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.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Consultation on future of Oakden/ Wincott Street school site


From Councillor Pete Robbins, Cabinet Member for Children & Young People:



Dear Resident,

We would like to hear your views on the future of the site in Wincott Street SE11, which used to house the Shelley School, but has now been out of use for about a year.

One of the biggest priorities in Lambeth is to ensure we are able to meet the growing demand for school places in the borough.

In the north of the borough, where this site is, there is sufficient capacity in the schools and overall demand for places is lower than the number of places available. This has been the situation for several years. All children in Kennington can be offered a place in a good local school within walking distance of their home.

By contrast, there is currently a critical demand to provide additional primary school places in Norwood and Streatham. To meet this demand Lambeth is building a new school, expanding existing schools, and providing temporary ‘bulge’ classes where necessary – adding an extra eight forms of entry (240 places) this September. However much more is necessary.

The Shelley site is not big enough to accommodate a stand-alone primary school but we have been made aware by the governors at the Archbishop Sumner CE Primary School that they are minded to pursue the expansion of their school, and wish to do this on the former Shelley site, subject to certain criteria being met. A brief statement from the governors of the school is attached to this letter, together with some comments from the local authority.

The council cannot expect government funding for such a scheme when there are sufficient school places locally and cannot justify diverting its own very limited resources on creating new primary places in an area where there are already enough places.

We have to prioritise scarce resources to ensure that every child in Lambeth is offered a place at
primary school. In order to fund the expansion of schools in the areas of high demand we have to sell assets which are surplus to our immediate requirements. As there is no projected demand for an educational use for the Shelley site we propose to sell the site to raise funds to help every child in Lambeth have a primary school place in the future. The future use of the site would be dependent on the wishes of any purchaser and subject to planning consent.

We would be interested in receiving your comments on this proposal. All written comments should be received by 15 July 2011. If you would like to comment please contact:

Chris Sipidias
Regeneration Manager
6th floor, International House
6 Canterbury Crescent
Brixton
SW9 7QE
Tel. 020 7926 5570
Email

You can find out more about the need for primary school places in Lambeth at
www.lambeth.gov.uk/primaryschoolplaces

Yours sincerely,
Councillor Pete Robbins
Cabinet Member for Children and Young People


Views of the Governors of Archbishop Sumner CE Primary School (ABS)

As you may be aware the governing body of ABS has recently been considering the potential for
becoming a two-form entry school. This assessment is something that has been undertaken in the light of the strong view held by some members of the local community that ABS should expand.

In this regard, the governing body consulted with councillors earlier this year and formally requested that Lambeth Council delay any decision on the disposal of the Shelley site for a year, to allow for governors to more fully assess the opportunity for expansion onto the site. The governing body is aware that Lambeth Council has since agreed to dispose of the site pending consent to do so from the Secretary of State for Education.

Governors have been very carefully considering (and continue to consider) the possible effects that expansion (or remaining one-form entry) could have on our school and our local community.
The governing body resolved on 4 May 2011 that it is minded to pursue expansion to two-form
entry onto the Shelley site provided that the satisfaction of specific criteria can be achieved.
I include these below to avoid any potential for misinterpretation of ABS' recently agreed position on school expansion.

The governing body has resolved that it is minded to pursue expansion to two-form entry provided that the following conditions can be satisfied:
• the governing body is satisfied throughout any process towards expansion that expansion
continues to present ABS with the best opportunity to continue to raise standards and is fully
consistent with our ethos, mission and values
• that expansion is onto the Shelley site and
• that the Shelley site is established as suitable for a full extra form of entry
• that sufficient funding is available for expansion and that sourcing funding for expansion does not require ABS to reconsider its previous decision to not pursue academy status
• that the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education is supportive of the pursuit of expansion under these conditions throughout the process

The governing body has not voted in favour of expansion in general but rather that it is minded to expand only under the conditions outlined above. If during any process towards expansion it is established that any of these conditions cannot be satisfied then the governing body reserves the right to not pursue expansion to two-form entry any further.


