The Leader of the Council's online diary- August 2007
28 August 2007
I was thinking this weekend that as leader of Lambeth I get to read a lot of papers and briefings about the huge number of projects and issues that Lambeth council is involved with. With Peace Month having just started, the opening of the new Brixton Customer Centre, the new school at West Norwood and many more current developments there is a lot to celebrate and also a lot of challenges to meet.
I think it is equally important that you also know what is going on and feel that you can have your say about the work that we are doing. You should receive the monthly magazine, Lambeth Life, that informs you about current activities in the borough and we are currently consulting local residents about how to prioritise next years funding for projects here in Lambeth.
As Leader of the Council, I want to hear what you think about council services and how we can improve the area where you live. People tell me, too, that they also want to know what I do in my job and what I'm doing to help improve things. Please feel that you can contact me and the council by emailing leader@lambeth.gov.uk. You can also get a lot of information from the Lambeth website that is continuously updated. I have also just established my own website, www.stevereed.org.uk* – I wanted to give you a real and regular opportunity to contact me other than in my capacity as Leader of the Council.
Now the summer holidays are coming to an end I feel that there is a new sense of purpose about getting projects delivered and I hope we can make you feel involved and informed about our work.
*www.stevereed.org.uk - this external website is not operated or sponsored by Lambeth Council - it is a personal website operated by Steve Reed in his capacity as a member of the Labour Party and consequently the council has no responsibility for its content and, for the avoidance of doubt, the views expressed on this external website do not necessarily reflect the views of the council.
Thursday 16 August 2007
The council and the police are working hard to get rid of the drug dealers outside Brixton tube station. There was a big sweep-up operation recently with many arrests, and the council's launching of a hard-hitting 'drug deterrence policy' in the early Autumn.
One of the problems is the sheer number of enclosed phone boxes in the area. There are already 24 phones in a short 400 metre stretch outside the tube station. There is absolutely no need for so many phone boxes – most people seem to have mobile phones, and use of telephone boxes has gone down. One group of people who make regular use of them are drug dealers, who use them as sales booths. This leads to high levels of anti-social behaviour and sometimes even violence. So you can imagine how angry people are when there are new applications to set up more phone boxes in the area.
With so many already there they are not needed for making phone calls. I can only conclude they want more boxes because of the revenue they get from selling advertising on them. Phone boxes obscured by advertising make the problem even worse because it's harder to see what’s going on inside.
I'd like to thank the many local residents who responded to my request to put in a formal objection to this daft proposal. It's only local opposition that can stop the companies getting their way. Everyone else – the police, the council, local people – are doing their best to stop the drugs trade. It's time the phone companies got onside too. We have to put people’s safety ahead of corporate profits.
Wednesday 1 August 2007
The pace of change at Lambeth Council is really picking up. At the council’s cabinet meeting on Monday, we took a series of decisions that will help improve council services and residents’ lives.
First we confirmed that – thanks to sensible financial management over the past few months – we’ve found the money we need to ensure we can keep providing the same level of care services to the growing number of older and disabled people who need them. That’s a real achievement and great news for some of our most vulnerable citizens.
We agreed a plan to stabilise the council’s housing budget. There have been big overspends in housing for too long, but we’re now on track to see major improvements and we are confident about providing value for money and high quality services now and in the future.
At the same meeting, we agreed a new way of engaging and involving local people in decision-making. Instead of having formal committees of councillors telling local people what will happen to them, we’re moving to a new system that puts local people first.
Our new Civic Assemblies, led by residents, will set the priorities for change in each of our town centres. And at the neighbourhood level, local people will be encouraged to get involved, bid for money, and make changes in their own communities. This is a real move towards empowering people.