Rubbish dumped on Barville Close & Rocastle Road

I have today reported to the council rubbish dumped on Barville Close and Rocastle Road. Hopefully this should be gone within a week. If the rubbish has not been collected by 15th February, then let me know by emailing me at: me@paulbell.org.

Tonight's Telegraph Hill Ward Assembly

I attended the Telegraph Hill Ward Assembly tonight at the Barnes Wallis Centre and it was a very interesting evening. Most of the evening was devoted to health in the ward with presentations from Dr Brian Fisher of the PCT, Lewisham Link and workers in mental health wellbeing.

The main focus of the evening was on what people thought was good about healthcare provision in Lewisham and what needed to be improved. Generally Lewisham Hospital scored quite highly, but convenient and available appointment times at GP surgeries and the hospital Outpatient department needed improving.

Other topics covered were:

- Outdoor Gym
- The loss of the pedestrian crossing by Barclays Bank in New Cross
- Traffic on Gellatly Road
- Queen's Road llitter
- Good crime figures for the Somerville Estate
- Consultations at Kender Road Primary School - new road layouts which are running on Thusday between 4pm and 8pm; and Saturday between 10am and 3pm.
- Hate crime projects
- Consulation on 343 / N343 bus routes.

Contact me if you need further information on anything stated here. I will be posting a separate article on the Telegraph Hill Labour Website about the TFL consultation on the 343 shortly.

Missing dog in Telegraph Hill

Found this poster while out canvassing today...if you see the dog, please let the owners know.

Canvassing St Norbert's Road and surrounding areas...

I was out canvassing this morning with Joan, Robin and Joe, getting wet and filling in canvassing sheets, that were rapidly turning into paper mache. Now many people would think, we have got a screw loose or are not quite there; but for us it is about the fact that canvassing is an excellent opportunity to help people who have either been missed by the processes and procedures in place at the council and other agencies, or who just simply do not know where to go for help.

Lewisham Homes featured again quite heavily in the needs of people today, but then there is no surprise there when we were in an area with a large percentage of Lewisham Homes properties. The weather, behaving with mischief, raised some issues around the weather proofing and the fabric of buildings originally constructed in 1930s.

Coming from a poor background and a council flat, it always seemed to me that no matter what my parents did to improve our circumstances, the slightest problem would send us straight back to square one. By that I mean, when my father had saved a little of our benefit money, to avoid having to borrow from Shopacheck (one of these legal, but massively expensive lenders of money) to pay for Christmas, the fridge would break down, or the cooker would stop working. So a small relief from the worry of a coming event, would be snatched away by having to fix or replace a necessary machine. Those memories, from twenty-five years ago, came flooding back today when I called on residents.

So what is my point? Sometimes there does not need to be one. However, I am pleased I went out this morning so I can present more casework to Lewisham Homes; but I am also frustrated that in a country with so much wealth that we lose people in the system. In Telegraph Hill, the Labour Action Team will continue to do what we can to give people a hand to support them in aspiring to be the best they can. Why? Because Telegraph Hill, in particular the Honor Oak Estate, reminds me of the place I came from and in a lot ways will never leave.

Honor Oak Drop-In Surgery with SPAG

On Saturday I, along with the Joan, Sandra and Dan, Cllr Robin Cross and Joan Ruddock MP, were at the Honor Oak Community Centre for a ‘Saturday Drop-In Surgery’. The purpose of this event was to provide an opportunity for residents in Telegraph Hill to raise issues, views and opinions about any matter of concern to them. It was busy and there were many people with issues ranging from immigration to housing. One particular issue caught my attention and that was a local action group named SPAG (Skate Park Action Group), who want to bring a skateboarding park to the streets or open space in the ward. They had already secured £1000 funding to do a feasibility study and were discussing with Joan Ruddock and the Labour Action Team, the best way forward and seeking our support. Now I can hear some people say: it will cause anti-social behaviour, or it would generate too much noise, or it will encourage teenagers to cause trouble. A bigger voice may be: not in the park!

