legalalien

I note that the post box address for the Lambeth enforcement department is in Winchester - as usual council actions being taken by teams remote from the situation on the ground (admittedly less significant than scheme design being carried out remotely but there is a theme).... Slightly tongue in cheek, from a quick look at the regs the requirement for consent seems not to apply to CLASS E An advertisement relating specifically to a pending Parliamentary, European Parliamentary or local government election or a referendum under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000(1). (See reg 1(3), reg 4(2) and Schedule 1). Would writing ?Vote Labour Out in May 2022? on the sign solve the problem I wonder? Also, it?s worth noting that the council have discretion effectively not to enforce these regs if public amenity etc is not affected (see Reg 3(3)), so it?s not a simple case of saying that ?of course the council should enforce the law). Regs here https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/783/contents/made

One of the Colston 4 was on Politics Live yesterday and suggested that their main defence had been based on the decision in Ziegler that sometimes, depending on particular circumstances, the human right to freedom of expression can provide a lawful excuse for breach of criminal law, there the active obstruction of a highway. Would be interesting to see how that argument stacks up here where there?s no obstruction at all? https://caat.org.uk/news/the-ziegler-case-direct-action-the-law/

DKH I agree about the LTNs not going away. It may be just me, but I won?t be voting on the issue of LTNs, I?ll be voting based on the behaviour of local councillors during the process around the LTNs, in light of the extensive opposition from local constituents.

Although, DKH, I suspect that it's also true that people who are pissed off about something are more motivated to vote in local government elections - so there may be some truth in One Dulwich's claim!

That's true. Loose language.

According to t'internet male brown voles can be up to 20cm (head and body) as opposed to 25cm (head and body) for a rat: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/how-to/identify-wildlife/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-a-brown-rat-and-a-water-vole They're a lot bigger than your field vole. https://www.mammal.org.uk/species-hub/full-species-hub/discover-mammals/species-water-vole/

The Times figures seem to come from this report, which is quite interesting reading - DoT monitoring seems to be focusing on the data from the trials, but as the report points out the bigger risks and casualties are coming from illegal private use and there needs to be a way of capturing that data https://www.pacts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/PACTS-The-safety-of-private-e-scooters-in-the-UK-Report-3.0.pdf The committee has an ongoing spreadsheet on its website https://www.pacts.org.uk/assessing-the-safety-of-private-e-scooter-use-in-the-uk-pacts-research/

Interesting article in today?s Times about e-scooter injuries and in particular the fact that anyone injured while illegally riding an escooter on the road or footpath may not be able to sue for personal injury -there?s a test case upcoming. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/74594ca8-7002-11ec-9b00-681c4404af37?shareToken=a14fe97a19a18bfaf4e75cbfe47fdc0d 91 serious injuries and nine fatalities last year seems a lot for a mode of travel that is only in the limited trial phase.

I don't remember actually as I'm not in GG ward, plus as a non-driver I don't have an interest in parking there (and self confessedly, pre-COVID, paid little attention to local politics :) The points being made about councillors sound very familiar...

Well, you're never going to get a councillor who agrees with you on everything, so the best thing to hope for is one who has the ability to be objective about their own views and prejudices and recognises their obligations to fairly represent those who don't share their views, and gives airtime/ proper consideration to positions that they don't instinctively agree with. I don't know whether James is that person or not, but that's what I would hope for. That's the point CPR Dave makes above.

The LTN issue might be *the* issue locally, but I suspect that in other parts of the borough infill housing and the poor state of council stock may be a big factor. It will be interesting to see what happens given turnout in these elections is generally so low. Agree that candidate selection is critical, in local elections I generally vote for the candidates rather than on a party basis, so often end up voting for candidates from different parties.

We?re getting off subject from the LTNs again, but would just like to say that while I?m a critic of the cabinet style of government and whipping arrangements that seem to be operating, my observation from watching the various meetings on YouTube is that there are still one or two Labour councillors who still seem to prioritise representing their constituents over toeing the party line and I?d put Cllr Renata Hamvas (who sometimes appears on this forum) on that list. I seem to recall her and Cllr Mills being told off by the powers that be for daring to discuss some housing issues directly with constituents without a housing department minder being present.