Comments from the local authority

Archbishop Sumner CE school (ABS) is a well regarded and popular school, rated outstanding by
Ofsted, and as such would be a prime candidate for expansion were there a shortage of spaces in
the area. Projections of demand indicate there will be sufficient places in this part of Lambeth for at least the next five years. It is possible that there will be a significant increase in demand in the
Vauxhall and Nine Elms area after this time, with the proposed developments in the area, but initial investigation has shown that the potential new housing created as part of this development is further away than Lambeth’s target maximum travel distance. In addition, there is a new two form of entry primary school proposed for Lambeth and a new four form of entry primary school proposed for Wandsworth as part of this development.

Lambeth officers are involved in ongoing research and planning to ensure that the pupil places that will be required as part of this, and other local developments will be met, either as part of developer contributions toward education or via lobbying government for additional funding for the expansion of schools, in areas where additional places are needed.

The buildings on the Shelley site are in poor condition and unsuitable in their current form for use as a primary school, which is the reason why the site is no longer used as a school. It is very unlikely that government funding criteria would be met for such new buildings in the foreseeable future. In addition, a short review of a feasibility study commissioned in 2007 has shown that although the school has recently built an extension onto its playground, if there were a need to expand the school to provide additional pupil places in the medium term future, this could be accommodated on the existing site, with some reconfiguration. This may affect the current buildings on the site, though some of them could be retained.

Since the potential for funding to be released via government sources is severely restricted, the
Council has to look for ways to raise additional funding to invest in its ongoing, borough wide
expansion programme. Release of assets which are not currently used, and which cost the Council money to maintain, is one way of doing this. The Council is of the view that disposal of the currently unused Shelley site is the most appropriate way of raising additional capital to support the provision of additional pupil places, in parts of the borough where this is urgently needed.

Sunday 22 May 2011

Lambeth Living walkabout schedule



Lambeth Living hold walkabouts around all their estates to identify problems which need resolving. Residents are welcome to join officers and councillors on these walkabouts. The schedule for this year is as follows:

Kennings Estate
Outside Fowey House
Wednesday 22 June 09.30
Wednesday 2 November 09.30
Bunmi Idollor

Penwith Manor
Tavy Close, White Hart Street
Wednesday 22 June 14.00
Wednesday 2 November 14.00
Bunmi Idollor

Cotton Gardens Estate
Outside Fairford House
Wednesday 29 June 09.30
Wednesday 9 November 09.30
Derrick Brown

Coverley Point & Haymans Point
Outside Coverley Point entrance
Wednesday 29 June 14.00
Wednesday 9 November 14.00
Raphael Abakani

Black Prince Road Estate
Black Prince Road entrance to Sullivan House
Wednesday 6 July 09.30
Wednesday 16 November 09.30
Bunmi Idollor

Vauxhall Five
Outside Tenants Hall
Wednesday 6 July 14.30
Wednesday 16 November 14.30
Bunmi Idollor

Vauxhall Gardens Estate
Aveline Street
Wednesday 13 July 09.30 (All day)
Wednesday 23 November 09.30 (All day)
Raphael Abakani

Vauxhall Gardens Estate
Waylett & Duffel Houses
O/s Waylett House Entrance
Wednesday 20 July 09.30
Wednesday 30 November 09.30
Bunmi Idollor

Ethelred Towers
Entrance to Ward Point
Wednesday 10 August 14.00
Wednesday 10 January 14.00
Derrick Brown

Death of Mick Saunders, long-serving head of Alford House Youth Club

Family and the Club are sad to announce the passing of Philip ‘Mick’ Saunders on 17 May 2011. Mick ran the Club from 1958 to his retirement in 1995. His dedication was enormous and was of benefit to many young people. A service will take place on Friday 27 May 2011 at 12.15pm at Camberwell New Cemetery, Honor Oak Crematorium, Cemetery Lodge, Brenchley Gardens, London, SE23 3RD. Refreshments will follow at Alford House, Aveline Street, London. SE11 5DQ. No flowers please - Donations to Alford House.

