James Barber

I've asked.

I was sent the attached this morning obtained from: http://www.southwarkpct.nhs.uk/documents/6248.pdf Its a league table of GP scorecard results for Southwark. I was surprised to see that East Dulwich GPs should do so badly on the scorecard.

Hi DJKillaQueen, I thought the housing problem in London was a lack of affordable housing. This is driven by the flow of people leaving and entering into London, planning policies, home prices, 5% of homes being empty and unoccupied, etc. While London and the UK are still planned to increase in population the pricing of homes will rise ahead of inflation making homes ever less affordable.

Hi snowy, I can assure you Mayor Boris Johnson via the GLA funds all sorts of bodies. Your premise that allocating funds via a bureacratic body only partially democratic body was great because they understood the need for unpopular work and funded it. We live in a democracy. If funding wont stand up to public scutiny then it quite possibly shouldn't be funded. We have too many qunagoes with most duplicating each other. London Councils grants is a duplication of so many other bodies adding its own grant giving overheads.

I had to smile when I spotted this thread this morning. Morale is generally very high in the Lib Dems. In London we've seen a big NET increase in paid up members since the May elections. I suspect many thought they were Lib Dems but didn't see the point of joning as we were never going to be a position to exert national power. Others have realised that gaining power especially in a coalition means compromises and sometimes not getting what we'd want. Irony that we've always campaigned for Proportional Representation voting which would create coalitions. So whinging about the affects of coalitions! It feels fantastic to see Lib Dem polices announced as govt policy - Green Deal, Pupil Premuium, ?10,000 tax allowance taking the poorest out of paying tax, increase in minimum wage (remember the tories were against the principle of minimum wages). I wont pretend it feels great when tory policies happen - free schools, academies. Some of the compromises feel good - postponing any Trident decision until 2016 but in the mean time reducing nuclear war heads and missiles by 25%. Some not so good - student tuition fees - tories wanted unlimited fees. We've brokered aprogressive solution but the context difficult when 10 yers ago 12% of kids started a degree and this year 43%. The principles agreed and announced last week of Welfare reform with ultimately one system created, guaranteed no one will be worse of, look good so that in the future it will always make sense for people to undertake paid work and be better of. The icing on the cake will be an elected House of Lords - effectively an end to the feudalism that has ruled us for millenia. If the fairer votes referenudm works out then even if people are disaffected with all the three main parites they stand a better chance of voting in someone else.

I'm meeting council officers and local Police this Friday afternoon. I'll report back what was discussed the options cosndiered and what appears the way forward.

Hi Moos, EXACTLY! In fact this year we'll have a few more Christmas lights in East Dulwich with lights on Upland Road around that small cluster of shops. The traders from there complained business was hard last year and could they have christmas lights to help with trade. This was agreed but from this year and after all the lamp columns had been tested to check they could take the extra loading - physical (wind loading) and electrical before someone asks.

I also was contacted about Solway Road regarding dumped minicabs. Although not in East Dulwich ward the residents were at the end of their teather going via other channels ie. Cllr Aubyn Graham. I visited the site, dragged Caroline Pidgeon along one of the Greater London Authority members. She chased Transport for London which from memory she chaired at the time as to why/how minicabs could be involved in vehicle dumping. Last time I checked the problem had gone...

Hi PeckhamRose, The Snow code highlights good practice to clear snow from pavements and paths such that you can avoid being successfully sued - which is a commonly given reason for people saying why they haven't cleared the pavement outside their home. Hi Narnia, Their will never be enough council employees to clear all pavements outside homes - hundreds of kilometres of pavements. But if residents clear the pavement outside their home the effects of the snow would be dramatically reduced. This really helps reduce peoples isolation.

The government has issued a Snow Code about clearing snow from pavements: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_191868

Hi tallulah71, The two threads you've mentioned about a mugging and a car theft took place in Peckham Rye ward. Also another thread about Solway Road in Peckham Rye ward. Terrible that they have occurred and they all sound appalling. They don't change the fact that East Dulwich ward is now statistically one of London's safer wards and places to live, visit, work or study in. That is of no comfort if you become one of the very few victim in our area. When I became a councillor Peckham Rye ward was statistically safer than East Dulwich ward - as indeed was South Camberwell ward. Partly due to so many shops and the crimes they attract on Lordship Lane and partly because East Dulwich was a forgotten area. Since being elected I've ensured with my ward oclleagues that we've arranged for siginficant investment in crime prevention. The Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams have been created for every ward but only East Dulwich SNT Police team has been given all the capital funding for crime prevention that they've said they need to reduce crime. I've spent a lot of time bouncing ideas with them of how we can reduce crime further. In that time I've also applied for crime prevention funds for South Camberwell ward and Peckham Rye wards and every time those local councillors have said no. I've even suggested they change the applications to appear to come from them as I've done for other schemes in Labour held wards to make them palatable. East Dulwich ward now has less crime than those wards. Its a straight political choice to use Cleaner, Greener, Safer funding to make the area Safer or Greener or Cleaner. The balance between those goals is a local political choice. In East Dulwich we're passionate about the Safer to a great degree than others. I'm chuffed to say that passion has rubbed of with Lib Dem colleagues in the north of the borough who have funded many thousands of property marking kits.

