Fatal stabbing in Larkhall Park - local councillor statement

A murder inquiry has begun after a fifteen year old boy was killed and another teenager was injured in a stabbing in Larkhall park, Lambeth.

One of the boys was already dead by the time emergency crews arrived at Larkhall Park, in Lambeth, at about 8.30pm on Monday evening. The second victim is currently being treated in hospital, where his condition is described as stable.

Four men were arrested in connection with the attack, which appears to have been between rival gangs and involved dogs.

Local residents have told officers they had heard what sounded like a fight in the park at about the time of the stabbings.

Most of Larkhall Park has been sealed off following the incident, and a 100-metre stretch of Wandsworth Road was closed to traffic.

Larkhall ward Councillor Pete Robbins said: "We are appalled and saddened to learn of this terrible incident, in which a 15 year old boy has been killed, and another young boy seriously injured. As Labour councillors we work very closely with the local police team to make Stockwell and North Clapham a safe place to live, which makes this all the more shocking for local people. The vast majority of young people in my ward are hard working and stay clear of trouble, and it is important that they are kept safe and not associated with this mindless violence. We would ask anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

If you would like to get in touch with Cllr Robbins you can contact him at probbins@lambeth.gov.uk

Budding Lambeth sports stars wanted for the London Youth Games

Budding sports stars of the future are being called on to represent Lambeth in this year's London Youth Games and follow in the footsteps of basketball superstar Luol Deng.

Lambeth Council is calling on sporting young people aged 7-17 to help bolster Lambeth's team for the annual competition – the largest sporting youth event in Europe.

The Youth Games sees London boroughs competing against each other to be crowned overall champions of London in 30 sports from angling and archery to football and weightlifting. As the excitement grows in the build up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, competitions such as the London Youth Games give local young people the chance to showcase their talent.

Lambeth wants to be able to field the strongest team possible so is looking for young people who play sport competitively and think they may be good enough to represent their borough to come forward.

Luol Deng, who now plays for the NBA team Chicago Bulls, is a former London Youth Games competitor for Lambeth, and hopes to be a part of the London 2012 Games himself.

He said: "The London Youth Games were a highlight of my summers growing up in London. The Games were an important part of my development as a basketball player and I truly loved competing against friends from other boroughs."

Cllr Pete Robbins said: "The Youth Games have provided tremendous competition experience for a whole host of sporting stars who have gone on to achieve great things in their chosen field, and it's also great fun to be part of the team. We have some extremely talented young people in Lambeth so I hope as many as possible come forward to make this year’s Team Lambeth the strongest yet. Here in Lambeth we are determined to give young people the chance to participate and excel in sport, and to engage in the unique experiences the 2012 Games being hosted in London will offer."

To be considered, download and fill out an expression of interest form, and send to:

London Youth Games 2009

Sports and Recreation Unit

4th Floor Blue Star House

234-244 Stockwell Road

London SW9 9SP

Or telephone Natalie Kavanagh-Clarke 0207-926-0338 or email londonyouthgames@lambeth.gov.uk.

Events are divided into two categories:

The Main Games are made up of 28 sports. The finals will take place on 4-5 July 2009

The Mini Games consist of eight sports designed especially for 9 - 11 year olds. The Mini Games will take place on 2 July 2009.

Easter activities for Lambeth young people

An amazing range of holiday activities guaranteed to stomp out boredom during the Easter break are on offer in Lambeth Council's holiday programme for young people. Everything from Easter egg hunts, family fayres, community fun days and sporting activities can be found in the easy to use programme which will be constantly updated online leading up to the holiday.

Highlights include:

the return of the annual Clapham Common Easter Family Fayre which dates back 200 years and runs from 1pm to 9.45pm on Friday, April 3th to Monday, April 13th

the Ruskin Park Easter Egg Hunt, a fun, free community event for children, on Sunday, April 5th

The Rookery Easter Egg Hunt in Streatham Common from 2pm to 4pm, on Monday, April 13th

and a Community Sports Fun Day at Knights Hill MUGA, Norwood, on Saturday, April 18th

Councillor Tina Valcarcel said: "There's an amazing range of activities on offer to young people throughout the Easter holiday period. Whatever your interests there's something in there for everyone from traditional Easter pursuits to free sports activities and tuition."

For full details of all Easter holiday listings visit http://www.younglambeth.org/, alternatively contact the Families' Information Service on 0845 601 5317

How should Lambeth look in 2020? Have your say

Lambeth Council planners are working on a new blueprint for how the borough will look over the next 20 years, and they want local people and businesses to have an input into this important document.

