James Barber

Hi JohnNorth, What "well documented" documentation are you talking about? Nick Stanton had no secret plans to sell the building. We had to make revenue savings. Labour have promised to reopen it so will be interesting to see what they cut to make this possible. Also, real shame for Theatre Peckham who would'nt then have bigger premises and expand their great work. The visitor figures. Extremely frustrating they were goofed up. If you have them to hand could you remind me were half the visitors from schools outside Southwark? Also, those from Southwark were they the highest performing schools? One parent expressed to me concern it was used as an easy day out which seemed harsh. One the key aspects of our recent local election manifesot was devolving lots more powersna budgets to community councils. So if the local community council had decided this was THE most important local youth faciltiy they would have been able reopen it. Eitherway we lost the election and Labour have promised to reopen it.

Hi Carrie, I don't know. They look healthy to me and without them suspect that part of Goose Green would be boggier. I've emailed the head tree officer in the council asking. NB these trees are in South Camberwell ward. Hi tommy, Ady's Road forms the borders between South Camberwell and The Lane wards. Clear that Ady's Road needs serious patching. I thought I'd explained that each Community Council area has funds it can allocate to such repairs and renewals. One of the The Lane ward councillors is Barrie Hargrove. He is the new Labour Cabinet member for Environment and his portfolio covers highways. You should email him directly on [email protected]

Thames Water and its contractors need to undertake 40metres of mains repairs from outside 60 East Dulwich Road towards Adys Road. They propose to start the works 8am 1 June until 5pm 2 June. Seems ambitious. So expect some parking pressures in the general area and disruption to this route.

House prices. My understanding the long term relationship between average income and average house prices has been 1:3. At the moment it is 1:6. That seems like quite a structural issue for the economy, private wealth, young people, old people. I don't know how to solve this structural problem. Part of the problem is rising population levels on an island where we want to keep green belt and we tax refurbishments of properties via VAT at 17.5%. In Southwark alone we have over 5,000 empty properties which is more or less exactly the the amount required to house the 15,000 people on the council waiting list.

Hi esme, Cllr Lewis Robinson has provided the following update regaridng the south circular junction at the Harvester restaurant. "TfL have undertaken to put a pedestrian phasing insat this juncton and its in their works programme for late summer this year. They have already completed a traffic count to facilitate this as I ran into them on site. I am expecting them to improve the phasing of the lights for traffic at the same time to mitigate traffic flow issues at the junction at the same time." So plans afoot.

The full coalition agreement has been finalised and is attached. Lots and lots of good Lib Dem policies that will radically change this country for the better. :))

Hi esme, I suspect it was one of the concervative College ward councillors who contacted you OR the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. I'll ask Cllr Lewis Robinson what the latest is and report back. I know he's been trying to make this happen for some considerable time.

Hi languagelounger, I recall reading how water people can hear water leaks through a tube funnel thing. I'd guess middle of the night would be the best itme to do this. Regards james.

Hi DJKillaQueen, Effectively for 30 years both Labour and Tories have had an amnesty. Huge numbers are hear illegally and no action has been taken to remove them. The numbers are so huge the system can longer functions. Ignoring these facts doesn't make them go away. It's a crap situation that it exists at all. Especially as you point out we're an island. Hence the proposal for earned citizenship. Clear the backlog of people who are never going to be removed but should be integrated and pay taxes so that the efforts can be concentrated on those left and importantly employee them.

Hi northlondoner, I'm sorry to hear a bag of rubbish has been shredded, most likely by foxes, again. If a blue bag then left by street cleaners as and when they fill them. I have asked and will repeat the question can we have such blue bags rounded up after the street cleaners shift end. So avoiding nighttime fox issues. Shame they have any litter to fill bags with. It great that Southwark has some of the cleanest streets in London. But what a waste of our collective taxes to pay people to pick up thoughtlessly dropped litter.

TfL for those lights as on red route. Southwark Council as with other london councils use TfL to install and maintain traffic lights peilcian corssing on borough roads. They are rubbish at it but from memory don't charge us for this.

I've been asked for more detailed stats around non East Dulwich ward Primary Schools details of 4th choices. Admissions officers have agreed to provide details stats. Hopefully they'll come through next week.

Do any councils recycle plastic bags? Linpac 2001 calculated that one tonne of plastics is equivalent to 20,000 two litre drinks bottles or 120,000 carrier bags. Others have calculated that every year 290 bags for every person in the UK. Roughly 300,000 residents in Southwakr so circa 87 million plastic bags. This equates to roughly 725 tonnes pa. But should we recycle plastic bags or encourage a reduction in use. Slogan. Reduce, reuse, recycle. So really for plastic bags we should reduce 1st, then reuse and finally as a last resort recycle. Hencei n East Dulwich we supported SNUB (Say No to Unwanted Bags) to the tune of ?5,000 which distributed non plastic bags. If plastic bags have to be used then reuse them later for other purposes. Recycling plastic bags should be a last resort and in my opinion efforts to reduce and reuse should be way ahead of recycling.

soft plastics - is that the stuff that the manufacturers wrapping says can't be recycled?