I would just like to address some of those issues. Firstly, it is because young people often have nothing to do that they hang around the streets. Secondly, the skateboarding park in Peckham shows that this trouble does not happen. Thirdly, the police support it. Fourthly, it would be a small and well designed park, accommodating between 10 to 30 people.

However, there is no getting away from the fact that it could cause some noise, that the people skating there have to be considerate to the needs of the residents and that the place is secured and maintained. Therefore, location would be an essential part of getting full support. Joan Ruddock emphasised that the group need to overcome the objections of those people effected by it and I am inclined to agree.

Furthermore, it has also been muted that one of the best locations for the skateboarders would be in the upper park (Telegraph Hill Park). This would not be my favoured location, though I am willing to be convinced otherwise, and I am sure, some objections would be voiced over this site. Therefore, the group will soon publish a list of favoured places and would seek support from residents.

I really do think this is an excellent idea and a great facility for the ward. It must however, be placed in the right location, be well designed, maintained and secured with appropriate opening times. The ward assembly identified more youth provision as one of its key priorities. This idea would fit into this priority and as such has my complete support.

Brockley Station...Stop the Cuts!

I was out with three lovely people this morning from 7am, well I was late, (I think I got there at 7:15am), handing out leaflets entitled 'Stop the Cuts!'. For the full story, please click on the link below:

http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com/2009/11/thrills-chills-bellyaches.html

I was supposed to go out canvassing...

...but I am snotty and sweaty after the Swine Flu injection. They told me I would get some symptoms and that this is normal, given that I am placed in a high risk group being diabetic. However, I thought it unwise to knock on people's doors this afternoon and sneeze all over them.

I know quite a few people that have had the virus, but no-one with diabetes. This is my fault really as I do not go to the support groups. I am sure there is one in London. I am also sure I am not alone in that. So now I will be eating my vegetarian stew and thinking about how many voters I have missed. It is absolutely vital that people wishing to stand for public office meet everyone they can, especially in a climate of distrust and dislike for politicians. Though I have never said I am a politician, as this goes against my personal view of myself, namely that politics is a mechanism to maintain the good things we have and fight to rid our society of the negative - my perception.

So I will be back to normal in a few days and knocking on a door in Telegraph Hill. This afternoon I shall be meeting my personal friend, the duvet, for some quiet time. I really do lead an exciting life.

'Savage' Lib Dem Platitudes

It appears the Liberal Democrats are misbehaving again by using me to score party-political point scoring. Now I am not used to sitting back and this is no exception, especially when my antagonisers are as hypocritical as a vegetarian turkey farmer.

In a week when the Liberal Democrats are calling for public sector pay freezes for some of the poorest workers, how dare they manipulate my words and sentiments to lie, scheme and genuinely be dishonest. For them the lessons of the last year have suddenly changed and the guilty are no longer the bankers, the financial sector nor the super rich, but a hospital porter, a paramedic, a lollipop lady and a care worker. This is total rubbish and hypocrisy. I, and people I know in the Labour Party, believe in social justice and that means protecting public services, but honest enough to know that sometimes you have to make tough choices. After-all, who has pumped billions of pounds into the NHS and education since 1997?

The cynical forces of the Liberal Democrat machine would have you believe that I, as a Labour Party candidate, cannot think nor have a view for myself. Am I therefore to understand that Liberal Democrat candidates are drones of a central brain?

Of course not and neither is anyone engaged in politics. The Liberal Democrats are deliberately misrepresenting my comments and it begs the question, who would you rather trust?

Politicians need to be more responsible and campaign by talking about the issues and how we are to tackle them. These silly Lib Dem platitudes do all people involved in politics a dis-service and alienate people from the political process.

A recent comparison of both the Lewisham Lib Dem and the Lewisham Green Party websites have shown quite clearly to me that the Greens are willing to engage in real politics, not the childish squawking provided by the Lib Dems.

Finally, all of us are working hard to make our area a better and safer place to live. There are ways we can do this together, without tribal distinctions; alas I fear the upcoming campaign will not show the best of all the parties.

