Here is the text of a letter from Cllr Alan Hall to Janet Senior, Acting Chief Executive, Lewisham Council:

Dear Janet,

Lewisham Clock Tower

The state of Lewisham Clock Tower on Lewisham High Street has been raised on social media. I am writing to request that the Council consider how to repair and keep this local icon in a good state see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/435277893269381/permalink/1226339250829904/?comment_id=1226703740793455&reply_comment_id=1226841334113029&notif_id=1520208323327389&notif_t=group_comment_mention&ref=notif

A broken clock maybe a good symbol for austerity but it isn’t a good beacon of hope for Lewisham and Lewisham Council.

I would argue with all the major development occurring in Lewisham Town Centre and the consequent sums of money involved, the Council should appreciate the past as it looks to the future and prioritise the upkeep of the Lewisham Clock Tower. As you will know the Lewisham Clock Tower was erected by public subscription at a time when Lewisham High Street was becoming a vibrant shopping destination. A short history is here:  http://www.lewishamcard.co.uk/latest/2016/5/16/the-history-behind-the-lewisham-clocktower

I look forward to your constructive reply how this maybe achieved in the near future and for generations to come.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely

Councillor Alan Hall     

Lewisham Council has published a local strategy called “A Vision for Rail” detailing the Council’s ambition for rail services.

It says:

“London’s population is set to increase to over 10 million by 2030. Lewisham will be required to accommodate its share of this growth. The 2016 GLA household estimate for the Borough of Lewisham is 128,966 which represents a growth of 11% since the 2011 Census. The number of households will continue to grow, with an expected 158,964 households by 2033 and 168,195 by 2041/2. This represents a 23% increase in households by 2033.

Whilst housing growth is expected to be particularly significant in Inner London, jobs growth is expected in the major employment sites across the city.

Canary Wharf and Stratford are accessible on the DLR; whereas access to the West End and the City is provided by National Rail and the Overground. Most parts of London rely on the Underground to reach the central London employment centres but as the network does not currently reach into south east London, National Rail must provide equitable access to these employment opportunities.
Our transport network does not just cater for growth in Lewisham alone, surrounding Boroughs have significant growth targets too which means that the transport network will become busier whether more homes are build in Lewisham or not. In fact, as more homes are built in the surrounding Boroughs, it will reinforce the reliance on high capacity rail services to provide access to the important employment centres in Central London, Canary Wharf and Stratford.”

The document describes new stations, new routes and development opportunities.

At the Cinderella Line campaign meeting held in the Rivoli Ballroom in Crofton Park on Saturday 3rd March 2018

Councillor Alan Hall said: “Railways are incredibly important to Lewisham and have shaped our local communities. I have said we must be ambitious for Lewisham but local residents need to be involved in our decisions. I have asked that this important report be discussed at the next Sustainable Development Committee but I would welcome public comments on these new and exciting plans.”

“These include increasing frequencies on existing routes, adding new stations and supporting the Bakerloo Line extension – dubbed Bakerlooisham”

Read the full document here: Lewisham vision for rail docum ent-hq-FINAL-01-11-2017

Update:

The document includes a proposal for a Lewisham station strategic interchange – the fourth London Orbital Hub which is described in a blog here

A Brockley junction or interchange is proposed and a story in the newsshopper is here

Cllr Alan Hall delivered his budget speech to Lewisham Council on Wednesday, 21st February 2018

He said: –

“Last year, I said ‘No-one likes us we don’t care – this isn’t the motto of the London Borough of Lewisham.

We do care.

In this budget we will agree a Care Leavers’ Exemption to Council Tax. This will mean that any care leaver resident in Lewisham will not have to pay Council Tax until they reach 25 years old. See  the Children’s Society

In this budget, there is a tabled addendum outlining the Mayor’s decision to halt the cuts to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – known as CAHMS – previously agreed.

It should be noted that Lewisham CCG and SLAM will have to have a conversation with the Council about their budgets to CAHMS too.

Making decisions with evidence and reviewing demand is the right decision.

It’s good to listen.

We – as Lewisham Council – will be increasing Council Tax – there is little choice with the relentless tory government cuts.

This is a balanced  budget. Lewisham Council has balanced its books.

We have to use “once off resources” again this year.

There are no Section 114 Notices here unlike tory Northamptonshire County Council.

It is right that we are dipping into our reserves before making cuts so we can look to transform services – make partnerships work across the borough to provide services more co-operatively and try to protect the most vulnerable.

Lewisham Council prides itself in its partnerships.

Phoenix Community Housing – now building and letting social and extra care housing is a good example.

An organisation committed to our borough and our residents.

Lewisham Hospital is under unprecedented pressures – As King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust goes into ‘special measures’ we will have to be watchful.