Hi adey, Veolia, Southwark Council waste and recycling contractor, don't allow vehicles of off their depot before 6am. So this is most likely to be related to a business premise. Could you please email me your home and describe the type of problems and how it affects you and your household. My email is [email protected] We can then work with officers and the business to get a more reasonable collection regime. (PS. thanks for the congratulations) Hi ianr, I did check some weeks ago with officers about people in yellow his vis waiste coats checking rubbish in the middle of the night. Categorically told not council officers. I then referred the matter to our local East Dulwich Police Safer Neighbourhood Team. IF you have more isntances please report it to them.

Hi prdarling, Apologies. I must have been thinking of someone else. And yes I do know the postcodes for Bessemer and GG.

Hi prdarling, Completely understand the bind of getting from Goose Green in SE22 to south circular to drop of 2 year old and then get to Battersea and then reverse at end of the school day. Have you asked about school places at Langbourne which is clearly much nearer the South Circular? Or look if you can change to use the Goose Green nursery making your and your kids days very much easier?

I stand corrected. Apologies. I should have stated one of the largest.

Hi prdarling, I've been told that people accept or reject places by 21 May. That the release of some places this will result in will be used to fullfil waiting lists where possible etc. That later in the month late applications will then be sent admissions letters. This appears to mean late applications will get second picks after applications on time. As suggested before keep in regular contact with admissions officers. Do visit the school/PTA/paretns you've been allocated - you could well find you do like it avoiding further angst.

Hi bon3yard, Dulwich renovations were under way. Camberwell Pool monies came together. Camberwell Pool such a pickle decision to get on with it despite two pools being closed at the same time. The sooner each is finished the more people will go swimming at each pool as they'll be significantly more attractive and many past users we hope will return to these pools. Together they're the largest leisure investment programme by a borough in London ?12.3M from memory. What hasn't helped is Dulwich renovations being delayed by the much colder winter than normal apparently holding up concrete and mortaring etc. I've been reassured that no futher slippages expected. That the contractors VERY keen to finish and move onto their next project. That the final opening date will be a decision for the new Labour councillor in charge of the Leisure portfolio. Hopefully they'll be as competent as the previous post holders.

If you tell me the address I'll happilly give a pointed prod requesting its removal.

hi Hugenot, Those increases in services to/from East Dulwich station are clearly hugely welcome as are services from PEckham Rye where many East Dulwich residetns access trains from. BUT they could be increased without closed the South London Line which occus in 2012. If we can have more trains now but SLL closes in 2012 then clearly the two are unrelated. How can no direct trains from Denmark Hill make the city more attractive? Many East Dulwich residents take the bus to Denmark Hill station and travel into Victoria station. Victoria trains back will not run late into the evening. It becomes a part-time service. You've said people can walk from Blackfriars into the City. They can do that already but majority choose not to but travel into London Bridge. Most passengers going in the direction of Blackfriars get of at Elephant&Castle to catch the tube. The best for our areas would be the increased services you've menitoned and SLL and ELL2 OR the tube line finally coming down to reach us.

The reasons for these changes ARE NOT to improve train services in South London. They are to make way for more very long distance commuters on a revamped Thameslink service that requires more through platforms at London Bridge station which means reducing the number of terminating platforms used by services such as the South London Line. Actually London bridge has the physical space for more through platforms and the same number of terminating platforms but has lacked the political will to make this happen and now probably lacks the cash. So the South London Line as the least used line into London Bridge station is beign sacrificed. Lesast used. No barriers at any of the station. Rarely opened ticket offices. No recording of the free train services some have used it as. East London Line phase 2 should be useful for some and has been chosen over Victoria-Belligham services to make up for some of the loss of utility of losing the SLL. Changing trains to get to London Bridge from Denmark Hill etc. If people have to do it they will. They'll have no alternative. Will as many people find moving into our area or staying as attractive. No, not if they have work at Victoria or London Bridge. When life circumstances change they'll consider more favourably buying where they can get direct trains for the journeys they need to take to work. I personally don't take train journeys that involve train changes. Certainly never when with my kids. Will the local teaching hospitals be as popular for students, patients. No, because if people have to ever move from one site to another they wont like changing trains for what is currently a 9 minute direct train journey. Areas not currently served by trains to Denmark Hill are unliekly to have local health contracts with Kings to perform medical treatments for their residents. To me bigger issue. South London is blighted in many areas by massive railway viaducts and cuttings. For these to be used more intensively with all the affects on residents to run more long distance services while reducing the services locals find easy to currently use feels morally wrong.

Hi toast, The Gardens and some parts of Dunstans Road are part of Peckham Rye ward. East Dulwich ward has four primary schools that are providing 285 reception places between them for the 122 East Dulwich ward resident applicants. Overall Southwark has 200 spare reception places. The problem is not a local shortage or borough wide shortage of reception places but a lack of perceived attractiveness of some of our schools. All schools in Southwark are improving but the general view of a school seems to lag behind a schools improvement by around 4-5 years. Hence why Heber School has spare places in years 5 & 6 dating from when it wasn't as popular but had already been turned around. I'm hopeful Goose Green has already been turned around. It certainly has talking to its parents.

Road resufacing. Pellats Road between Lordship Lane and Cyrena Road will be resurfaced starting Friday 4 June and ending Monday 7 June. Landells Road between Lordship Lane and Goodrich Road will be resurfaced starting 7 June for two days. Upland Road between Lordship Lane and Mount Adon Park will be resurfaced later this year.