Reducing the Risk of Burglary - Free Smartwater

This is a really great initiative. Lewisham Council Community Safety Officers in partnership with Lewisham Police will be working to promote a new burglary initiative, piloted in the Telegraph Hill and Brockley Wards over the next few days. They will be promoting and supplying 'Smart Water' property marking kits to local residents and explaining it's uses, while at the same time offering support and advice about crime prevention.

Initially 1,200 residents across the borough will be offered the packs for free and if the initiative is successful more may be issued in the future. The use of Smart Water in other areas has shown a reduction in burglary rates, and a higher rate of convictions.

What is SmartWater?

Each SmartWater system contains a unique forensic code which is simply dabbed into the nooks and crannies of your valuables. Each SmartWater code is stored on a secure database together with the owner’s details making them uniquely identifiable.

Once dry, SmartWater is virtually impossible to remove and any traces will glow under ultra-violet light. SmartWater irrefutably links criminals to the crime scene and property back to its owner.

SmartWater is an Official Police Accredited Organisation.

When used by UK police forces as part of their crime prevention initiatives, SmartWater has achieved reductions in burglary of up to 84%.

Using SmartWater

TVs, Stereo Systems, Mobile Phones, MP3 Players, i-Pods, Jewellery, Play stations and X-boxes etc can be marked with SmartWater.

It may not be possible to mark all property, therefore consider what property would be most difficult to replace financially and/or has the greatest sentimental value.

Mark items in sheds and garages, as they often contain items of high value.

Removable items in vehicles can be marked, particularly SAT NAV systems.

Marking is easy – just brush a small amount of the liquid onto the property to be marked.

Where possible, mark the property on the underneath, side, inside or at the back.

Each SmartWater kit has a unique reference number that will be registered to your address alone.

If the property is sold, lost or disposed of, record it on a list or in a diary, including the date and if known, any new owner details.

What next?

Officers will be calling on your doors and will show you appropriate credetials. Residents then complete the paperwork, in order that SmartWater have their details and can be contacted if property is recovered by the police after a burglary.

The police have a UV detection arch in Lewisham Police Station and the burglary squad have been issued with UV detector lamps which can pick up SmartWater.

Residents should also put a SmartWater sticker in their window to let people know property is marked. Signs will be put up in the local area to say that SmartWater has been distributed to residents.

I would recommend it. If you miss the officers when they call round, let me or one of the Labour Action Team know and we can see if we can get a revisit booked.

For more information on Smartwater, click the link HERE.

Happy Birthday from the Lib Dems

It seems that despite the public’s disliking for party political games, I am in the middle of one, kindly created by the Lewisham Lib Dems, who have recently misquoted from my article “Defending public service…”

During one of the worst recessions facing the planet, where one child dies every three seconds in the developing world, when people are facing difficult financial choices, with some losing their jobs and having their houses repossessed, the Lib Dems think it is more important to engage in party political point scoring. I find this dull, to be honest, and I will not engage in such silly games.

This morning, I met a lady called Maureen at the 170 Centre, in New Cross, who needs help with anti-social behaviour and adaptions to her home. She is not interested in attacking the Labour Party, nor creating melodramatic metaphors, but in finding help and support. She is the reason I am involved in politics.

2009 is a different place to that of even 2007. If the Lib Dems, or anyone else wish to live in the past, then that is up to them. I am more concerned with helping people.

However, I am involved in the Labour Party, because I grew-up in poverty, and I saw that the Labour Party is the best vehicle to attain social justice. Day-in-day-out, Labour Party members, volunteers and representatives work tirelessly for people in Lewisham and around the country. We are constantly faced by a negative media response. We are also a Party that is alive and discussing issues that everyone faces and coming up with solutions. When I first came to Lewisham, I was impressed by the passion and commitment from people like Steve Bullock, Jarman, Jackie and Sylvia – councillors for Crofton Park, and Joan Ruddock. Tough decisions are made in the best interests of the people of Lewisham, not against them. This is the real story.

I will continue along with other Labour Party members to work for people like Maureen, because this is the real politics not the cynicism that we often find in the media.

So, as it is my birthday today, I’d like to thank Cllr Chris Maines for my birthday gift.