When King’s College Hospital catches a cold, Lewisham Hospital gets pneumonia.

We will have to work with partners in the voluntary sector like Lewisham’s Credit Union.

Lewisham Plus Credit Union will celebrate 25 years in our borough this week.

Lewisham Council will need to listen to our partners to effect the changes we need to make.

The challenges before us are immense. The budget will have to be reduced significantly over the next four years. Because –

The Government chose austerity over growth.

Our budget is the expression of our priorities. We must work with Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and the Shadow Cabinet. And then, we will –

We will build social homes

We will support the vulnerable in our community

We will work in partnership

As Lewisham listens.

Lewisham – the listening Council.

Lewisham – a community Council.

The full budget papers and agenda are here

.@LewishamCouncil is listening to young care leavers and hearing their need for support. They've already exempted care leavers from paying council tax, has your council done the same? ➡️➡️ https://t.co/huh26GtU45 https://t.co/FawUevGt46

— The Children's Society (@childrensociety) February 22, 2018

On Saturday, 10th February local residents and campaigners held a ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ mourning demonstration outside New Cross Gate Crown Post Office which is to close on 15th February 2018. Campaigners argue that this is the loss of a vital public service for an inferior franchise offer.

A smaller franchise post office will open in a local convenience store at One Stop 165 – 167 New Cross Road, London, SE14 5DG. The Post Office announcement is here

Home Office services like the Foreign Nationals Biometric Residents Permit will be lost.

The Communications Workers Union are campaigning for a successful post office network including a new Post Bank. Mole Mead, CWU opposes the closure of Crown Post Offices saying that the closure of Crown post offices will have negative economic and social effects on high streets – even if moved just 500 yards into the back of a newsagent – with the businesses left behind suffering and the area going into decline. The only thing driving this move is cuts to make profit.

Clive Tickner, CWU Area Representative said: “This is a very sad day for the staff that have served this community over many years.”

Councillor Alan Hall, Chair of Lewisham Council’s Business Panel said: “New Cross Gate Crown Post Office provides a vital public service. It will be missed. Hundreds of customers and local residents have signed our banner and book to say thank you for the years of public service.”

He went on to say: “With Sydenham Crown Post Office under threat this means there could be no Crown Post Offices within the London Borough of Lewisham – and the loss of a full range of services for our residents. The Post Office should think again.”

Councillor Alan Hall attended a parliamentary debate held at Westminster Hall on Tuesday 25th April 2017 – you can watch the debate here

Councillor Alan Hall requested a briefing on Lewisham’s Crown Post Offices from the CWU – this is here

Read the Newsshopper report here

It’s great to share good news in these difficult times and The Fellowship Inn project in Bellingham is good news and it shows how to get things done. See this new video on youtube:

Churches Together in Bellingham ‘Carols on the Green’ 2017

Churches Together in Bellingham ‘Carols on the Green’ 2017

Churches Together in Bellingham ‘Carols on the Green’ 2017

On the 14th year of Bellingham’s Carols on the Green, Sir Steve Bullock the Mayor of Lewisham led the countdown to light the permanent Christmas Tree on Bellingham Green. The Mayor was assisted by Mr Wilfred Hopgood who helps organise the ‘Young at Heart’ of Christ Church on Bellingham Green.

The legendary Sedgehill School band accompanied carol singers from Athelney Primary School, Elfrida Primary School, Haseltine Primary School and St Augustine’s Primary School. The service was led by Rev Raymond Singh of Bellingham Churches Together. The Lewisham Police Cadets distributed the printed programmes.

Bellingham Beats the young people’s dance group supported by Trinity Laban’s Amy Robinson performed ‘magic gloves’ which make them dance in all sorts of ways!

Rev Raymond Singh said: “At this time of year it is important t come together as a local community to support one another. The local school children sing out for us all.”

Bellingham Councillor Alan Hall said: “Bellingham Carols on the Green is held on the first Monday in December and lifts the spirits of Bellingham. Music, dance and singing bring the community together at Christmas time.”

Councillor Alan Hall read a message of support from local MP, Ellie Reeves.

The event was supported by Bellingham Local Assembly, Lewisham Council, Glendale and Bellingham Churches Together.

An article in The Mercury was tweeted:

https://twitter.com/cllralanhall/status/942418397597523968

A hard hitting report on Thames Water and water main bursts by Lewisham Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee has supported the Fire Brigade Union’s campaign to make the Fire Brigade the statutory emergency service for flooding.

The report was commissioned after major water main bursts occurred across London including Lewisham on 26th November 2016 where over 40 people were evacuated from their homes and a further 40 people were led to safety from a coach stuck in the roadway in Lee High Road.

