At the full Council Meeting, held on Monday, 17th July in the Council Chamber at Lewisham Town Hall, Councillors discussed many important matters including responses to the Grenfell Tower fire in Lewisham, and what the future holds for the borough in the wake of this year’s general election. Some of the topics covered were:
Bell Green’s iconic gas holders
Councillor Alan Hall presented a petition boasting over 600 signatures was presented by These Streets Belong to Us and the Sydenham Society. The petition calls for the gas holders to be listed and for the land around them to be used for residential units rather than retail developments, which is what the land would most likely become if the gas holders were to be demolished and replaced by a super store. Councillor Alan Hall pressed the Deputy Mayor in a Council Question about local listing for buildings of architectural interest for a meeting to discuss an alternative plan including much needed residential accommodation. The full text of the petition is here
Update from the Mayor on Lewisham’s responses to the Grenfell fire
Mayor Steve Bullock described the work that has been done so far by Lewisham Homes, housing associations and private landlords testing cladding on buildings across the borough, and establishing which buildings had the same type of cladding. Three buildings were identified and their cladding will be removed.
Mayor Sir Steve Bullock said: “Many more things will change in the months and years ahead… Anything less would be an insult to those that lost their lives.”
Councillor Alan Hall chaired a meeting with the Lewisham’s new Fire Commander Martin Corbett on the 11th July 2017. An account is here
Congratulations to Lewisham’s three Labour MPs.
Councillor Alan Hall offered congratulations to Lewisham’s three successful MPs: Ellie Reeves, Vicky Foxcroft and Heidi Alexander.
https://twitter.com/cllralanhall/status/887032349124329474
After brilliant campaigns, Lewisham elected three Labour MPs at the general election on 8th June. Vicky Foxcroft and Heidi Alexander held their seats in Lewisham Deptford and Lewisham East, whilst Ellie Reeves was victorious in Lewisham West and Penge.
In Lewisham Deptford, Labour actually saw one of the largest majorities in the country with Vicky Foxcroft garnering 34,899 votes more than the second-place candidate.
Councillor Alan Hall said: “Heidi Alexander MP, Vicky Foxcroft MP and Ellie Reeves MP will serve Lewisham well. They will work to save our NHS, put funding into education and fight against the Tories’ brutal and unnecessary austerity measures.”
For more see my election press release here
What does the future hold for Lewisham in the aftermath of the general election?
As Lead Labour Non Executive Councillor, Councillor Alan Hall asked the Mayor: “What is the outlook for Lewisham Council following the General Election?” in his supplementary question Councillor Alan Hall said: “Will Mayor Steve Bullock commit to upholding LGBT+ and women’s reproductive rights in Lewisham in light of the Tories’ alliance with the DUP?” The Mayor agreed this was important.
https://twitter.com/cllralanhall/status/887038633424900097
Establishment of a SLaM Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee
A report put forward by the Head of Law proposed the creation of a JHOSC composed of authorities from Lambeth, Southwark, Croydon and Lewisham. This is to examine proposed changes to mental health services.
Speaking about a recent success with another Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Alan Hall described a victory for Save Lewisham A&E campaigners, Mark Easton head of Our Healthier South East London (OHSEL) announced that Lewisham would be one of the three sites getting orthopaedic centres.
Cllr Alan Hall said, “This is a real victory for the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign and the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee. Including Lewisham Hospital in the Orthopaedic Surgery sites was essential for good quality local services.
“I will be asking for an assurance that there will be full public consultation on any significant changes to our NHS as a result of the STP proposed by OHSEL. It is right that the public have a say in this major programme described as ‘challenging’.”
Motion presented by Cllr Liam Curran celebrating Co-operatives Fortnight
Councillor Liam Curran in proposing the motion praised Lewisham Co-ops. They include the successful Lewisham Plus credit union, Phoenix Community Housing, Brockley Tenants Co-op and mutuals in the borough including Lewisham Music and Youth First.
Councillor Alan Hall said: “I am a proud co-operator. As a board member of Phoenix Community Housing – a co-operative – where we share the Green Man building with the Lewisham Plus Credit Union and Lewisham Music I know the importance of co-operation in our community. Let’s make Lewisham Council a truly co-operative council.”