Defending public service...

Today’s Guardian is running an article about “EasyCouncil” , Barnet, as it is adopting a budget-airline approach to public services, where residents can pay extra for jumping the queue for planning consent or decide to spend a care allowance on a cleaner, respite care or a holiday to Eastbourne.

Of course the London Borough of Barnet is considered to be a shining example of “New Conservatism” and it is showing clear signs that it is developing a new form of Thatcherism, something the Conservative Party cannot seem emancipate itself from. Furthermore, Barnet is intending to make huge efficiency savings by outsourcing services to save £15 million a year, or as I like to call it – throwing away hard working staff to the private sector. I fail to understand why councillors and some council officers believe destroying careers, demoralising staff and breaking-up the ethos of public service is good for a community. May I remind the councillors that make these decisions that some efficiency savings of their own could be made in council functions, twinning trips, drinks, food and IT equipment, not to mention the allowances, perks, outside bodies and their basic salary.

Capital is making bolder steps to further dismantle public services and the morality, and it is morality, of the wealthiest paying the most to support the less well off. We have recently seen attacks on the NHS and this is just the beginning. Labour has monumentally failed to be bold enough to weaken the Conservative Party when it was at its most vulnerable and now we could be faced with a further dismantling of the state. We are NOT the US and I don’t want to live in the USA.

What is also apparent is that the Labour Party no longer represents the voice of the weak, the powerless and the poor in the minds of voters. It is a hard job for me to convince them that we do, eventhough the NHS is alive and kicking despite the greed of drug companies, the private sector and the wolves at the door in Conservative clothing; eventhough crime is down and as a society we are happier; eventhough a lot of the Thatcherite policies of dismantling the welfare state, have in-part, been stopped for now. I am not blaming anyone but the Labour Party for this, but it needs to pick-up the standard of the poor, of the powerless, of the weak and the ordinary citizen, now. Just as climate change has to be stopped, so does the breakdown of the belief in democracy. Tony Benn has said time and time again, that it is democracy that has made social progress, as power shifted from the rich to the poor. Only when power was attainable by convincing the working class, and I use this term to represent ordinary people, to vote for you, did we get pensions, housing, sanitation, education, health care and emancipation. If voters become more and more disillusioned and more apathetic, then these hard-fought for victories will be lost.

I have said before that the government should be afraid of its people and not the other way round. Voting is crucial to prevent the power of “Capital” dominating our lives and restricting health care, education and life to the richest in society. The last thing the councillors in Barnet want is a well educated, intelligent electorate, nor the neo-liberals, hiding in all the mainstream parties.

Many voters now see that non-mainstream parties are now the defence against this Barnet New Conservatism. I disagree, not because I wear my Labour Party membership like a battle dress, but simply because without proportional representation, the defence will be too weak. For now, the Labour Party is the only defence in the general election and in Lewisham.

Out and about on Sandbourne Road

I was out knocking on doors last night on Sandbourne Road along with the lovely Janet. Most people seemed happy, but the following issues were raised:

1. Disabled access for wheelchairs users along Jerningham Road. Mr Ridgeway said he and others were having difficulty on the pavements, where uneven surfaces and raised areas around trees were proving difficult to drive along. By the time he had reached Sainbury's at New Cross Gate, the bumps and jolts were causing him pain and discomfort - I have raised this with Cllr Cross this morning.

2. Lewisham homes - again some repairs are not being done. I will pursue this with Cllr Cross.

3. CCTV and fly-tipping. A resident raised with us the issue of dumping rubbish on the corner of Reservoir Road and why not use the CCTV from local businesses to find the culprits. An interesting idea which I will raise with Cllr Cross.

If you have any issues or concerns, then you can email me at paul@paulbell.org or add a comment to this posting.

Endwell & Vesta Roads and a Monday evening...

I spent my evening on Monday on Endwell and Vesta Roads; a lot of issues were raised from Japanese Knotweed, delayed and non-existent repairs by Lewisham Homes to car 'keying' on Vesta Road. Also, there is still the complete distrust of politicians; though I do not consider myself to be one, I am tarred with the same brush. Can you really blame people, when the very people who were flipping homes or claiming for everything they could, are still MPs and earning tax-payers money?