One Dulwich could stand in the DV/ GG seats, but even if they won them, the reality is that they wouldn't have sufficient power to do anything about the LTNs. The ward councillors don't control what happens in their wards. The way the system works means that the party with the majority has all the power. As with central government. So electing them would send a message to Labour locally/ "punish" existing councillors, but probably not enable a change in policy. But even given that, I would favour having some independent ward councillors who could at least act as an "awkward squad" and better represent the variety of views held within the ward rather than follow the directions of the party whip. Easy for me to say that and expect some unknown people to step up and stand, of course. Both LDs and the Greens favour the LTNs in principle, I believe. It will be interesting to hear what if anything they have to say in the build up to the elections.

Yes I tend to agree kissthisguy. Problem with judicial review is that even if you're right about the process being flawed, the remedy is generally that the decision has to be made again, properly this time, and in the absence of extreme irrationality there's a high risk that the same conclusion will be reached. It's not the courts' job to interfere in the substance of decisions - they're not policy makers (or at least they're not supposed to be - we could have a whole new thread on judicial activism). Human rights etc is a different kettle of fish. Although even then, governments are given a fair bit of leeway in determining appropriate environmental policy and the case may come down to whether an appropriate process has been followed - see for example this case involving the re-routing of a Ukrainian motorway past someone's house https://www.ecolex.org/details/court-decision/grimkovskaya-v-ukraine-ce1179ed-9c69-48f6-8440-792058a58069/. HR cases addressing the effect on people with specific protected characteristics e.g. disability I would think have a greater prospect of success but are likely to result in modifications to schemes rather than a wholesale rethink. Ultimately I think this comes down to politics. So for those opposed to the closures, the issue is probably largely about keeping the issue alive in people's minds until May. disclaimer - although legally qualified I'm no expert in this area so these are just my personal thoughts.

Really? I've long thought it would make a good restaurant.

And hopefully Walters Wine Bar (where Cafe Rouge was) will open just in time for the end of Dry January: https://www.instagram.com/waltersdulwich/?hl=en-gb

Like everything, given the size of the Labour majority, there is an element of pointlessness. However, there is room for the opposition councillors to ask questions, and the committee receives evidence from third party experts on particular topics, which can be a useful source of info.

Not sure that link copied over (for the committee meeting) It?s https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=7004

Message deleted as a new thread has been started to discuss LTNs

I see the long running LTN thread has been locked and lounged as a result of the Christmas jumper discussion. Oh, the profanity!

I?m not sure that?s an official Labour campaign jumper, Malumbu, at least now that Sir Keir is in charge. Back to more official matters, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is interviewing Cllrs Rose and Burgess on their portfolios next week https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=7004 Might be worth asking some of the LD committee members to ask what plans there are to deal with air pollution on the so-called boundary roads etc - no opportunity for public questions at these committee meetings I don?t believe.

I think that misses Rocket's point, which has been my biggest concern all along - not the pros and cons of this particular issue - which might well be all forgotten in ten years, but rather the flaws in the local government processes, which unless remedied, have potential to affect all local issues going forward. There's an interesting campaign going on in Lambeth, for a move away from the current Cabinet system: https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/make-lambeth-council-work-for-all-voters.html

I put mine out yesterday for our regular Monday collection but it wasn't picked up - fingers crossed for some guys with a truck/cage!

It says it?s being paid out of parking revenue I think.

Final report https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?Id=7524 Apparently it will cost a further ?750k to make the measures permanent. Seems like a lot, presumably the cameras have already been paid for? I guess they need to replace all the signage to reflect the changed hours of operation, and do the mandatory advertising and maybe this figure includes the cost of ongoing monitoring? Plus modifications to allow emergency access through the Calton junction.