Tag Archives: Mike Smith

June 7, 2010 · 9:27 am

Lambeth’s cooperative council challenges Cameron’s Big Society

Lambeth cooperative councilLambeth Council is launching detailed proposals that will see the South London authority become Britain’s first-ever cooperative council.

Lambeth’s cooperative council model – first trailed in the national media in February  2010, months before David Cameron announced his Big Society proposals – will see residents take on a bigger role in running and shaping local services.  The model contrasts with the Tory ‘EasyCouncil’ model in the London Borough of Barnet that aims to create two-tier services with substandard services for the majority and better options available only to those wealthy enough to pay for them. Find out more about the Council’s plans here.

While there are some similarities with the coalition Government’s Big Society proposals, Labour’s model in Lambeth takes a more thorough-going approach applying the cooperative values of fairness, accountability and responsibility across a broad range of services.  It is built on four years experience trialling the approach in specific services in Lambeth.

Read more here

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May 8, 2010 · 10:47 am

Council Election Results

An exceptionally high number of people turned out to vote in the council elections on May 6th and the newly elected councillors for West Norwood are:

Gipsy Hill ward
Matthew Bennett – Labour
Jennifer Brathwaite – Labour
Niranjan Francis – Labour

Knights Hill ward
Jackie Meldrum – Labour
Jane Pickard – Labour
Mike Smith – Labour

Thurlow Park ward
Ann Kingsbury – Labour
Clare Whelan – Conservative
John Whelan – Conservative.

Lambeth  council now has 44 Labour councillors, 15 Lib Dem councillors and 4 Conservatives.
For details of the election results see:

election results

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May 5, 2010 · 9:33 am

York Hill play area

York Hill Playground

Mike Smith at the re-opened York Hill play ground

The children’s play ground on York Hill has now been repaired and re-opened.

This popular play area has unfortunately suffered from vandals who selfishly spoiled a valuable community facility and forced the council to close it down until the money could be found to carry out necessary repairs.

Mike Smith of the West Norwood Labour action team says “I am very pleased to see the play ground has opened at last  – just in time for the warmer weather.  Many residents have been disappointed at the closure of the  playground and we have kept chasing Lambeth Living to get the work done.”

New local play grounds are nearly completed on Eden Road, Franklin Close and Lakeview Road. Plans  are underway for a new playground in Streatham Common (by the paddling pool) and a water playground  in Norwood Park.

To report vandalism and other anti social behaviour you can phone Sgt  Matt Cox and the local Safer Neighbourhood Police on 020 87212618 or 07920 233844. Or in office hours call Lambeth’s Anti-Social behaviour hotline 020 7926 4000 – you don’t need to give your name or address.

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February 20, 2010 · 12:42 pm

Update – Dog Mess

Dog Mess on pavement

Watch your step with dog mess about

Lots of people complain about dog mess in West Norwood . Maybe we have more dogs than other parts of the borough but we certainly have quite a few irresponsible dog owners who fail to pick up after their dog. Your local Labour councillors are getting ‘no dog fouling’ signs put up in problem areas. Do let us know where you would like to see these signs,.

Our local RSPCA is doing important work in getting dogs identity ‘chipped’ and encouraging responsible dog-ownership. The council encourages responsible ownership with educational campaigns and promotions including the free ‘poop-a-scoops’ to dog owners across the borough. Streetsweepers are responsible for clearing up dog mess from the pavements on a day to day basis. Any street sweeping problems can be reported to 020 7926 9000.

The council has set up BARK (Borough Action for Responsible K9s), a multi agency team to encourage responsible dog ownership and tackle problems caused by irresponsible dog ownership and the mistreatment of dogs in Lambeth.

Unfortunately it is not always easy to identify the culprits so last October, council staff started joint patrols with the local police. They have issued fixed penalty fines of £75 to dog owners they observed allowing their dogs to foul pavements and parks. These patrols are intelligence led and the locations chosen for patrols depend on the public reporting problems areas to Streetscene on 020 7926 9000 or Streetscene@lambeth.gov.uk.

Torbay ran a controversial posters photo campaign last year to encourage dog owners to pick up after their dog. Do you think we should run a similar campaign in Lambeth?

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December 21, 2009 · 11:42 pm

Snow on hills of West Norwood

Norwood in snow

Jane Pickard and Mike Smith on Lakeview Road at top of Knights Hill on Saturday 19/12/09


Its colder on the top of the hills around West Norwood!  After Tuesday’s ( 15 Dec) snow fall most of the snow had melted in the centre of West Norwood by Saturday but once you get higher than  50 metres above sea level  the  snow and ice stayed much   longer on the roads and pavements.

Martin Sachs , who heads Lambeth’s Highways team, told residents at the Norwood Forum last week that in wintry weather his priority is to grit the busiest roads and those on hills  twice a day , using special gritter vehicles  – apart from red routes which are looked after by t he London Mayor’s Transport for London.  Traffic speeds up  the melting process on roads but gritting pavements is a slower manual process done by  staff who normally sweep the streets. Busy pavements outside shopping centres, schools and  hospitals have priority.  Salt  bins are left unlocked for residents to use.

Labour action team members Jane Pickard and Mike Smith have asked for Norwood’s  side streets to be gritted too. “Some streets are like an ice rink”  said Mike Smith on Saturday “and many older people are trapped in their homes until the pavements are made safe to walk on.”

More snow fell on Monday afternoon (21 Dec) causing chaos throughout London as traffic struggled with the icy roads. The resulting gridlock prevented gritters getting on the road quickly. Gritting will continue throughout the night.

Call Lambeth on 020 7926 9000 to report problem streets and pavements. For red routes call Transport for London 0845 305 1234 (24 hours a day)

For more details of Lambeth’s plans for winter weather see

http://tinyurl.com/yjq5njd

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December 13, 2009 · 11:58 pm

New pubs in West Norwood

Proposed pub site

Jane Pickard & Emmaus staff outside the proposed new pub

The derelict shop at 13-19  Knights Hill, between Emmaus and the new Ladbroke’s betting shop , applied for planning permission to become a bar-restaurant in summer 2008. The final decision will be made on Wednesday 16th December 2009 at Lambeth’s planning committee at 7pm  in Lambeth Town hall . For details of the committee papers see: http://tinyurl.com/yah4558

These meetings are open to the public who may speak in favour or against the proposals.

The shop has been derelict since it was last used as a Job Centre about 10 years ago.  The owners plan a pub similar to Westow House at 79 Westow Hill, The EDT in Lordship Lane and Jam Circus in Brockley Road. See their web site for details : http://www.antic-ltd.com.

And the  new owners of Southern Pride on Elder Road are applying  for a licence under the name of Scandals Bar & Club  http://www.clubscandals.co.uk/index.php.   For details of the licence see http://tinyurl.com/ycxxkd4
Closing date for public ‘representations’ is 28th December 2009.

We still wait to see what happens to The  Gipsy  Queen on Norwood High Street and The Rose & Crown on Crown Lane  which both remain closed.

If you comment on either of these developments please do copy in  Cllr Jackie Meldrum at jmeldrum@lambeth.gov.uk

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