Guns And Gangs - Lambeth Part Of The Solution

We already know that guns, gangs and knife crime are the major issues for many young people and families in Lambeth. Just over a year ago Larkhall residents were left reeling after the murder of 15-year old Billy Cox on the Fenwick Estate. Two more people were shot dead in Larkhall ward in 2007 - including 16 year old Abukar Mohammed, gunned down on the Stockwell Gardens Estate. Their murders shocked the whole community, and were a blight on Lambeth.

On February 14 Lambeth Council agreed a tough action plan to tackle violent youth crime, making Lambeth the first local authority in the country to have a comprehensive approach to tackling gun, gang and knife crime.

Proposals on the table include a hotline for parents, a forty percent increase in investment to help young people get their lives back on track, a new intelligence gathering unit to target young criminals and seven day opening for Lambeth youth clubs.

Cllr Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, said: "Today the community is getting together to say enough is enough - we will take every step to protect Lambeth's sons and daughters and to give them the best possible chances in life. Only a minority of young people are involved in violent crime, but these crimes have a devastating impact on family, friends and the community.
I set up our executive commission to look into the causes of violent crime among young people, to see which measure are already working and what more we can do to reduce crime among young people. Involving parents and the community is key to solving this problem, and we hope the ideas we are discussing today will provide the framework for a safer community for our young people in future. Lambeth has been at the heart of the problem of guns, gangs and knife crime, but now we are putting ourselves at the heart of the solution."

Suggested measures cover key areas including enforcement, schools, youth services, community support, skills training and family support, including:

• a dedicated hotline to provide advice for parents who are concerned their children are involved in crime, along with a forum where parents can share advice and support
• establishing an independent trust part-governed by parents and the community that could control a significant amount of spending to support for young people
• increasing the use of parenting orders and contracts when parents don't fulfil their responsibilities
• an additional £1.75 million will be invested in youth services this year, and will be used to extend youth club opening hours
• a 'detached' youth working team, with specialist knowledge of Lambeth 'crews', will also be created, to extend current youth work and reach the most socially excluded young people
• the council's award winning X-it programme, which has been successful in preventing 72 percent of young attendees from re-offending, will also be extended across the borough
• tailored training courses will also help increase employment opportunities for young people living in areas of high unemployment, with a target of 70 per cent employment by 2012
• on the enforcement side a new intelligence gathering unit will be created to help police and other agencies to share information they already hold separately about problem families and individuals

A Drug Deterrence Policy is also being launched by the council this year, which means that people who come to Lambeth to buy their drugs could find their faces splashed on a prominent poster in the town centre

The council currently spends £3 million on youth services, covering youth clubs across the borough and supporting a network of other voluntary sector programmes. From April this year, the council will spend an extra £1.7 million over the next three years.

Lambeth SmokeFree Festival - March 8th

Lambeth Stop Smoking Service is organising the first ever Lambeth SmokeFree Festival - a day-long event to celebrate SmokeFree living as well as the rich diversity within the Lambeth community!

The event will be staged at Brixton Recreation Centre on Saturday 08 March 08 from 1.30pm to 7pm, with a FREE LUNCH provided.

People attending include Daddy Ernie (Choice FM), Southside Dynamic and many more. Lots of FREE Activities including Face-Painting, Salsa Dance Class, Hip-Hop showcase and many more.The SmokeFree Festival will offer health advice and smoking cessation support to the Lambeth smoking community.

Come and join us and have a fun day!

'Getting On' - Make A Film And Boost Your Job Prospects

Are you aged 16-30 and looking for direction in life? BIG UP FILMS is running a 10 day course that will give you training and support to move into further education or employment in the career of your choice.

The course will take place at Stockwell Community Resource Centre (behind Stockwell tube) on:

Wed 27th, Thurs 28th, Fri 29th Feb
Thurs 6th, Fri 7th, Wed 12th, Thurs 13th, Fri 14th, Wed 19th, Thurs 20th March 2008

On the course you will learn how to:

Research the job you want to do
Write a CV
Develop your interview techniques
Make a short film about getting a job or training

The course is FREE!

