reserves are ?18.2M. That the inner london average such reserves are ?22.4M. If you read the budget for this year it has ?4M of unallocated contigency. So we're already at the inner London average. Labour plan on putting another ?27M into such reserves over the next 3 years. They chosen to do this. They don't need to. Why? Do have a look at Supplemental Agenda no.3 as Labour are clearly not allowing for all sorts of incomes that would have avoided most of the painful frontline cuts. As a Lib Dem group we reached the stage where the cut avoidance we were finding was getting awkward as we were running out of sensible frontline things to propose not cutting considering the current climate and all the revenue streams being ignored by the administration. The clincher for me was Labour cutting hugely more than the local tories would. So, we'll have no Community Wardens in the south of Southwark. They could have reorganised so they don't always hunt in packs of 2 or 3 wardens at a time. This would have largely kept the same number of patrols and geographic coverage. Much as the Met Police have been doing. So far no suggestion that state primary schools that become academies wont be included in the FSM's ie. Dulwich Hamlets. I've been undertaking some research on libraries - proving hard to get council officers engaged on this. It appears no cuts necessary to any library service including mobile and housebound just some careful reorganising a la Hillingdon undertook in 2008. They increased number if libraries, hours of opening and +84% users while spending 20% less. Whereas this makes the 9th year council officers have privately sugested closing 2-4 smaller libraries. Sadly its appears the Labour cabinet member isn't challenging this...yet. Hi languagelunger, Your right no legal obligation to provide cemeteries but if people have a requirement for burial they usually get charged a multiple if from out of borough. I've some enquiries out and thoughts of how to progress cemeteries without digging up neighbouring recreational grounds. More next week hopefully.

Hi Mellors, That's what I thouht but it used to have collissions before the current set-up. Frankly nearly everything in the traffic council officers armoury is being thrown at this junction after everything considered during a long meeting on site. Lets get these two entry treatments. Try for the STOP signs. See what happens. I'm hopeful it will do the trick and can then concentrate on other collissions sites.

Hi bawdy, Indeed, last night was South Councils budget setting council assembly - the most heated assembly I've ever seen. I had hoped no one would ask as its hard to respond non politically, but I'll try. The documentation can be found here: http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=3454&Ver=4 Supplemental Agenda no.1 P57 onwards lists growth and cuts by the adminstration Supplemental Agenda no.3 contains the Lib Dem and Tory proposed amendments - which had to be signed of by the finance director as fully costed and workable in case they were approved by council assembly. The Labour budget sees a huge increase in unallocated reserves and contingency. The unallocated reserves and unallocated contingency are currently ?22.2M + nearly ?70M allocated reservces - the inner London borough average unallocated reserves being ?22.4M. During the next 3 years Labour Southwark will add ?27.0M to unallocated contingency increasing it to ?49.2M. So that's ?27.0M more cuts to make this possible than necessary. They've also assumed that the insourcing of council tax collection which was decided two year ago and goes live 1 April 2011 wont have any impact on improving council tax collection. The finance director agreed with our assumption that this would increase income by ?0.8M 12_13 & ?1.6M 13_14. So another ?2.4M of avoidable cuts. Lots more like this in our amendment in Supplemental Agenda no.3. The Lib Dem proposed budget and Tory budget obviously failed to be passed. Many of the cuts and dramatic increase in reserves had been proposed by council officers to Lib Dems during the previous 8 years when we led the council. It felt very much as an officer led budget with the execption of ?4.5M pa of Free School Meals for all primary school kids. Labour were very clear it was a manifesto pledge they want to deliver. Due to these factors the Labour budget was hugely more slashing and cutting than the alternatives proposed by the Lib Dems or Tories. The Lib Dem proposals would have seen no cuts to: 5-11 play service, no cuts to play centres for 0-5 year olds, preserve funding for older peoples day centre, keep older person assisted shopping service, taxicard scheme fully kept, keep all enviroment grants, keep community recycling scheme, all CGS kept, keep sport development and the successful kids community games, not cut street cleaning, fully preserve SASBU the award winning anti social behavioural unit, fully keep the noise team working 24/7, keep lolly pop people protecting all our kids getting to and from school, keep current events programme (especially important going into the Olympic year), maintain South London Gallery support, keep all libraries, mobile library, housebound library service, keep all night time and current street cleaning. Its was a very strange cutting of off ones nose to spite ones face.

Sorry Dudley & Lousiana for not coming back sooner. The latest Corporate Parenting committee open report is available. I'm a reserve on the committee and did read it thoroughly but forgot to come back here. Looked After Children in Southwark figures: Nov 2006 March 2009 Jan 2011 LAC Total 635 530 522 LAC over 2.5 yrs 220 (35%) 186 (35%) 142 (27%) Same place 2 yrs - stable 135 130 108 Not same 2 yrs - unstable 79 56 34 % in long term placement 61% 69% 76% Yesterday it was announced by Michael Gove that guidelines around adopting have been reissued and race would no long be a 'dealbreaker' if propspective adopters show they could be good parents and the rules blocking over 45s from adopting will be scrapped. Good pragmatic changes to counter the declining adoption rates nationally. Apparently family courts are encouraging kid to be placed with extended family members. The next annual report on adoption and fostering is due 26 April to the committee. I've not been able to track down last years report. In

Hi Penguin68, Many thanks for this. I'll ask for traffic enforcement to make some regular visits. This should focus the site managers mind to avoid such selfish dangerous behaviour.