Lambeth together for the NHS event - 7 June



Saturday 21 May 2011

Public consultation event on Spring Gardens Art Gallery


3pm to 7.30pm Wednesday 25th May 2011
Vauxhall City Farm

Dear Resident,

You are invited to view the plans for a new art gallery in Spring Gardens. The public consultation will take place at City Farm from 3pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday 25 May.

The small building development is the initiative of Charles Asprey, philanthropist and arts patron, and the Cabinet Gallery. Having founded the Gallery in Brixton during the early nineties and spending the last decade in Clerkenwell, the proprietors Martin McGeown and Andrew Wheatley will be returning to Lambeth and the historic site of Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens.

The plot for the building is on Tyers Street, where the Lord Clyde pub once stood. Landscaping and planting around the proposed building will enhance the northwest corner of the park providing a notable landmark for years to come.

A close working relationship with the Friends of Spring Gardens has ensured that the building forms part of the on-going improvements to the park and has been designed aesthetically and sensitively, taking in the concerns of other neighbourhood organisations, especially the City Farm.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 25 May.

Yours faithfully,
Charles Asprey
Andrew Wheatley
Martin McGeown

Tuesday 17 May 2011

VNEB Community Forum



Yesterday evening saw a second well-attended Lambeth Community Forum for the Vauxhall-Nine Elms- Battersea project.



The Forum is the place for Lambeth community groups and residents to engage with the work of the VNEB Strategy Board, which is coordinating the redevelopment of the area stretching from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Bridge.



Cllr Steve Reed, Leader of Lambeth Council, introduced the event. He is now representing Lambeth on the Strategy Board, ensuring the Lambeth point of view is represented as strongly as possible.



There was a presentation on the proposed extension to the Northern Line. A consultation is underway - events will be held for residents at the following times:
- Friday 20 and Saturday 21 May from 10am to 6pm at The Long Room, The
Oval, SE11 5SS
- Thursday 26 and Friday 27 May from 10am to 6pm at Sainsbury’s Nine Elms,
62 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2LF
The discussion about the Northern Line Extension was lively. The biggest concern is that money from new Lambeth developments will be siphoned off into the NLE, instead of paying for vital infrastructure needed at Vauxhall Cross. Councillors present confirmed they were well aware of this issue and were continuing to press Lambeth's case in negotiations.

Monday 16 May 2011

Updates at the Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens AGM



This evening saw a well attended AGM of the Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens.


News included:


The people behind the 'Cabinet Gallery' proposal announced they will be holding a consultation event ahead of applying for planning permission. It will be held next Wednesday, 25 May, from 3pm to 7:30pm, at Vauxhall City Farm. They hope to build a prestigious gallery in a new pavilion building on the olf 'Lord Clyde' site in the north eastern corner of the park. Associated environmental work will include greening over the hammerhead road off Tyers Street, thereby increasing the amount of green space in the park.


The work to the Kennington Lane entrance is progressing, and a completion date of 10 June has been set. Six new elm trees and two new mulberry trees have been planted and the columns are up. The granite paving will be installed from next week, and the entrance walls should be ready shortly after that. The final thing to complete will be the lighting behind the walls and up the columns.


Once the entrance is complete a grand opening ceremony will be arranged, when the park will be formally renamed 'Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens', the name used in its eighteenth century heyday.


Finally there was news about the proposed statue of Basaveshwara, the inspiration for Indian democracy and equality. A site in Albert Embankment Gardens has been identified and designs for the statue and associated environmental works are at an early stage.


The Friends normally meet every first Monday of the month, at 6pm, at Vauxhall City Farm.

Sunday 15 May 2011

Roots & Shoots Open Day



Future of the adventure playground service

Dear young people, parents and carers,

Lambeth is proud of our strong commitment to children’s play. The council provides funding to fifteen adventure playgrounds (APGs), more than any other borough in London, because we know that they are a much-loved and important resource.

