Centre 70 is our local advice centre at 46 Knights Hill SE27 0JD (opposite West Norwood train station) and has been helping local people since it started in 1970! And many people need more help than ever . Drop in between 6pm and 8pm on Thursday 24th September to Centre 70’s open evening at Portico Gallery , 23 Knights Hill SE27 0HS to find out about the different ways Centre 70 provides support and how we can all get involved. This event will be hosted by our former MP Tessa Jowell . For more information on the advice and counselling services at Centre 70 see: http://centre70.org.uk/ .
London’s social mix has always been a key part of London and is under threat more than ever before. The Government’s new ‘Vacant Building Credit’ waives the need for developers to include affordable housing when redeveloping vacant buildings. These payments are vitally important to ensure a supply of affordable homes for families, and to ensure that our neighbourhoods remain mixed communities – not just luxury enclaves for the rich.
After almost 25 years as our local Member of Parliament, Dame Tessa Jowell will be stepping down at the next general election . Tessa has been a fantastic local MP and has been very closely involved in many key issues in West Norwood, including the delivery of the new Health and Leisure Centre, the setting up of Elmgreen School and West Norwood Feast.
The local Labour Party selected Helen Hayes to be the Labour candidate in Dulwich & West Norwood at the general election on 7th May 2015. Helen has lived locally for almost 20 years and has two small children who attend a local school. Helen has a background in town planning and urban regeneration and she is currently a councillor in the constituency. You can find out more about Helen at www.helenhayes.org.uk or follow her on twitter at @helenhayes_.
Does your family use or need childcare? If so please fill in this quick online survey by Monday 6th October: www.surveymonkey.com/s/IPPRsurvey. And there is a chance to win a £50 shopping voucher!
Lambeth & Southwark Childcare Commission, chaired by Tessa Jowell MP, is looking for ways to improve childcare in our area and carrying out reasearch with The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Childcare in London is hard to find and expensive. The Family and Childcare Trust’s recent report highlights the shortage of affordable childcare in London http://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/News/london
The great news is that West Norwood Leisure Centre is opening its doors on 28th July 2014!
The project has a long history. It only became a real possibility once residents & local Labour councillors started campaigning with MP Tessa Jowell in 2008 for West Norwood to have its own leisure centre.
Jackie Meldrum, pictured with just some of the petition from residents, said “It was the tremendous support from local people that led Labour-run Lambeth council and Lambeth NHS to get together and build a joint Health & Leisure Centre. By working together we are making West Norwood a wonderful place to live. ”
Vociferous opposition to the project came from the local Conservative party whose leading members still remain opposed to the Health & Leisure Centre.
The Leisure Centre is on Devane Way SE27 0DF, opposite the Knights Hill entrance to West Norwood train station . It has a 6-lane 25m swimming pool, a 100-station gym and a dance studio/ group exercise room. Health services are due open in September.
For details of activities at the Leisure Centre see:
Ward councillors and local MP Tessa Jowell visited West Norwood businesses following the disturbances on night of Monday 8th August. Everyone is keen to get back to business as usual.
Attempts made to break into several shop premises in Norwood Road and the door of The Money Shop was broken down. The break in was recorded on CCTV and the police have posted pictures of suspects: http://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolitanpolice/6025500434/in/set-72157627267892973/. What happened in West Norwood was opportunistic attempts to rob a few shops, rather than the overwhelming looting seen elsewhere.
The police are now making hundreds of arrests of people involved in looting across London and courts are sitting for long hours to process the cases quickly. To get up to date advice and information directly from official police sources you can subscribe to the Community safe web site and choose the information alerts for the areas you are interested in. http://www.communitysafe.gov.uk.