Hi tiddles, No changes to the current kerb line - the plans show the current kerb line its just the raising of th road at these points to meet the kerb height. Hi Penguin68 & EDOliver, We reviewed this junction and contrasted it with Barry Road/Upland Road junction which has had zero reported collissions versus Underhill/Barry Road 8 over the previous three years. The idea is to copy the success of the zero collission junction. You may be right on the impact of the changes but we have a hugely successful example in what appears very similar circumstance and copying it should resolve this collission hotspot. The one fly in the ointment is also getting a stop sign as per the UPland/Barry road junction. Hi KidKruger, Sounds a frigtful experience. The junction of Silvester with Barry Road has no reported collissions over the previous three years. Hard to work on impriving such a juncton when we've yet to exhaustively fix other junction with reported collissions.

The road marking renewals were completed some time ago. Council officers have slgihtly rearranged projects so that during March the agreed entry treatment will be installed as per attached. We also agreed that the eatern arm would ideally have the Give Way sign replaced with a STOP sign. Apparently the junction doesn't absolutely meet the criteria set by the Secretary of State at the National Department of Transport. Officers have agreed to aplly for it and copy me so hopefully we can together try and make that happen as well. Any thoughts please let me know.

Underhill Road junction with Barry Road. Number of collissions have occurred at this junction. Earleir this year I met with council highways officers and the local Police. We agree the first step was to renew the road markings. This was completed some time ago. Council officers have slgihtly rearranged projects so that during March the agreed entry treatment will be installed as per attached. WE also agreed that the eatern arm would ideally have the Give Way sign replaced with a STOP sign. Apparently the junction doesn't absolutely meet the criteria set by the Secretary of State at the National Department of Transport. Officers have agreed to aplly for it and copy me so hopefully we can together try and make that happen as well. Any thoughts please let me know.

South London Press report today that a 16 year old Peckham boy has been charged with this murder. He can't be named for legal reasons and was due to appear at Croydon Youth Court yesterday. Five other males aged 13,15,18,20 and 23 have been arrested and given bail in connection with this murder.

Hi Emily, We've had PM and post exchanges on the forum. You've made some very strong allegations which I need to explore and form my own opinion. I have received your email and replied to earlier other ones. Hi Pugwash, The process you describe Lewisham taking seems eminently sensible and I'll ask if Southwark could adopt similar. Regards james

Sad to see more development on what was and suspect technically still is Metropolitan Open Land. Equally, as its next to Dulwiohc Hamlets I'd welcome some more passive security there - but very clunky way to achieve that.

Tomorrow is the councils budget setting assembly. If anyone has a particular issue they'd like me to raise please do let me know. The proposed budget can be seen here: http://moderngov.southwarksites.com/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=3454&Ver=4 The Lib Dem proposed amendments which will fail are attached....but always a chance Labour councillors, as per the 8 in Lambeth, wont have been paying council tax and therefore can;t vote....

Southwark Council has many great officers who are exceptionally helpful. It also has some processes which are immensely frustrating and lock some officers into not feeling able to see and act on any bigger pictures. I still feel its corporatist centralist structure stiffles initiative and real deep efficiency while making the senior managers feel its ever more efficient. With each problem the reaction is to centralise to control more. Whereas the right motivation, devolvement and training would give a more solid long term answer. I tied in vain to get the multiple quote increased from ?5,000 to ?10k or ?20k. Lots of reasons given for not increasing it. But the transaction costs of 3 or more quotes for tiny work and projects means the council often looks exceptionally poor value. We have a local scheme to traffic calm with humps Matham, Chesterfield and Ashbourne Groves. The actual humps cost ?11,000 but the overheads mean it will actually cost ?37,000. So many examples where Southwark Council are poor value for money. Equally, very very few people praise anything or anyone when things go well. But boy does the council and officers get brickbats when it goes badly. Unsuprisingly this can make council officers very cautious and wary of outsiders. And caution can result in lack of initiative leading to poor service and poorer preceptions of value for money.

Hi Alex K, No plans that I'm aware of to create parish council/s for the area. Parish Councils I believe charge a precept - extra council tax - to pay for extra local things. The trouble is how do you define East Dulwich if that is the size of a potential parish council. However, a slightly bigger remit is the current Dulwich Community Council whihc includes 3 council wards - East dulwich, College and (Dulwich) Village wards. The next meeting is 8 March 7pm at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Wroth coming along even if its only to enjoy the pictures. This particular meeting will be focused on the Village ward area which includes the heart of Dulwich Village, western edge of East Dulwich, large part of Herne Hill. If you do decide to pop along please do make yourself known to me.

Southwark has over 6,000 car clubs members. It is the most rapidly expanding car club in the UK and had just won an award for this.

Hi Alex K, I would say almost all responsibilities could be devolved - bit messy as no clear boundary between areas - but I can se very real merit in parish type councils in that more decisions would be takne very locally with more local scrutiny. That extra scurtiny would help improve many of the current decisions. Suspect the 'system' would anything could be so devolved. One example is the Youth budget. We allocated ?4.5M pa. Our election manifesto was to devolve this budget to community councils to spend. In practice much of the Dulwich Community Council spend is done in thirds ie by ward. Then when people say nothing for kids to do they would have had an opportunity to decide how ?215,000 would have been spent. Currently huge overheads which moving to parish or very much more devolved budgetting would largely remove. does this answer your query?

Hi intexasatthe moment, Lane rental is the idea that whenever someone digs up the road they rent the road (not sure if it applies ot pavements as well) that they're taking out of use for the duration of the road works. The idea is this will incentivise people to minimise the time road is our of commission. The hope is that more imaginative methods will be use. Currently little incentive while occupying the road with road works is free. Hope this makes more sense.

Hi Alex K, Futher to Snow Code details I highlighted earlier this week. Your ideas about making home and business owners liable for clearing snow and ice outside their premises on public footways I believe would require national legislation. One avenue to try pushing for this is via our local MP: [email protected] Another is via the government Barrier Busting: http://barrierbusting.communities.gov.uk/form