Seven of the APGs in Lambeth are run directly by the council – these are Tulse Hill, Lollard Street, Loughborough, Willington, Kennington, Max Roach & Streatham Vale. These APGs are excellent facilities, but they are quite expensive to run. Because the Government is cutting Lambeth’s funding by a third, we are being forced to reduce their budgets, which means that they will not be as open as much as they are now.

We know that the summer holidays are the busiest time for our adventure playgrounds, so we are not going to make any changes until September 2011 - the adventure playground service will continue to be open as usual until the end of the holidays. But from September we will need to reduce the opening hours, but will also work with local people to identify different ways of running these APGs.

We think that there are better ways of running APGs. For instance, Lambeth provides the funding for eight adventure playgrounds that are run independently by community groups or local charities – they offer very good value, so we don’t need to reduce their funding at all.

We think that by involving local communities, parents, and users in making decisions, and working more closely with the independent APGs, we can design a modern and sustainable play service that is protected from government cuts. I’m very pleased to say that we are working together with the independent Lambeth Play Association, who have been championing play in Lambeth for many years.

As users of adventure playgrounds we want to work with you as we shape the future of the service, which will be in keeping with the vision for the Cooperative Council programme. We are beginning the consultation programme in June and will confirm a date for the first meeting in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, my deputy, Cllr Adedamola Aminu and myself are more than happy to come and meet parents and children to talk about the future of their adventure playground. We want to hear from you so please just contact me using the details below if you would like one of us to come and visit and explain how we can work together to protect play in Lambeth.

Kind regards,

Cllr Pete Robbins
Cabinet Member for Children and Young People
probbins@lambeth.gov.uk

Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens AGM - come along!





Friends of Vauxhall Spring Gardens
(Registered Charity No. 1089008)

Annual General Meeting
To be held at:
Vauxhall City Farm, Education Room, SE11 5JE
16 May 2011
6.30pm for 7pm

Agenda

1) Cabinet Gallery presentation

2) Election of new Committee

Proposal for the election of a new committee as follows -

Chair: Eamonn McMahon
Vice Chair: Paola Piglia
Treasurer: Kate Pode
Secretary: Steve Warren
Membership Secretary: Anne Whitaker

Extended committee - David Wheeler; Diane Sullock; Paul Oxley; Mark Harrison; Diane Lawley.

Co-opted members - Faith Boardman (for Vauxhall City Farm); Frances Robinson; Carroll Falconer.

3) Minutes of last AGM meeting April 26th, 2010

4) Chair's report

5) Treasurer's report

6) Deborah Saunt (DSDHA) Basaveshwara statue update

7) Callum Brown update on Park building progress

8) Any other business

9) Next meeting

Saturday 7 May 2011

Labour organise housing policy meeting for tenants



Housing Policy Q & A Session - Wednesday 18 May between 7 – 9pm

Lambeth Labour would like to invite you to a Q&A session about the changes to housing policy and what the disastrous consequences will be for us and our tenants.

Hear from three keynote speakers on what the implications are at a national level, for Lambeth and what the future holds for social housing.

Alison Seabeck MP is the Shadow Housing Minister
Cllr Lib Peck is the Lambeth Cabinet Member for Housing
Roger Harding is the Head of Policy and Campaigns at the housing organisation Shelter

They will be discussing changes to Housing Benefit, the move from social to ‘affordable’ rents and the gentrification of inner London which boroughs like Wandsworth, Westminster and Hammersmith & Fulham have pushed for over the past two decades.

The panel will take questions from a local perspective and also advise on how we can best campaign to protect social housing in our Borough and for our tenants. Lambeth council tenants are particularly encouraged to attend.

This event is scheduled for Wednesday 18 May between 7 – 9pm at the Kennington Park Community Centre, 8 Harleyford Street, SE11 5SY with easy access on buses and Oval tube.

To attend please RSVP to Cllr Jack Hopkins: jhopkins@lambeth.gov.uk

Youth Mayor's Fund launched




Members of Lambeth’s Youth Council launched the 2011 Lambeth Youth Mayor’s Fund this week with a special ‘give-away’ in Brixton town centre.

The Youth Mayor’s Fund is £25,000 which is available to help improve things to do and places to go for young people in Lambeth.

