Hyde Southbank Homes - AGM: Monday 29th September 2008

Hyde Southbank Homes are holding their Annual General Meeting on Monday 29th September 2008 at the Stockwell Community Resource Centre (behind Stockwell tube).

All HSH residents are invited to attend to hear about what has been done in the previous year, and feedback their views to the management of HSH. A buffet will be provided following the AGM.

Hyde Southbank Homes is a housing association, and is the second largest provider of social housing in Larkhall ward. Their Larkhall properties include the Stockwell Gardens Estate, the four tower blocks that make up the Grantham Road Estate, the Belville Mansions on Clapham Road, and many houses in surrounding streets. Hyde Southbank also run Studley Estate in Stockwell ward, and the Kennington Bridge Estate in Oval.

Local Labour Councillor for Larkhall ward Pete Robbins is appointed to the board of Hyde Southbank Homes by Lambeth Council. If you live in a Hyde Southbank property and have a complaint, or need help with a problem, he would be happy to provide assistance. You can contact Cllr Pete Robbins here.

September 2008 is 'Lambeth Peace Month'

Larkhall residents continue to tell us that community safety and the fear of crime is a key priority for them. Lambeth Peace Month gives residents the opportunity to take part in a wide ranging programme of activities that will help raise awareness of community safety issues and the action that’s taken by local services to tackle crime.

The aim of Lambeth Peace Month is to bring our diverse communities closer together, help address fear of crime and conflict and to get to the heart of some serious challenges facing our communities. The programme for 2008 focuses specifically on young people with a range of events across the borough aimed at and delivered by young people within their community. There are also a range of events aimed at all ages and families. We would like to encourage you to come along to at least one event, but particularly those held in Larkhall, Stockwell, and Clapham.

There are different events running every day in September, including: a visit to a magistrate court; meetings of the Lambeth Community Police Consultative Group; special peace services at local places of worship; yoga, tai chi and fitness classes; youth theatre; gospel concerts; events to highlight domestic violence; events for local lesbian, gay and transgender people; Safer Neighbourhoods Team presentations; and many, many more.

To view the brochure showing all events, click here.

Free tree surgery training for local jobless

Trees for Cities are offering free training in Horticulture NVQ or Arboriculture (tree surgery) to anyone in Lambeth who is on benefits and aged under 30. They also offer help with job searches alongside advice and guidance sessions.

If you are eligible and would be interested in a this career then contact Suzanne Fane-Saunders, Training and Development Coordinator at Trees for Cities on 020 7820 4414.

Lambeth Gears Up For 2012 Olympics

Young people from Lambeth will help celebrate the handing over of the Olympic flag to London on Sunday 24th August 2008.

Venue: Brixton Library
Date: Sunday 24th August
Time: 2-4pm

As the Beijing Olympics draws to a close, Brixton will be marking the Olympic handover by raising a unique London 2012 flag. Young people taking part in the council's Summer Reading Challenge at Brixton Library will mark the occasion by holding the flag outside the library for a photograph at 3pm, before it is then raised on the flag pole of the Town Hall.

Throughout the day Brixton based performance company The Bureau Of Silly ideas (BOSi) will lead a creative exercise with young people based around their Olympic dream sports.

And as a fantastic Olympics enters its final days, Lambeth Council has added its congratulations to all Britain's Olympic stars, including golden girl Christine Ohuruogu who won a stunning gold in the 400 metres in Beijing, and Lambeth athlete Jade Johnson who competed in the long jump.
Christine opened the newly refurbished Brixton Recreation Centre earlier this year following its £2.85 million revamp. Lambeth is hoping to welcome her back to the borough as Olympic champion.

Lambeth Giving Out 10% Less Parking Tickets

Lambeth Council issued 30,000 fewer parking tickets last year than the year before – a drop of more than 10 per cent.

Better parking by motorists and changes implemented by Lambeth Council to end 'overzealous' ticketing are starting to take effect. Lambeth has bucked the overall London-wide trend of a one per cent increase in the number in parking tickets issued over the past year.

Lambeth Labour scrapped the old system of targets for parking attendants (now know as Civil Enforcement Officers) to issue tickets in October 2006 and replaced it with a system that focused on fairness. All Lambeth CEOs are now given extra training in fairness and customer service. The new system has taken some time to take effect, but less unfair tickets are now being issued.