Council’s across London – Lewisham, Islingtion, Lambeth and Hackney – together with the Greater London Authority’s Environment Committee have agreed joint recommendations:

1. That Thames Water improve their emergency response arrangements including instituting a dedicated emergency response line for the reporting of leaks and investigating the possibility, with the Metropolitan Police Service, of receiving a ‘blue light’ service from the Police should a major incident be declared.
2. That Thames Water improve and join up their monitoring system for detecting the likelihood of bursts on major trunk mains.
3. That Thames Water, when submitting their case to OFWAT for their future 5 year investment plans, prioritise the phased improvement of ageing Victorian pipe replacement on major trunk mains. This should be completed within a specified period to be determined and published by Thames Water, but 15 years is proposed, given the problems that major bursts on these roads cause to businesses and residents.
4. That Thames Water develop and publish performance and attendance standards, both in relation to major and minor pipe bursts.
5. That a clear and comprehensive compensation policy be developed by Thames Water, covering clean up/insurance/compensation and goodwill payments. This should be clearly communicated to customers and available on the company website. Compensation for inconvenience should be formally recognised and included in the policy.
6. That the Mayor, GLA and London Boroughs support the campaign of the Fire Brigade Union to become the statutory Emergency Response Service for flooding, as recommended by the Pitt Review in 2008, in view of the recent major bursts resulting in severe flooding and given the fact that such occurrences are more likely in the future due to the ageing Victorian trunk mains network across London.
7. That the London Plan should include provision, when planning permission for basements is being requested, to ensure that a risk assessment is carried out prior to approval to ensure the risk to life of flooding is minimised.

Lewisham’s chair of the scrutiny inquiry, Councillor Alan Hall said: “I think most people will be amazed that the Fire Brigade do not have the statutory responsibility for flooding. These incidents can put lives at risk. They cause major disruption to the public. I am very pleased that Lewisham Council has got behind this call for the government to make the fire brigade the statutory service for flooding.”

Dave Green of the Fire Brigades’ Union said: “The FBU has been lobbying for over a decade for flooding to be made a statutory duty for the fire service across the UK. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all seen the sense in this. It is only the Westminster government who see fit to exclude the fire service from this duty.

The reality is that the fire service does attend and will always attend flooding incidents across the UK. The public expect it and the fire service expect to. The reality is that the Conservatives want the job done on the cheap – as giving the fire service a statutory duty will mean committing finances to assist the fire service in attending such incidents. At the moment, resourcing for equipment and training comes out of existing budgets.”

Lewisham Council agreed to fully support the campaign to make the fire brigade the statutory emergency service.

Article in the newsshopper is here

Councillor Alan Hall proposed a motion for World AIDS Day on the 1st December 2017. The motion welcomes the improvements in drug therapies and greater testing in London. The Council  pledges to improve prevention services and treatment and care in the London borough where HIV prevalence is high.

Lewisham facts and figures include:

• A high rate of HIV infection compared to the London and England average
• A rate of HIV (8.2 in 1,000 residents) is the 8th highest in London
• Areas in the borough have some of the highest HIV rates in the UK
• It is estimated that one in five people in London with HIV do not know it
• 1,730 people in the borough were living with HIV in 2014
• The key risk groups for HIV are African people and men who have sex with men (MSM), however, HIV occurs in all populations
• 46% of people in the borough diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed late and may be already unwell

In his speech, Councillor Alan Hall said:

“Public Health England published new data showing a steep decline in HIV diagnoses in gay men, down 21% in 2016, compared to 2015. This should be celebrated. But what the headlines didn’t focus on there are 31,600 women living with HIV in the UK, 31% of the total. Accessing the right support can be critical to living well with HIV.

Often, when people think about HIV, they don’t think about women. Women’s experiences, priorities, and needs around HIV prevention, care or support may be very different to those of men.”

He went on to say:

“The Nation AIDS Trust has launched a now let’s end it campaign.  In this motion we support an:
• End the growth of the epidemic: we have the tools we need, now we
must ensure the political will and investment to stop HIV in its tracks.
• End ignorance about HIV: we know how and what to teach people, now
we need to ensure that every child in every school learns what they need to
protect themselves.
• End stigma and discrimination: the laws are in place but now we must
implement them and ensure we all have access to justice.
• End the link between HIV and poverty: we know having HIV means you
are more likely to live in poverty, now we must tackle the causes of poverty.
• End seeing the virus not the person: we need to ensure that support is
provided for all people with HIV to live full and happy lives.
• End the disproportionate impact of HIV on some communities: no one
should be at increased risk of HIV because of where they are from or who
they have sex with.

Lewisham Council unanimously agreed the motion the full text  as amended is here

A report in the South London Press 5th December 2017