* Refreshment will be provided * Free childcare is available

TO APPLY OR FOR MORE INFO PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH SHEENA CALLENDER AT BIG UP FILMS on 020 7733 3247 or 07932 389 255 or email sheena@bigupfilms.co.uk

Free Open Day at Brixton Leisure Centre

The newly refurbished Brixton Leisure Centre is holding a free open day next Saturday 16th February.

The brand new sport and fitness facility 'The Zone', the first dedicated fitness area for under 16 year olds in the UK, was opened in October 2007. With the capacity to provide activities for up to 200 young people at any one time, The Zone comprises three areas: the Energy Zone, Fitness Zone and Team Zone, and offers everything from interactive sport and team games and a youth fitness centre, to WIFI dance mats and a 3G football pitch.

Now adults have the chance to try the new fitness gym, steam room and sauna. The brand new fitness centre has state of the art equipment, a dedicated resistance and cardio area and caters for all users from beginners to advanced. Free group exercise classes will be taking place throughout the day, as well as tours and taster sessions in the fitness centre.

There will be lots of other activities too - face painting, treasure hunts and swimming pool games and football coaching to name a few.

Where: Brixton Recreation Centre, 27 Brixton Station Road, Brixton SW9

When: Saturday 16 February, 10am - 4pm

Cost: Admission free!

Three Star Lambeth Is Most Improved Council In UK

Lambeth Council has been named as 'the most improved council in the country', moving from one star and 'improving well' to three stars and 'improving strongly' according to an announcement from the Audit Commission today.

Lambeth is one of only two councils nationally to have jumped from a one star to a three star 'good' rating in just one year.

Inspectors found the council had 'improved strongly', following their annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment, which rates councils across England on a scale from one to four stars. The three star scorecard - which is the highest score ever achieved by Lambeth - shows the council has improved in a number of key areas, exceeding targets to cut crime, increasing visitor numbers to libraries and creating one of the highest performing benefits teams in the country.

Michel O'Higgins, Chair of the Audit Commission, singled out Lambeth for special praise, stating: "Where there are challenges we know the characteristics they need to copy from the highest performers: strong leadership, a skilled management team willing to take tough decisions and an ongoing focus on poorly performing services. These characteristics are reflected in the improvements that Lambeth have made. They provide a great example."

Cllr Pete Robbins commented: "Labour councillors in Lambeth are proud to be fulfilling our manifesto promise to deliver quality, and tackle inequality. Moving from one star to three stars is evidence that Lambeth is now concentrating on the things that matter most to Larkhall residents: quality services, value for money, and action on crime and climate change. Lambeth is the fastest improving council in the country and is now in the upper performance bands for the first time ever. This is a genuine turning point for Lambeth, but the job is only just beginning. There is a lot more work to do. Larkhall residents will rightly demand more from us, and we must continue to deliver."

Read press reports about Lambeth's achievement here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7230876.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/07/localgovernment

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/doc.asp?doc=21816&cat=937

Changes To Bus Routes for 88 and 155 - what do you think?

TFL have recently reviewed two bus routes that are used by Larkhall residents: the 88 and the 155. They have asked for my views on some associated proposals for change, and I'd like to hear from you. If you have any comments, positive or negative, please email me at probbins@lambeth.gov.uk


TfL are considering the following service changes for introduction in mid to late 2008:

Route 88 (Clapham Common - Camden Town)

Route 88 operates between Clapham Common, Old Town and Camden Town, Camden Gardens via Stockwell, Vauxhall, Marsham Street, Whitehall, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, Great Portland Street and Hampstead Road.

We propose to increase evening and Sunday frequencies to a bus every 10 minutes rather than 12 minutes and the night service frequency to a bus every 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

These changes are proposed at times when reliability and capacity issues on the route have been identified.

Route 155 (Tooting St George’s Hospital - Elephant & Castle)

Route 155 operates between St George’s Hospital in Tooting and Elephant & Castle, Lambeth Road via Tooting Bec, Balham, Clapham, Stockwell and Kennington. The route closely parallels the Northern Line between Tooting Broadway and Elephant & Castle.

The service is very busy between Clapham Common and Balham, particularly in the mornings.

To provide additional capacity on the busiest section of the 155 it is proposed to extend route 249 from Balham to Clapham Common, Old Town via Balham High Road and Clapham Common South Side.

