A site for residents of Prince's Ward, SE11, in the London Borough of Lambeth. Check for updates from your Labour Action Team's campaigning, local information, and meetings.

Monday 23 March 2009

Ethelred coffee morning announced


Our next community coffee morning will be for residents of the Ethelred Estate, Whitgift Estate, and Ethelred Towers. Over the next couple of weeks people will be receiving invitations to this event, which will be held in Pory Hall, on Lambeth Walk.
The coffee morning will take place from 11am to 12:30pm, on Saturday 4 April. Pory Hall is on the first floor of Pory House, above the the ACA Enterprise shop. In the picture shown it is behind the murals. Many thanks to Ethelred TMO for allowing us the use of the hall.
Your councillors and Labour Action Team will be there, along with TMO Board members, and committee members from the Whitgift and Ethelred Towers boards. The police Safer Neighbourhoods Team have been invited.

Sunday 22 March 2009

Kennington Park playground opened








Hundreds of people were out in Kennington Park on a beautiful spring day to watch Kate Hoey MP formally open the new children's playground and wildlife area.

The opening was the highlight of a fantastic day of Spring activities for families, including music, stalls and much more.

Vauxhall Gardens coffee morning


Around 30 residents of the Vauxhall Gardens Estate attended Saturday's community coffee morning, held at the All Nations Centres on Tyers Terrace.
Issues raised with Cllr Lorna Campbell, Cllr Steve Morgan, and Kate Hoey MP included problems with council housing, dangerous dogs, and the state of Vauxhall Spring Gardens.
Two Community Support Officers from the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team also attended to speak to residents about their concerns about crime.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

Spring into nature at Kennington Park this Saturday

This Saturday the Friends of Kennington Park are holding a special fun day this Saturday from midday to 3pm.

There will be music, food, and activities, all celebrating the park.

Kate Hoey MP will be opening the park's new playground at 1pm.

Strawberry planting


Children, parents, and grandparents are invited to a special strawberry planting session, taking place in the Lambeth High Street park.
The session is organised by the Garden Museum and the Whitgift residents association.
It will take on 30 March, from 2pm to 4pm.

Saturday 14 March 2009

Open day at Roots & Shoots


National Science Week Open Day - Roots and Shoots - Sunday 15 March 2009 -11am - 4pm
It may be too early to see green shoots anywhere else but they're guaranteed at Roots and Shoots' Spring Open Day during National Science Week on Sunday15 March.

The acclaimed half acre wildlife garden will be in its spring colours and frogs are confidently predicted to be spawning in the ponds. There will be plenty to interest enquiring young minds in a fascinating exhibition in the Wildlife Garden Study Centre of highlights from the last eight years' Science Days, plus storytelling and bee and newt mask-making.

Vauxhall Gardens coffee morning announced


Residents of the Vauxhall Gardens area are being invited to attend a community coffee morning this Saturday (21 March).


The event will be an opportunity to chat informally to councillors and neighbours, discussing issues of importance to the area.

The coffee morning will be kindly hosted by the All Nations' Centre on Tyers Terrace (pictured). It will run from 11am - 12:30pm. Hope to see you there!

Sunday 8 March 2009

Community garden for Sugden boiler site?


A group of local residents have begun investigating the possibility of setting up a community garden on a derelict site at the corner of Lambeth Walk and Old Paradise Street.
The site has been empty since the demolition of Sugden House nearly a decade ago. The awkwardly shaped site surrounds the main boiler for the Ethelred Estate, making development difficult. Two applications for housing development have been turned down in previous years, being too large and unsuitable for the site.
Now local residents Trevor, Rachael and Mark have begun to investigate whether a community garden can be set up, at least temporarily. An initial survey of neighbouring residents shows that reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The process may take some time, but hopefully the transformation of this neglected site may be a bit closer!
If you'd like to offer your support for the project, or get involved, please email boilerhouseproject@metronet.co.uk

159 bus review

Transport for London are currently reviewing the 159 bus, which runs along Kennington Road.

If you have any comments please send them to Councillor Steve Morgan before 3 April.

(Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/2810500240/)



Disappointment for SE11's parks


Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens and Kennington Park are both disappointed after learning they did not win the Mayor of London's funding competition. Parks that won the public vote can look forward to receiving a grant of £400 000 for major improvements.

Full results of the poll are here

The Friends of Kennington Park commented: 'Of course we are very disappointed at the result but will do all we can to secure funds from other sources to pay for the much needed improvements.

'Many thanks to all the individuals, businesses and organisations who supported us in so many ways throughout the campaign. We only wish it had all come to a successful conclusion.

'However, our resolve to achieve coveted Green Flag status for the park hasn't been dented by this setback - and we hope we can count on your continued support in the future.'
Local campaigner Mark Harrison commented: 'It's a great shame that the efforts of the two 'Friends' groups have gone unrewarded. No doubt our local North Lambeth vote was split by having two parks in the competition that are so close together.'
However, there was good news at the AGM of the Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens on Monday. The next stage of the rejuvenation of the park will be going ahead in the next few months. It will include a dramatic new entrance to the park, with a pair of six storey columns leading to an avenue of trees.

Sunday 1 March 2009

Letter to tenants from Steve Reed and Lib Peck

Labour activists have been delivering this letter to tenants on housing estates across Lambeth, to explain why rents have had to rise this year.

Dear tenant,

Rent rise will pay for a better housing service

After decades of failure Lambeth’s housing service is getting better. But it’s still not as good as it should be. Labour’s invested millions of pounds to put in new windows, roofs and doors, but there is still much more to do. Despite the improvements, too many repairs are not done on time or to the standard you expect. Too many families live in overcrowded homes. It’s time to put that right and give every tenant the high quality housing service you deserve.

The problem is, fixing all of that costs money. At the moment there’s not even enough to pay for the services we already have. That’s why some services get cut year after year.

There are two things we can do to bring in the extra money to pay for better services. First, we must work harder to cut out waste and bad management. We will make sure that happens. Second, because rents in Lambeth are low compared to other councils, we have to ask everyone to pay more. We know that’s not easy when times are hard, but the alternative is worse. If rents don’t go up, the council will have to make £9 million of cuts to your services.

Without the rent rise, the cuts could mean:
All CCTV switched off and safety patrols removed
Repairs cancelled
Estates getting dirtier with less cleaning
Homes left damp and unheated
Much longer waiting times when you phone the call centre.

We know you don’t want cuts like that. So, from April, your rent will increase by more than usual. But don’t forget you will still be paying much less than privately rented homes in Lambeth. And your rent will still be lower than the amount charged by Tory or Lib Dem councils like Wandsworth and Islington. Extra help will be available for people on low incomes, and if you’re already receiving housing benefit the amount you receive could go up. If you need help to pay your rent, please call the Customer Centre 020 7926 6000.

We know this year’s rent rise won’t be popular. But the alternative of massive cuts is far worse. This is the only way we can guarantee the better housing service you want and need. Please get in touch if you want to discuss this or any other issues with us. We are here to work for you, and we promise to do everything we can to improve your housing service.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Steve Reed
Leader of Lambeth Council
sreed@lambeth.gov.uk

Cllr Lib Peck
Cabinet Member for Housing & Regeneration
lpeck@lambeth.gov.uk
Promoted by David Amos and Joanne Simpson of Prince's Branch Labour Party (Vauxhall Constituency and Lambeth Borough) all at 264A Rosendale Road, SE24 9DL