A baby in the house?

To encourage families to switch to real nappies Lambeth council is issuing free Real Nappy Packs to families agreeing to use real (reusable) nappies for babies up to age 6 months. As part of Real Nappy Week starting on Monday 15th April you can drop into Brockwell Park One O’Clock Club ( just inside the park – by Arlingford Road SW2 entrance)  on Wednesday 17th April between 1pm and 2pm for advice and to collect your pre-booked Real Nappy Pack.

For more details see post dated 8th April on  http://lambethenvironment.wordpress.com  or email realnappies@lambeth.gov.uk

Lambeth families throw away 2,000 tonnes of disposable nappies every year – costing tax payers nearly £300,000 a year. Families can save up to  £650 a year by switching to reusable nappies.

Community condemn disorder following Baroness Thatcher’s death

At the Community Police Consultative Group for Lambeth meeting last night it was agreed a joint statement would be issued over the unacceptable scenes in Brixton that followed Baroness Thatcher’s death.The CPCG members, Lambeth Council and Lambeth Police have all condemned Monday’s events saying protests of the kind seen on Monday are not welcome in the borough.

Jim Toohill, CPCG for Lambeth Honoury Comptroller, said: “Celebrating an individual’s death is tasteless and will have been widely seen as such in Lambeth, whatever our political views.“But even tasteless assembly, if peaceful, is lawful.  Criminal behaviour is not.  We support our local police in maintaining that distinction and will fight to ensure they have the resources locally to do so.”

Cllr Lib Peck, Lambeth Council leader, said: “We condemn the events in Windrush Square on Monday night, as holding a gathering to celebrate anyone’s death is totally unacceptable.“The scenes we witnesses throughout the evening do not represent, or speak for, the community in Brixton and across Lambeth. We are working with the police to ensure those responsible for any disorder and criminality are brought to book.”

Chief Superintendent Matt Bell, Lambeth Police Borough Commander, said: “The community of Lambeth and particularly Brixton who were affected by the disorderly behaviour of a small minority of people on Monday night are furious.“I’ve met and spoken with many who totally condemn the disrespectful outpouring that followed the announcement – whatever political views you may hold. “They were not representative of, nor is their brand of protest welcome in, our community. Local policing arrangements are in place to ensure any further attempts to abuse the hospitality of Lambeth in this way are robustly dealt with.”

Question Time comes to Norwood

Lib Peck visiting new leisure & health centre construction site

People in West Norwood have the chance to quiz new Lambeth Council leader, Cllr. Lib Peck on Thursday, April 18th from 7pm-8.30pm  at Elmgreen School in Elmcourt Road SE27 9BZ.

Cllr Peck, who’s been leader of the council for just three months said: “ I want to get out and meet people face to face as much as possible. The success of Lambeth depends on us working together so I want to hear what people are doing locally, what they’re concerned about and how we can collaborate to make the borough even better.”

To reserve a ticket and submit a question email  dpacker@lambeth.gov.uk or phone 020 7926 7758.

Doors will open at 6.30pm.

Gipsy Hill police station saved

Gipsy Hill police station

Thanks to efforts of community campaigners and councillors in the Crystal Palace area the London Mayor has agreed to retain Gipsy Hill police station at 66 Central Hill SE19 1DT as a base for cross borough policing- the Crystal Palace area consists of the corners of 5 different boroughs.

The local Safer Neighbourhood Police teams will also work from Gipsy Hill police station which the Mayor has finally agreed to  reopen as a non-urgent face to face police contact point on Wednesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

For details see:

http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Lambeth.pdf

Lambeth has lost 214 police officer since 2010. To support Lambeth’s campaign to restore 100 police officers to the borough see:

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/services/communityliving/crimeprevention/100morepoliceforlambeth.htm

Over 400 local families affected by “bedroom tax”

The government’s new rules on housing benefit start this month. Many families will have their housing benefit cut if they have too many bedrooms. Children aged under 10 must share a room and children of the same gender must share a room up to the age of 16. (The bedroom tax does not apply to  pensioner households.)

The council has estimated over 400 families will be affected by this bedroom tax in the three Lambeth wards in the neighboourhood of Norwood  (out of 3,000 affected families across the whole borough).

For advice see: http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/AdviceBenefits/Benefits/BenefitsAreChanging/BigChangesHappeningToBenefits.htm

and

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/housing_benefit_and_local_housing_allowance/changes_to_local_housing_allowance/bedroom_tax_from_april_2013

Norwood Foodbank, operating from St Lukes church on Tuesdays and Fridays, is expecting a rise in referrrals as more households struggle with rising rent, fuel  and food costs. Donations of non-pershable food to the Foodbank  can be made at Floral Hall 370 Norwood Road SE27 9BQ  - and at St Lukes church, Knights Hill SE27 0HS  Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 3pm or  Sunday service 10.30am . More information at: http://norwood.foodbank.org.uk/

Save money on your gas and electricity bills

Sign up for the Big London Energy Switch by midnight on Monday 8th April. The more people who join  the scheme the cheaper the price of electricity and gas for all of us. Other schemes have saved households £50 to £200 a year. The Big London Energy Switch is promoted by most councils in London including Lambeth.