Larkhall Councillor Tina Valcarcel is glad that residents are seeing the improvements: "Parking tickets were a huge cause of frustration for some residents, and it can be very difficult to have them cancelled, even with a councillor's help. We have some cases that have dragged on for more than a year! Labour was clear that we wanted to make the system fairer, and it seems that it is finally being seen to be fairer on the streets."

Labour approves £6 million boost for Lambeth services

Lambeth Labour councillors have approved a £6 million cash injection for vital public services over the next two years, that will see a freeze in care charges, an 'older people's charter' and an extra £600,000 to help keep young people safe in the borough.

The additional funds will mean more cash for key areas including:

• a freeze on care charges at their 2007 rates


• an older people's charter and lunch clubs for older people


• an extra £600,000 to extend successful youth programmes that reduce offending by 72% (in addition to the extra £1.7 million Lambeth Labour approved last year)


• money for estate based job advice centres


• cash for road and pavement improvements


• £50k to improve library services for younger people


• £100 for 'green champions' to promote recycling over the next two years

The extra spending has been made possible after the council reached its financial targets ahead of its three year plan, by lobbying central government for extra resources and improving efficiency across the council.

Larkhall Labour Councillor Pete Robbins commented: "As Chair of the Finance Committee I have seen how the Lambeth finances have improved dramatically since Labour regained power in 2006. We are providing better value for money and also keeping council tax rises low - Lambeth now has the seventh lowest council tax in London."

Larkhall Councillor Raj Patil said: "Local residents value local services, and I am delighted that Labour has provided a £6 million boost. We’ve prioritised projects to make young people safer in the borough and to give more support to Lambeth's older population."

Temporary Closure of part of Bedford Road and Lendal Terrace

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

BEDFORD ROAD AND LENDAL TERRACE
TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES AND BAN ON WAITING BY VEHICLES

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable carriageway and footway works to be carried out, Lambeth Borough Council intend to make an Order the effect of which would be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering or waiting in:-
(a) Bedford Road, between Landor Road and Fenwick Place; and
(b) Lendal Terrace.

2. The Order would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs, and access to and egress from properties would be permitted, provided this does not hinder the works.

3. Alternative routes would be available as follows:-
(a) for vehicles affected by the closure of Bedford Road - (i) via Fenwick Place and Landor Road and (ii) via Clapham High Street and Lendal Terrace;
(b) for vehicles affected by the closure of Lendal Terrace - via Bedford Road and Clapham High Street,
and the direction of the one-way system in Lendal Terrace would be reversed so that it would apply from north-west to south-east and the compulsory left turn by vehicles from Landor Road into Bedford Road would be suspended, when the alternative routes apply.

4. The Order would come into force on 26th August 2008 and would continue for 3 months, or until the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. This allows for contingencies as it is anticipated that the works would take about 4 weeks to complete at each location.

Dated 15th August 2008

TIM JACKSON
Divisional Director – Public Realm

Alternative leisure facilities in Clapham - let Lambeth know your views.

Clapham Leisure Centre is due to close at the end of 2008 so that a new leisure centre, with much improved facilities, can be built on the same site.

Larkhall Labour councillors have been fighting to ensure there is proper provision of alternative local leisure facilities in the area, so that residents can continue to swim and exercise whilst the new centre is being built.

Lambeth have promised that all school swimming programmes will continue at other local pools. General leisure activities such as swimming, exercise classes and healthy living programmes will be provided at other leisure centres nearby - such as Brixton and Ferndale. Full details are in the Future Clapham newsletter and they are seeking residents views - please take a minute to take a look and tell them what you think by taking part in this online survey.

Petition to back the Cross River Tram

The South London Press has launched a petition calling on Mayor Boris Johnson to fully support the proposed Cross River Tram (CRT) scheme, which is backed by all the local Larkhall councillors.

The petition highlights the economic benefits that the Tram will bring to regenerating South London, and the importance of this scheme in reducing overcrowding on certain bus routes and sections of the London Underground.

Supporters of the Cross River Tram can add their names to the petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/cross-river-tram.html

A group of local residents will then present the petition to Lambeth and Southwark London Assembly member Val Shawcross, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, at 9.30am on 9th September outside City Hall.

The Transport Committee will then be holding a morning session on the Cross River Tram which will also provide an opportunity for residents, businesses and other stakeholders to submit their views on the scheme.