James Barber

Hi cate, All blue boxes are the same size. Hence the requests for 240 L blue wheelie bins. All the food waste 'pilot' recycling areas have also gone co mingling. Many other areas of Southwark are now co mingled recyclnig but not all. If you're unsure please call 020 7525 2000 to check.

Hi Penguin68, I agree with you.

hi cate, Yes, it means being able to put newspaper, paper, card, plastics, metals all in the same container. It gets thrown in the rubbish truck and sorted out centrally. Due to how much easier people find co mingling it usually sees a step increase in recycling rates. Hence why blue wheelie bins making co mingling so very easy are a popular idea.

Hi concita, I'm not sure what more as a local councillor in East Dulwich ward I can do. I'm open to suggestions. I attend Police panels, I talk to our local Police and have ensured we have ample crime prevention items. The actual Police numbers and how they patrol is down to the Metropolitan Police which is controlled by the Metropolitan Police Authority/Mayor of London.

Hi Fuschia, MarmoraMan, I remember reading a National Audit Office report about the UK fire service from about 12 years ago. It highlighted that pensions are paid from current budgets and as such no pension fund existed. At that time 35% of budget was spent on pensions. It also highlighted that the minimum call out then for a 'shout' was 6 fire fighters but that the standard disposition was 5 firefighters on each appliance so two appliances sent. What was so damning then was that we had highest number of professional fire fighters per 100,000 population in the western world but also highest rate of fire deaths and injuries. So clearly an industry then that needed restructuring. I have no knowledge of the current situation but suspect less than one might hope has changed. hi Fuschia, It may take another 40 years for the whole workforce to have 45% gradutates but we're incurring the costs now. It also means as a society that we're much less able to be generous to the far fewer undergraduates we need. As for able people missing out on degrees. Surely we want the most able from whatever social background to be subsidised for this tertiary education. If we pay for everyone capable then we postpone their disappointment from 18 to 21 when they'll feel really aggrieved to have incurred personal debt and have not graduate level job. What's sadly missing is higher regard for high quality apprenticeships.

Hi Rebecca, I think you've missed the point. Many residents want blue wheelie bins for their co mingled recycling and produce sufficeint to warrant this but council policy is refusing this simple obvious request. As for co mingling. The Lib Dems at the start of the year were leading on co mingled being rolled out across ALL of Southwark by this November. This has been delayed by the new administration until November 2011. One can only assum this was part of the horse trading by Labour with the contractor Veolia that IF Labour wanted food waste recycling now 4 years aearlier than the contract they'd have to delay co mingling across all Southwark and move to fortnightly rubbish collections.

Hi MarmoraMan, Appears the latest study shows 20% of UK jobs require degrees but 45% of our kids are taking them. We have more than twice the numbers doing degrees than the country needs and its politically very hard to disappoint kids and their parents and grandparents by reducing the number of places paid for by the state. But it seems prudent to do that and then provide the real number of degree places the nation actually needs with all fees paid, even potentially grants again! This might then stop the silly situation where so many are now taking postgraduate qualifications to stand out from the 45% crowd where once their degree would have been enough. We have a pension crisis - how can taking 25% of our young people out of work for 3 years + the excessive postgraduate numbers help resolve this.

At every Dulwich Community Council the local Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams attend to provide updates. Our next DCC meeting is 10 November at Christchurch (263 Barry Road). I've asked if all three teams for College, East Dulwich and village wards can provide a surgery before the 7pm meeting and give their updates at the very start of the meeting rather than the normal half way through around 8pm. So if anyone would like to attend from 6.30-7.30pm they'll have a chance to directly ask officers about issues, obtsain addivce (+freebies crime prevention kit if East Dulwich residents), hear what local Polive are doing and avoid most of the evenings meeting if they wish to.

Hi Peckhamgatecrasher, Real wine corks are wood and should go in brown garden waste recycling.

Hi Prickle, I've asked Sainsbury's why can;t they maintain St.Francis park to a higher standard. I've mentioned the rats as a prime example of how low the maintenace regime is. I've also asked why they don't aspire to achieving Green Flag award status. We have very few public parks and open spaces in Southwark so they all need to be kept to the highest possible standard. This is especially so with population growth. I'll highlight the feedback when it arrives.

Hi Indiana, The babychanging facilities will be installed next week. The dodgy mirror problem with the changing rooms should be resolved this coming week with new doors that automatically close. The swimming timetables where two activities going on at same time not very well as being reviewed. Peckham Pulse staff. I'll report this again and again suggest mystery shoppers are necessary as clearly Fusion isn't believing any of the resident or councillor feedback.

