Following a hearing at the High Court in London that lasted a whole day on 9th June 2022, Mr Justice Fordham has dismissed a legal challenge against the decision of Lewisham Council to grant planning permission for the development of Mais House, a former sheltered housing block for the elderly on the top of Sydenham …
Author Archives: Alan Hall
Lewisham ‘Demands Better’
Lewisham trade unionists have been on the march. The Trade Union Council, TUC, co-ordinated a march and rally on Saturday, 18th June 2022 where tens of thousands took to the streets of central London to ‘Demand Better’. TUC General Secretary, Frances O’ Grady said that the pressures facing households are getting worse. It now costs …
Rwanda deportation should stop says ECHR
READ THE ECHR PRESS RELEASE IN FULL “Never again” was the refrain during and after the Second World War. It was through the bloodshed and carnage of war that the idea for an agreement or convention on human rights was formed. No government would be allowed to dehumanise and abuse people’s rights with impunity, and …
Lewisham Council finally publish planning cash statement
Lewisham Council has finally published its Infrastructure Funding Statement for 2020/21. This document outlines what money the local planning authority – Lewisham Council in this case – receive from developers in contributions. A contribution means any Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) or money or in-kind for works received from a Section 106 agreement. Section 106 agreements …
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Questions over deselections at Lewisham Council
Two former Lewisham Councillors have published copies of their letters to the Speaker of Lewisham Council ahead of the council’s AGM tonight, Wednesday, 25th May 2022. Caroline Kalu who represented Evelyn Ward – named after John Evelyn the famous diarist – for the Labour Party until this May’s election has claimed that she was effectively …
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Ban Conversion Therapy
Following an outcry by LGBTQA+ campaigners, former Lewisham Councillor Alan Hall has joined campaigners in calling for a comprehensive conversion therapy ban saying: “A ban on conversion practices must cover both sexual orientation and gender identity.Trans people are twice as likely to be subjected to or offered conversion practices as non-trans(cisgender) lesbian, gay or bi …
Lewisham Labour Manifesto 2022
Lewisham Labour has released a colourful and well designed manifesto document for the 2022 local elections. If, as widely tipped, the Labour Party retain control of Lewisham Council, this document will form the basis of the new administration’s corporate plan for the next four years. In terms of governance, there are a few points to …
P&O Fire and Rehire is ‘Beneath Contempt’
On March 17, P&O Ferries in the UK sacked 800 seafarers with 30 minutes notice over a pre-recorded Zoom call. “Aside from being callous and beneath contempt, this behaviour not only lacks any form of basic decency, but appears to be a flagrant violation of UK labour law and international labour standards. Furthermore, the use …
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Former Leader Cllr Jim Mallory retires from Lewisham Council
Cllr Jim Mallory has announced that he will step down from Lewisham Council at the local elections to be held on Thursday, 5th May 2022. In a tweet, Lewisham Council Labour Group said: “Jim has been a principled, committed community champion of this Council since first elected in 1986. We thank him for all his …
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Human Rights Need Protection
Cllr Alan Hall has joined charities, voluntary groups and trades unionists by signing a statement supported by more than 60 civil society organisations objecting to the Government’s plans to “weaken human rights protections in the UK”. The Human Rights Act establishes a legal obligation for the government and public bodies to uphold the human rights of everybody living …