The Local Development Framework - draft core strategy - provides an outline for developers, giving guidance about the kinds of schemes and buildings that the council will encourage in the future.

The document will bring together various chapters covering different aspects of the borough's physical, economic and social environment. Lambeth like other London authorities, faces many challenges over the next 20 years - unemployment, climate change, and population growth. So the council has to ensure that there is more housing, and services such as sufficient school places and public transport - and regeneration opportunities in the borough's town centres.

In drawing up the framework, council planners will pay particular attention to:

social progress which recognises the needs of everyone
effective protection of the environment
the prudent use of natural resources
the maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

Local people are invited to comment on the council's strategy to address these and many other issues. The document sets out a strategy for the borough as a whole, as well as separate policies for Waterloo, Vauxhall, Brixton, Norwood, Streatham, Clapham, Stockwell, Herne Hill and the Oval.

Councillor Lib Peck, cabinet member for housing and regeneration, said: "The government requirement to prepare the Local Development Framework gives us a great opportunity to map out the borough's future for the 21st century. It will also tackle key issues and shape the borough in a way we will all be proud of. We are making special efforts to involve young people as well as all other sections of the community to let us know what they think, so I would urge everyone to have a say."

You can comment on the draft core strategy between 6 April and 18 May 2009 by logging on to www.lambeth.gov.uk/planning or you can see a copy at your local library. If you don’t have time to read the whole strategy, look out for the summary leaflet and questionnaire explaining what the strategy is about – available on line and in libraries, leisure centres and customer centres. If you have any questions, email planning@lambeth.gov.uk.

A New Mayor for Lambeth - Cllr Christopher Wellbelove

Larkhall councillors are delighted that Lambeth has elected a new civic Mayor for 2009/10, Cllr Christopher Wellbelove, Labour councillor for Clapham Town ward.

Mayoral duties include representing the borough at official functions, meeting and greeting dignitaries and helping to raise cash for local charities.

The new Mayor plans to use websites like Twitter and Facebook to let people know what he is doing, and hopes that by embracing technology he will be able to give more people an insight into the role.

Councillor Wellbelove said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed being deputy mayor, which has been excellent grounding to prepare me for becoming Mayor. However I am really looking forward to taking the full role. By using some of the free services available on the internet I hope to extend the reach of the Mayoral role to people who otherwise would not come into contact with the mayor or know about the work that the mayor does in the borough. I hope that this will demonstrate that this very traditional role can be modernised whilst retaining some of the traditional aspects which many people value."

The move to embrace modern communication packages has seen a new website created especially for the mayor: http://www.mayoroflambeth.com/ and you can also follow the Mayor through Twitter at www.twitter.com/mayoroflambeth

Don't forget you can also keep up to date with your local Larkhall councillors on Twitter too - at www.twitter.com/welovelarkhall and Councillor Pete Robbins is at www.twitter.com/cllr_robbins

Recession Busting Event from Lambeth Voluntary Action Council - 20th April

Click on the image for more details:

Lambeth Community Police Consultative Group - meet Lambeth's borough commander on 7th April

The Lambeth Community Police Consultative Group (CPCG) is a community led forum for Lambeth residents and businesses to engage with the police and other agencies working together to make Lambeth a safer and fairer place. It gives ordinary people a place to make their voices heard. Anyone who lives, works or studies in Lambeth can join.

The next meeting is on Tuesday 7 April 2009 at 6.30 p.m at Nettlefold Hall, Norwood High Street, West Norwood SE24.

At next week’s meeting the Group will receive a report from the Lambeth Borough Commander, Ch. Supt. Sharon Rowe, about the work of Lambeth Police and other Metropolitan Police Service units operating in Lambeth. The monthly police report, containing Lambeth Police performance data and figures month by month up to March, will follow.

Furthermore, the Group will be receiving a presentation from the Borough’s Drug and Alcohol Team in relation to Designated Public Places Orders and also a report from Lambeth Women’s Aid.

Refreshments will be provided, and all are welcome.

Free course on understanding, addressing and tackling hate crime

Hate Crime is a vital issue due to its impact on the victim and our community as a whole. There have been some high profile hate crime incidents in Lambeth. It is also widely acknowledged that this crime is vastly under-reported. The council is committed to addressing and tackling hate crime in the borough and has developed a Hate Crime Strategy.

Lambeth residents are being given the opportunity to attend a full day training course on understanding, addressing, and tackling hate crime.