To register an interest in the scheme  (with no commitment to join) have a copy of your current gas and electricity bills handy or an estimate of what you pay monthly and  go to http://www.biglondonenergyswitch.org.uk/

Encourage friends, neighbours and family  to register. The more people taking part the better for everyone.

For people not online phone 015 61 328 668 between 9 and 5 weekdays (at local rates) to register  – or phone Max at Lambeth on 020 7926 3591 for more information.

Mayor to sell off Gipsy Hill police station

Gipsy Hill police station

Gipsy Hill police station at 66 Central Hill SE19 1DT has been closed to the public temporarily for many months but our local police teams are still based there. Residents have been campaigning to get Gipsy Hill police station re-opened ( see  http://www.streathamguardian.co.uk/news/9943060.Growing_fears_of_police_station_closure/ )
But  despite the views of local people London’s Tory mayor is now planning to close Gipsy Hill  police station permanently and sell off the building. Local people will have to travel all the way to Brixton if they want to speak to a member of the police and report a crime.
Policing across London is the responsibility of the Mayor of London who has cut the number of police officers in Lambeth by 214 since 2010. Lambeth is asking for a fairer deal and 100 more police to bring the borough in line with the London average. To show your support for the campaign for 100 more police just  sign the council petition at   http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=329&RPID=17243862&HPID=17243862

Help Lambeth get back 100 police officers

Council leader, Cllr Lib Peck met with the Deputy Mayor for Policing at City Hall, Stephen Greenhalgh on Wednesday  13th March following an earlier meeting with the Mayor, Boris Johnson. See article in 5th March edition of South London Press.
Lambeth council is asking the Mayor of London to provide 100 more police officers for Lambeth to make our streets safer.
The Mayor of London is responsible for policing across London. According to the Mayor’s own figures the number of police officers in Lambeth has fallen by 20 per cent since 2010 meaning we lost 214 police officers in that time. That’s the biggest reduction of any London borough. Lambeth is asking for a fairer deal and more police for a borough which has high levels of crime and increasing levels of fear of crime (up 9 per cent last year). 100 more police officers would mean Lambeth being treated like other London boroughs and will bring us in line with the London average. That’s a fair deal.
The 100 extra police will:

• Keep local policing teams
• Break the cycle of gang violence
• Make Lambeth safer for women
• Reduce robbery and serious violent crime
• Put police where they are needed most.

You can help by signing the council petition and passing it on to your friends and family.
http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=329&RPID=17243862&HPID=17243862
And come along to a public meeting in the new Clapham Library at 91 Clapham High Street, SW4 7DB on   Monday 18 March 7pm to 8.30pm

A name for our new Swimming Pool & Health Centre

Everyone has the chance to help choose a name for the fantastic new resource for the  community of West Norwood.

West Norwood’s own leisure & health centre will include a 25m pool, 100 station gym, dance studio, meeting room , GP surgery and clinics . Building work is due to complete in just over one year’s time at the site  on Devane Way – opposite West Norwood Rail station.

If you have suggestion for a name for the new centre please post it here and email by Thursday 7^th February to futurenorwood@lambeth.gov.uk

Names suggested so far:

Great North Wood Centre or Hall

Meyers Centre or Hall

Plaskett Centre or Hall

Spielman Centre or Hall

Tite Centre or Hall

West Norwood Centre or Hall

West Norwood Health &Leisure Centre

West Norwood Meadows

Upper Norwood Library saved by Lambeth

Campaigners outside Upper Norwood Library

Lambeth council has just agreed with Croydon council  to  take over responsibility for Upper Norwood Library at 39 Westow Hill SE19 1TJ . This will pave the way for the library to become a community trust by 2014.

Under the agreement Croydon will transfer the building and  staff to Lambeth. Lambeth will now be the major funder of the library at £170,000pa while Croydon will contribute £75,000pa for the next two years.

This is a victory for local people and Labour councillors who vigorously campaigned against Tory-run Croydon’s plan to close the library which has been jointly funded by the two councils for decades..

Sally Prentice, Lambeth’s councillor with responsibility for libraries said “This is fantastic news for local residents and guarantees the future of this library. While councils up and down the country are closing libraries, in Lambeth we have protected all our libraries by working side by side with the community.”

See http://uppernorwoodlibrary.org/ for details of all the activities and services in this much loved community library.