The good news is that following the widespread recent public disorders of this week there has been a fantastic response from Lambeth residents offering to come & help clean up. The council is now co-ordinating a Volunteering Speed Dating event next week. If you have been inspired by the recent community responses or you have always just wanted to volunteer then come along talk to like minded people. Just drop in between 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday 17th August at The Assembly Hall in Acre Lane SW2 1RW (between the Town Hall & Tesco). For details see: http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/News/2011/120811VolunteeringSpeedDating.htm
A fun day was had by all at the Community Action Day event on 30th October held on Holderness Way. Residents, supported by local Labour councillors and Lambeth Living, organised the Action Day. It was a chance for neighbours to get to know each other and to get people involved in tacking local issues. With the rain holding off (for most of the day) families enjoyed activities ranging from tug-o-war and five aside football to face painting, bulb planting, a bouncy castle and computer activity bus. A live DJ entertained people while free food was available for all those who came along. Local MP Tessa Jowell and the London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark, Val Shawcross, attended the Action Day and chatted with residents and those organising the event.
Following the success of the community day, a meeting will be held to set-up a Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) on the estate. The TRA will give residents a greater ‘voice’ on issues affecting the lives of people on the estate and the area as a whole. If you would like to be involved in the Residents Association please contact Knights Hill Councillor, Mike Smith, at msmith10@lambeth.gov.uk.
Labour's Tessa Jowell - Winning Dulwich and West Norwood
Tessa Jowell has been re-elected as the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood on May 6th 2010. Tessa’s majority over the runner-up has increased to 9,365.
Result:
Labour 22,461
Lib Dem 13,096
Conservative 10,684
Green 1,266
UKIP 707
Campaigners celebrating with Jackie Meldrum and Tessa Jowell
Its official! The swimming pool for West Norwood is going ahead!
Last month NHS Lambeth and Lambeth council launched the joint leisure and health centre project at Norwood Hall. The leisure centre will have a 25m swimming pool, 100 station gym & dance studio. One of our local GPs will move into the health centre with local dentists and clinics.
With £14.2 million agreed from the Labour government Lambeth can now get started on the project to build a brand new joint leisure and health centre on the Norwood Hall site opposite West Norwood Station. Soil samples have been taken recently as part of getting the designs ready for a planning application when local people will have another chance to comment on the scheme. Building work could start by the end of 2010 and be finished before the Olympics in 2012!
A leisure centre will give West Norwood the boost it so desperately needs. For the last two years the West Norwood Labour Action team has been campaigning with Tessa Jowell, our MP, for a swimming pool for the area. Without the support from hundreds of local people the campaign would have got nowhere.
Only last month Lambeth Conservative and Lib Dem councillors voted against the leisure centre. The Tories and Lib Dems did nothing for our area when they ran Lambeth. Now West Norwood is finally getting the investment it needs – thanks to Labour.
Labour led Lambeth Council and local MP Tessa Jowell are pleased to announce plans to expand popular local primary school Julians into a four form entry school.
For the school year starting in September 2010 Kingswood School will have 2 extra reception classes. The extra good news is that Julians school has also agreed to open another reception class for this September’s intake. Please pass this information on to any local parents who are applying for reception places for the new school year starting in September – the deadline for applications is in a week’s time on Monday, 1st February. More information here.
Last week, Julians school governors agreed in principle to run the new primary school that Lambeth will be building in central West Norwood . The plans are at an early stage and propose that the new two form entry primary school would be called Julians West Norwood and take reception children on its new site by September 2011. Subject to government funding, St Julians would then move to the new site to allow the old school, Julians Streatham, to be rebuilt as a two form entry school. This would make Julians a four form entry school split over two sites with two different ‘ admission points of entry’. Lambeth Council is currently in confidential negotiations to acquire a site in the area around West Norwood station.
West Norwood has become very popular with families in the last 2 or 3 years and so there has been a rapidly growing demand for school places. Cllr Paul McGlone and Cllr Jackie Meldrum have been working hard with Tessa Jowell MP to make sure there are enough local primary school places .
Tessa & Paul successfully lobbied the Labour government to help fund a new school for West Norwood .This £9m extra government funding, together with money provided by Lambeth and the agreement of St Julian’s School, means we can now go ahead with a brand new primary school in West Norwood.
A big thank you to all the parents who have taken the time to meet, email, petition or write to Tessa and councillors. Community support has had a real impact on government and council funding decisions.
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