Participants will:

• Gain an understanding of hate crime and types of hate incidents/crimes and what differentiates it from other forms of crime
• Gain an overview of Lambeth’s Hate Crime Strategy: local trends/facts/figures, findings, overall strategic aims for the Borough in addressing this issue
• Gain an understanding of the impact of hate crime on its victims and the wider community
• Gain an understanding of hate crime legislation
• Gain an understanding of the underlying effects of prejudice and discrimination as the “fuel” for hate crime
• Receive guidance on practical support for victims and witnesses

All participants will receive hand-outs and local hate crime resources.

To book, or for more information, please contact Ella Pobee, Lambeth Hate Crime Coordinator on 0207 926 2796 or mpobee@lambeth.gov.uk

PLACES ARE LIMITED AND GIVEN ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS! Refreshments will be provided

Oasis Children's Venture: Spring Fair - Wednesday 8th April, 12-6pm

Oasis Children's Venture are holding a Spring Fair on Wednesday 8th April, 12-6pm, celebrating spring and the community of Stockwell.

Various activities are planned:

The Nature Garden 12-4 pm (Larkhall Lane, London SW9)
Easter treasure hunt; nature trails; plant and jumble sale and gardening advice; art and craft activities; games; face painting; and refreshments.

The Go Kart Track 2-4 pm (Priory Grove, London SW9)
will be hosting a local youth clubs grand prix

Cycle Centre and Adventure Playground 2-6pm (Larkhall Lane, London SW9)
pedal carts; football; bike maintenance workshop; bike raffle; and from 4-6 a BBQ.

Please come and join the celebrations!

Jumble and plant sale donations gratefully received at the Nature Garden Wed-Fri (10-6), Sat (10-3:30)

Do you know a community hero?

LVAC and Volunteer Centre Lambeth are looking for community heroes; people who have given up their time to help others, to campaign for change or made a difference in their communities.

This could be a volunteer in your organisation, a colleague or a local activist.

If you know someone who you’d like to honour please contact Sarah Yandell on gpdm@lambethvac.org.uk or telephone on 0207 737 9471.

Young People... Achieve your dreams! Awards ceremony organised by Young People Matter

Details of Young People Matter's awards ceremony - for more details contact info@youngpeoplematter.org or call 0207 274 4503

An update on secondary school places in Lambeth for 2009

Lambeth residents with primary school children may be interested in an update about secondary school places for our young people.

This is always a stressful time for parents and children. Lambeth Council recognises the impact of the admissions process on families and is committed to increasing provision for secondary age children in the borough.

As Lambeth Labour councillors we are pleased to report that we have pushed the council to make progress in this area, but we are conscious that there is more to do.

There has been a significant increase since 2005 in the number of Lambeth residents receiving an offer from their first preference school (2005 – 43%, 2009 – 55%)

Since 2005 there has also been a significant increase in the number of Lambeth residents receiving an offer from one of their first three preferences of school (2005 - 66%, 2009 - 82%).
The figure for 2009 (82%) is broadly in line with the average for London boroughs.

There has also been a significant increase since 2005 in the total number of Lambeth residents who were offered a secondary school place (2005 – 77%, 2009 – 96%).

Through the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, Lambeth Council will be providing an additional 3,715 secondary school places to meet projected demand. This will increase provision from 8,135 (in 2006) to 11,850 by the end of the programme.

Within the last two years we have opened two new secondary schools: The Elmgreen School in Norwood (the first parent promoted school in the country) and the Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton. The latter is full to capacity and has a waiting list.

From 16 March 2009 onwards, a number of vacancies will exist in Lambeth and neighbouring authorities as a result of offers being rejected throughout the whole of London causing movement in school waiting lists. With that in mind the School Admissions Team approaches the challenge of placing these 98 on-time applicants without an offer with some confidence.

As Labour councillors we understand the importance that our residents place on securing their children a good education. We will continue to work hard to increase the number of Lambeth young people who are offered places in secondary schools of their choice within the borough.

Cllr Pete Robbins, Cllr Neeraj Patil, and Cllr Tina Valcarcel

Labour Councillors for Larkhall ward

Temporary closure of Kay Road from 20th April 2009

LONDON BOROUGH OF LAMBETH

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF PART OF KAY ROAD

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, to enable works to be carried out, the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth, intend to make an order the effect of which would be to temporarily ban vehicles from entering that length of Kay Road which lies between its junction with Landor Road and No. 40 Kay Road.

2. An alternative route would be available for vehicles via Landor Road and Kimberly Road and vice versa.

3. The ban would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

5. The order would come into force on 20th April 2009 and would continue for a maximum duration of 3 months or until the works have been completed whichever is the earlier.

Dated 3rd April 2009
Tim Jackson
Assistant Director – Street Management