Hi Tarot, Just heard on the news that the Chandler couple have been released. A little of off my patch but you did ask me about them some time ago.

I think ensuring our shopping areas are attractive and better used than our area might be used without xmas lights is really important for ensuring local jobs and the services these local businesses provide are kept. You wont see the Bluewaters of this world decide to cancel their xmas decorations.

Hi hislordship, If you let me know the details I'll happilly chase for you.

Hi Pugwash, Sounds a great idea. Lets get the on site meeting over with and see what's best after that and whether people want that.

At last nights Dulwich Community Council the East Dulwich Police sgt. stated that burglary now is halve what it was three years ago. It is a low rate BUT any burglary is at best grim for the victims. As so many involve forcing sash windows we're thinking of arranging free sash window restrictors. Watch this space.

Hi kford, We've certainly had one set of double yellow lines painted extending sightlines already at the start of the year but so far they don't appear to have done the job. I'll ask officers whether more double yellow lines would make a difference. Our local Police sgt. suspects that the speed cushions on side roads encourage people to drive down the middle of the side roads and do this at speed. If a contributing factor then humps across the whole side roads would help.

The 484 bus route contract has been re contracted with Abellio taking effect March 2011. We should a new single decker fleet introduced with the re contracting but other than that no changes. Shame as we had asked for more frequency. Always a risk that with the current contract coming to an end that service become more problematic. If you spot any changes please let me know. They did consider re routing the bus via Dog Kennel Hill Sainsbury's but discounted adding up to 5 min each way as it would delay roughly 2,700 through passengers a day.

Hi trentk69, I've arranged a meeting with local Police and council officers end of next week. I'd encorage you to experience using a Police speed gun - you've nothing to lose and I suspect you'd find it interesting. Let me know if you're interested. Hi kford, 'tabletops' or 'raised junctions' are incredibly expensive. Typically ?50,000 to ?100,000. The collission rate doesn't justify that level of expenditure compared to other collissions locations. Also Barry Road is a busy bus route and passengers wouldn't welcome many more of these along Barry Road. One suggestion was to slow vehicels on Underill and Upland Roads approaching Barry Road so I'll ask officers about whether this relatively cheaper devices would help. Hi cate, DJKillaQueen, I'd be keen on 20mph. We did have a scheme in flight for the southern end which needs chasing. If it fixes the Etherow/Barry Road junction then perhaps it should be extended northwards.

Good news about the improved timetable for those living in the NW side of East Dulwich. Hi Nero, Network Rail has stated that if a railway station were opened at Camberwell they would close loughborough Junction station as it would be so close. You can imagine how popular that would be. I actually believe extending the Bakerloo Line is much more likely.

Hi Gimme, Filling that ?12,000 shortfall is a problem. We've currently have ?29,000 of installation works for electric pop-up points on Northcross Road for the market. I'm hopeful that will come in under the budget which had quite a lot of contigency. These works will finish during November and we'll then know how much is left over to help towards that ?12,000.

The East Dulwich Police Safe Neighbourhood Team have spent an afternoon earlier this week out with the speed gun. Nearly everyone one was driving within the 30mph limit the 6 cars that weren't were very close to the 30mph and drivers very apologetic. The Police have stated that many people think vehicels are actually travelling much faster than they actually are. Last night at the Dulwich Community Council they made an offer that if any residents would like to try the speed gun alongside estimating vehicles speeds they'd be very welcome. For East Dulwich if you'd like to try this contact me direct to work out numbers and a useful time.

Hi cate, Herne Hill will lose through Thameslink train services when the Thameslink upgrade is finished. The reason we don;'t have more tube lines in London/South London is we're rubbish at doing them cheaply. Network Rail has publicly stated they cos 40% more to maintian the train network than a mainland train company would spend. In Madrid they build new tube lines 18km long in 4 years start to finish at ?30M-?50M/km. As other have pointed out they also charge peanuts to ride on them.

Tomorrow Wednesday 10 November 6.30pm - 7pm Christchurch (263 Barry Road near the Lordship Lane junction)all three local Police teams covering East Dulwich, College and Village wards will be holding surgeries. If you have any concerns or issues about crime and anti social behaviour come and discuss them. If you're an ED resident come along also for free property marking kits, etc.

Wednesday 10 November is the next Dulwich Community Council - where public consultation on the council budget and what to expand and cut. 7pm Christchurch (263 Barry Road near the Lordship Lane junction). Prior to this 6.30pm-7pm all three local Police teams covering East Culwich , College and Village wards will be holding surgeries at this venue. If you have any concerns or issues about crime and anti social behaviour come and discuss them. If you're an ED resident come along also for free property marking kits, etc.