Last year, Lambeth’s former Youth Mayor Darren Tenkorang used the Fund to support:

A sailing trip for young people working with the Flipside project in Brixton
A summer playscheme for young people at the Knights Youth Centre in Streatham
A youth club for LGBT young people based at the Terence Higgins Trust in Waterloo
A young peoples’ photography project based at the Old Library Centre in West Norwood
A young peoples’ film school based at Code 7 in Oval; and
A boxing club for students at Lambeth Academy school in Clapham

This year’s Youth Mayor, 16-year-old David Oyedele said: “After last year’s successful projects, we hope to move forward and progress with the year’s Fund. I would like to give the youth the opportunity to express their own ideas, and maximise the power and unity that young people have”.

The Fund is open to anyone aged 13-19, who lives or studies in Lambeth, and forms can be downloaded from the Youth Mayor’s website at www.YouthMayor4Lambeth.com.

Applications can be for any amount up to £6000, and must be supported by a local youth organisation (school, college, youth club, youth project or church).

The deadline for funding applications is 7 June 2011, and funding decisions will be announced on 7 July.

For more information about the Fund visit www.YouthMayor4Lambeth.com, or contact Lambeth Youth Council on 07506 676 266.

What do you want from your library service in Lambeth?


Lambeth Council wants to know your views about the future of Lambeth libraries. The Council is asking local people and community groups to engage over the coming months in order to decide what a modern and effective service can look like in Lambeth.

Lambeth is starting a discussion with people in the borough on what they want from their library service. All your ideas will be fed into the Library Commission. This is a group of councillors and independent people with an interest in libraries. They will use your comments and ideas in order to draw up a set of proposals.

From these ideas the set of recommendations will then be made available for you to comment on. These are due by July.

Lambeth will be holding a set of public events, so you can come along and have your say and also hear what other people think. And there will be surveys and discussion groups with people who use libraries, as well as with those who don't.

There will be two "open space" sessions during June 2011. Open space sessions are a relatively new technique, which allows the participants to design their own working agenda. The process aims to ensure that participants have an opportunity to discuss what is important to them within the theme. Open style meetings use a variety of methods to stimulate discussions - this can include individuals posting their issues on bulletin style boards.

Saturday 4 June 2011 – 10am to 1pm, at Lambeth Town Hall (Assembly Hall), Brixton SW2 1RW
Tuesday 14 June 2011 – 6.30 to 9.30pm at Lambeth Town Hall (Assembly Hall), Brixton SW2 1RW

Visit the Libraries Commission pages in order to learn about what it is doing and find out who the commissioners are.

The close of the initial consultation will be Friday 1 July 2011.

How can you get involved in the consultation?

You can send your ideas about the library service to the following email address. Or you can contact us by phone to get more information about how to get involved.

Send an email to: LibrariesHaveYourSay@lambeth.gov.uk
Text: 07772 103 628
Phone: 0800 013 1497 or 020 7926 6397
Write to: Freepost RSKJ-YSKA-AUSA ACS Consultation, Lambeth Adults' and Community Services, Phoenix House, 10 Wandsworth Road, London, SW8 2LL.

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/CouncilDemocracy/Consultations/ACSConsultations/LibrariesConsultation.htm

Next VNEB Community Forum



Please note that the next Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea (VNEB) community forum event will be held at:

The Lost Theatre,
208 Wandsworth Road
SW8 2UP


on 17 May 2011 from 6.30 pm – 8.30pm.



This will build on the work of the first meeting in January.




The Forum is the place for Lambeth community groups and residents to engage with the work of the VNEB Strategy Board, which is coordinating the redevelopment of the area stretching from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Bridge.

The draft agenda is as follows:
1. Opening remarks about VNEB
2. Update from officers on Nine Elms (VNEB) Strategy Board
3. Proposal for community engagement
4. News in Lambeth / current proposals
5. Update on the business improvement district for Vauxhall
6. Information about the Northern Line Extension Consultation


Get in touch with your councillors for more information.
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