It is also proposed to increase the frequency of the 155 on Sundays, to a bus every 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes.

N155 (Morden Station - Aldwych)

The N155 is very busy between Aldwych and Clapham South, especially at weekends. TfL received your request for a frequency increase to cater for the people in Clapham High Street.

TfL propose to increase the frequency on weekend nights to a bus every 8 minutes rather than every 10 minutes.

TfL also propose to start the service earlier on all nights of the week to work better with Tube timetables.


Any observations resdients may have on these proposals should be sent to me by Sunday 17th February 2008 at probbins@lambeth.gov.uk

Trees For Cities Community Fun Day - Sat 9th Feb

Trees For Cities are holding a Community Fun Day, planting trees outside Cassell House on the Stockwell Gardens Estate on Saturday 9 February between 11am – 3pm

Help plant trees and flowers, take part in arts and crafts, try African drumming; learn how to grow strawberries, have your face painted and much more.

For more information contact Kirsty at Trees for Cities on 020 7820 4416 or email kirsty@treesforcities.org

Larkhall Councillors Vote To Join Heathrow Protest Group

Following my previous post about plans to expand Heathrow expansion, many readers contacted me to register their opposition to a third runway.

Larkhall lies directly below the flightpath for Heathrow, and planes already cause unacceptable levels of aircraft noise. If the Heathrow plans are implemented, aircraft will be flying overhead at a potential rate of one aircraft every 90 seconds heading for all three runways.

At a Council meeting on Wednesday 29th February Larkhall councillors Pete Robbins, Raj Patil and Tina Valcarcel supported a motion that will see Lambeth formally oppose the plans, and resolved to join the '2M' group of London boroughs that have united in opposition to the plans.

Get 'We Love Larkhall' Delivered By Email

Regular readers of 'We Love Larkhall' can now have news items delivered straight to their email address.

If you follow this link and type in your email address you will be emailed news as soon as it appears on the site, saving you from having to check the site.

After you subscribe, whenever a new article appears on “WE LOVE LARKHALL” the new content will be emailed to you. At the footer of each email you receive there will be hassle-free links for you to UNSUBSCRIBE.

You can also sign up for the We Love Larkhall monthly e-newsletter, which is now delivered to almost five hundred people in Stockwell and North Clapham. Email Pete Robbins at probbins@lambeth.gov.uk to be added to the list.

Hope this helps!

Cllr Liz Atkinson RIP

I am sorry to inform readers that Cllr Liz Atkinson, who was Mayor of Lambeth in 2006/07, died on January 24th.

Many Larkhall residents will have met Liz as she performed her official duties throughout Lambeth. Liz was a great councillor: modest, compassionate, and caring. Her husband Richard and daughter Kate have set up a fund in her memory, that will provide an education scholarship for a Lambeth resident. Donations can be made at http://www.lizatkinsonfund.org.uk/

Clapham Regeneration Plans Announced

Excellent news for Larkhall residents was announced this week, with Clapham town centre on the verge of an exciting new £75 million regeneration programme, with a new leisure centre and swimming pool, a new library, a new GP surgery, and high quality affordable homes.

Hopefully the new pool will mean I will no longer have to keep issuing news about pool closures...

The project covers three sites:

Clapham High Street - Mary Seacole House will be demolished and new facilities including a new library, GP surgery and joint service centre will be constructed on the site. It is hoped that the number of people visiting the library will double.

Clapham Leisure Centre - The new leisure centre will feature a 6-lane, 25m swimming pool with movable floor, larger fitness suite, 4-court sports hall, climbing wall and community rooms. The council is working on a package of measures to reduce the impact of the temporary closure of the leisure facility.

Old Clapham Library building – A community-run centre will be developed within the Clapham Old Library building. A budget has been set aside to renovate the building, and the Council is working with a local community group to develop plans.

As part of the agreement between the council and the developers Cathedral, will be constructed buildings at zero cost to Lambeth residents.

Cathedral hopes to submit a planning application for the first part of the Future Clapham development in April. The company expects to deliver the first stage of the development, the brand new leisure centre, in early 2010.

A public launch of the new scheme will take place in Mary Seacole House in early March. Visit www.lambeth.gov.uk/futureclapham for more details nearer the time.