Today, the BBC is reporting that the new Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, has ordered a £20,000 refurbishment of his grace-and-favour flat, i.e. free palace-on-one-level, even after the former speaker spent £724,600 on it from 2000 to 2008. These people still do not live in the real world. The real world in Telegraph Hill is about getting damp and leaks sorted out before the end of the decade, not about £6764.30 on a new 'sofa set'.

With all this greed and self-indulgence at our expense, I find myself supporting a new voting system, something I have never been sure about before. Alas, PR would give much needed stimulus to the recovery of people's trust in those that are elected to run our institutions on our behalf. I can see no other way, as democracy is so damaged that someone like me is finding it harder than ever to convince people I am genuine.

170 Community Centre and Cllr Cross' Surgery

On Saturday, I and Dan did Robin's surgery, but no-one came. However, it was a good opportunity to see the work of the 170 Community Centre, which provides a whole range of support and advice, from benefits to well being.

If anyone would like to know more, then email me at paul@paulbell.org.

Brockley Station footbridge reopens tomorrow from 11am...

Finally the footbrisge at Brockley Station will reopen tomorrow from 11am. The station revamp will continue for the time being, as there is still work that needs to be done.

Brockley Station...never has a footbridge been so missed

You know how it is, you are rushing around in the morning to get yourself together, maybe the kids to school, your lunch made and a train to catch. I do this every morning and it is always a battle between the clock and me. And nearly every day, I nearly miss the train. But the situation with the footbridge at Brockley Station would make a mockery of my battle with the morning clock…I would miss the train everyday because the footbridge is still closed and causing unbelievable inconvenience to residents.

The situation is made worse by asbestos and poor design, along with the most active engagement of the community in what stone and fencing to use in the revamped station forecourt. However, there needs to be some common sense; the closure of the footbridge is annoying for those people who live on the Telegraph Hill side of Brockley.

It is with this in mind that I spoke to the Deputy Mayor, Heidi Alexander, who assures me the council is doing everything it can to get the footbridge reopened. I am awaiting an update on re-opening dates and will post it here once I know.

Telegraph Hill

On Friday night I was selected in Telegraph Hill along with Joan Millbank and Dan Whittle. It will be a hard campaign, but one worth the effort as it is a winnable ward. The branch is brilliant and has an excellent, active membership with a great campaigns officer - Laura Seabright. Interestingly, there seems to be a bit of a Sheffield mafia going on...I'll explain in later posts.

So here is to the hard work and to successfully winning Telegraph Hill!

0870 - No thanks! How to save money

More and more companies are using 0870 & 0845 numbers, but what they fail to tell you is that you are paying them to be kept on hold. 0870 numbers can be up to 25 times a normal call cost. For example, on BTs basic package, calling a landline during the day costs 3p/min, yet calling 0870 numbers is 7.5p/min. Even if you have a free calls package, 0870 & 0845 numbers are not included and you'll have to pay. In addition, 0845 numbers are considered local rate calls, but this is not always the case. For example calling from a BT line in the evening, you'd pay 30p for a half hour 0845 call compared to 5.5p for a normal call.

The revenue a company can make for a free 0870 number is from 2p/minute. A simple example: a big company with 3,000 daily daytime callers, each holding for 10 minutes would generate over £150,000 a year. To get around the expense, call the free sales line number or go to: www.saynoto0870.com and click on the link to 'Search to find an alternative number'. (This information is courtesy of www.moneysavingexpert.com).

Bolivia nationalises and France protects...have we got it wrong?

I am surreptitiously smiling inside today as Bolivia has told the big multi-nationals that they are going to nationalise their gas industry. The President of Bolivia, Mr Morales said the gas fields were "just the beginning, because tomorrow it will be the mines, the forest resources and the land".

While France protects in the name of economic patriotism, Bolivia takes control of its assets. Do you think we have got our policy wrong when so many British companies are falling prey to foreign companies? I do....