I'm really sorry my original post have antagonised people. My home has also had an attempted burglary two years ago when the front door was kicked in and I managed to chase them away while in the buff. I still feel incredible disquiet and anger about that and sympathy for anybody who goes through having their home violated. A different thread is helping give advice on how to avoid being victims of crime. I and others have repeatedly suggested things that we can all do. BUT based on reported crime East Dulwich is one of the safest parts of Southwark and hovering around the best quartile for London wards for low crime rates and chances of being victims of crime. If you know anyone who wants free personal attack alarms, property marking kits, bike locks, motorbike locks then let me know. Equally if anyone wants a crime prevention advice visit our local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team are able and happy ot provide this.

I think way back when the MMR controversy broke Mercury was used in the MMR preservative formulation used in the UK. It isn't anymore but I can't say I'd like the idea of any child being injected with any amount of Mercury.

You can get a vaccination against the main type of pneumonia. Might be worth considering if one of your twins has had this twice already. Lasts a lifetime so probably a useful thing to do.

The stats I checked after reading the first post of this thread were at: Metropolitan Police Crime stats by wards They are crimes per 1,000 residents to show a crime rate rather than an absolute number of crimes. The area around Forest Hill Road is in Peckham Rye ward. You'll see a sharp decrease in burglary. For East Dulwich ward it's stayed stable rather than expected drop causing local East Dulwich Police to agree to make it one of their 3 priorities. Worth pointing out that Violent Crime Against the Person is mostly crime in the home and extremely hard to reduce. Any ideas on that welcome.

Hi Indiana, I'll see what can be done and quickly as real oversight.

I'm really sorry to hear that you've been burgled and especially that you've lost irreplaceable items of sentimental value. But, the latest Met crime stats for the 12 months up to the end of September 2010 compared to the 12 months up to end of September 2009 show a decrease in crime locally and similar burglary rates. That isn't to say we shouldn't all be vigilant. But crime levels locally are slightly down in total and burglary at the rate of 11 per 1,000 population per year or 1.1%.

Did she report this indecent activity to the Police?

You might want to delay responding to the online questionairre highlighted yesterday. Its questions are missing some options. For example it asks how you're recycling but fails to give blue bags option. It doesn't highlight how people with nappies are finding the scheme. It also doesn't ask whether you'd find it easier using blue wheelie bin rather than blue boxes and bags which is a real missed opportuntiy. I have asked if the survey can be changed and await a response.

Last night we tinkered with our CGS capital funding to ensure that we have sufficient funds allocated to install the electric pop up popints on Northcross Road to avoid market traders needing to run standalone generators. Just sufficient time to get this done by December.

Hi Fuschia, I did request blue wheelie bin for you. When I tried PM'ing you it said your mailbox was full . SO I posted answer some time ago. Sorry. At last night Environemnt scurtiny committee explored blue wheelie bins. Officers would prefer whole areas to have blue wheelie bins or blue bins and boxes. Clearly the combination would work much better as we'll never reach consensus about one or other. Apparently in the 'pilot' areas that are all now under co mingling the operatives take a 'captive' blue wheelie bin around emptying blue boxes and bins into it and then having this lifted into the co mingled rubbish truck. Apparently coping with blue wheelie bins and blue boxzes and bags would be overly confusing for them and less efficient. Hence, why some of the promised blue wheelie bins agreed have now been withdrawn. Personally, I think the operatives are intelligent enough to cope with both receptacles now and it would boost recycling. Hi Binary_star, You need to order the extra receptacles if your in the 'pilot' areas.

Hi puzzled, University fees. I find it hard to understand why we're sending 45% of young people to study for degrees when we don't have 45% of jobs requiring degrees. If a smaller proportion went to university our society could afford to be more generous per student and avoid this whole debate. The Labour target had been 50% studing for degrees but they were planning to cut the amount spent on teaching by 25% if they'd kept national power. If we keep 45% going for degrees then students will have to charged more OR we cut something else. My solution would be smaller proportion studying for degrees. NB my understanding is Denamrk has the smallest ratio studying for degrees in Europe but the highest per capita income. So degrees do not equal wealth. In the UK it has been assess people with degrees earn ?100,000 more during their 40 years careers. I suspect this is based no old research before nearly half out population studied for degrees.

Hi prickle, I've just found out the right contactin Sainsbury's and will be contacting them about the rats.

Hi ellyblue, I'll ask council officers about fixing this especially your last point!

The 'pilot' scheme is one team dedicated to it. So different areas have collectinos different days. The 'pilot area centred on Friern Road has a different colleaction date to the 'pilot' area centred on Ady's Road (ie just north of Goose Green). So if you do quote colelction days hear please do say which area you're stating this for else you'll cause more confusion that clarity. Hi Nappy Lady & The Minkey, If you green bin is bigger than you need even with fortngihtly collections ask for a smaller 180 Litere bin rather than the standard 240L bin OR see if you can share with a neighbour. Hi Gussy, Could you try putting out all that extra wrapping paper and cardboard in plastic bags to protect it from the rain while getting it out of your house? If you're still stuck potentially ask for a bulk collection.