Protect your home from fire

The London Fire Brigade are carrying out free home fire safety visits in Lambeth. This involves a visit by your local fire crew, which is booked in at your convenience, who will visit your home and be able to advise you on many aspects of fire safety, from minimising the risk of a fire taking place to what to do if a fire breaks out and you are trapped in your home. They will also, where necessary, provide you with a free smoke alarm.

If you would like to take advantage of this free service, email your name, address, telephone number and quote reference “LAMBETH 1” (although please bear in mind this service is not just for Lambeth residents) to smokealarms@london-fire.gov.uk

Find out more on the London Fire Brigade's website

New lighting needed?

You might have noticed that new lamp posts have sprung up over the area over the past few years, as Lambeth Council has had a Street Lighting PFI contract.

In order to ensure that the entire Borough benefits from the lighting renewal programme, Council officers are in the process of compiling a list of streets where there is unmistakeable need for lighting upgrade, for example, where the lives of road users are endangered as a result of inadequate lighting levels. As resources are limited, they may be unable to incorporate every street submitted for consideration.

The final decision will be on the basis that the following benefits will be achieved:

- reduction in crime

- reduction in road accidents

If you have a suggestion please let Councillor Steve Morgan know ASAP

(The picture shows a lamppost outside the Beaufoy Institute in Black Prince Road)

Events at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

You might not know that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's headquarters are tucked away at the corner of Lambeth Road and Lambeth High Street. The Society has a permanent museum, but has several special events this month:

Behind the scenes: Making medicines 18 September, 6-7pm
A wonderful opportunity for you to find out how medicines were made in the past and turn your hand to pill making - Victorian style! Book a place now

Doing the Lambeth (pharmacy) walk 20 September, 10am and 12 noon
A free guided tour around the local area exploring its connections with pharmacy, health and medicine. Length approx 90 mins. No need to book.

Open House 20 September, 2.30-5.30pm
Free tours of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society headquarters with a focus on our wonderful pharmacy history collection. Tours every half hour, first one starts at 2.30pm and last one at 4.30pm. Max 25 at one time. No need to book.

Find out more at the Society's website

Petition for the Cross River Tram

People across London are being urged to sign a petition asking the Mayor, Boris Johnson, to commit himself to building the Cross River Tram.

People in Lambeth were consulted about plans for the Cross River Tram last year. It would run from Camden and King's Cross to Brixton and Peckham, via Waterloo. The Brixton branch would pass through Kennington, possibly down Kennington Road. The tram would dramatically increase public transport capacity, and reduce demand for overcrowded tubes and buses. You can find out more about the plans here

Labour former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was a strong supporter of the scheme, but new Tory Mayor Boris Johnson has been lukewarm about supporting the proposals. The petition seeks to show how strongly residents of south London feel about needing the tram - please sign it! The petition is here

Ethelred Fun Day

Ethelred TMO's annual fun day was as successful as ever, with hundreds of people enjoying stalls, a merry-go-round, bouncy castle, inflatable slide, and children's races. The weather was beautiful - one of the best days on the summer.

Vauxhall Labour held a stall, where residents signed a petition calling for Mayor of London Boris Johnson to support plans for a Cross River Tram, which would run from Brixton to Camden, through Kennington, relieving pressure on buses and tubes.

New playground for Kennington Park

Children in Kennington are delighted that their exciting new playground is now open in the heart of Kennington Park. There's a new sandpit, water pump, roundabout, swings, seesaw and springers. The red play bus is a hit too. It celebrates London’s first motorised bus journey - from Victoria to Kennington in 1899, and the last public service of the 159 red London routemaster bus through Kennington in December 2005. Older children enjoy the pod swing, climber, spinning disc and swings in their own area of the playground. And parents have been relaxing on the lawns, with ample seating and picnic tables. It also features an educational Children’s Wildlife area where they can encounter special plants that encourage wildlife and learn about bugs, birds and other insects.

The Friends of Kennington Park initiated the project to improve play facilities and raised funds totalling £241,000 from Big Lottery Fund, Biffaward, London Marathon Trust, Lambeth Council and other donor. The next stage of the Friends’ “Play in the Park” project, being delivered in partnership with Lambeth, is the launch of a Nature Trail in 2009 with community events and school workshops to highlight nature in the park and improve local children’s environmental awareness.So, with a new playground, Kennington Park now makes an ideal day out in the summer holidays. And if the children have any energy left, the park has lots of sports facilities to have a go at tennis, netball, football, basketball, and cricket. Or just relax, and bring a picnic, or try out the popular park café.

For further information contact: friends@kenningtonpark.org

Names for new housing blocks

An application has been received to assign five of the following names to the five new blocks on the site of Kerrin Point, Hotspur Street, SE11:

Prichard House

Marson Court

Hammond Court

William King House

Crecy Court

Oakley House

Aragon Court

The following names have been proposed as a result of research undertaken by the Lambeth Archives:

Trade directories from 1861 to 1920 list William Prichard, Henry Marson and Walter Oakley among the names of people who traded in the immediate vicinity.

In 1871 the publican of the Black Prince Public House was James Hammond.

The site was occupied from 1881 to 1920 by William King, cab proprietor.

The Black Prince, with whom the area is associated, fought at the battle of Crecy.

The name Aragon was proposed by the applicant on the basis that Catherine of Aragon was a regular resident of the former Kennington Palace in nearby Sancroft Street prior to its demolition by Henry VIII in 1531.

Please let Councillor Steve Morgan know if you have any objections to these names: srmorgan@lambeth.gov.uk

No 2 bus route up for review

Transport for London is reviewing the contract for the No 2 bus, which passes through Vauxhall Cross.

They are asking about:

• enhancing social inclusion
• corridors or areas that might benefit from new or enhanced Sunday or night services.
• areas or corridors on which you feel increased frequency or larger vehicles are needed to cater for demand
• identifying routes which you feel are unreliable
• ideas which improve integration with other transport modes or interchange with other bus routes or improve access to major developments

If you have any opinions on these issues please send them to Councillor Steve Morgan before the end of August: srmorgan@lambeth.gov.uk

Vauxhall community fair

Saturday 12 July saw the All Nations Church at Vauxhall stage their annual summer fair, in the playground of Vauxhall Primary School.

Vauxhall Labour party held a stall, and spoke to many residents about their concerns and priorities for the area.

Despite the windy weather, the fair was a great success, and the All Nations Church can be congratulated for putting on an excellent event.

The next community event that Labour in SE11 are planning to attend will be the Ethelred community fun day, on Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green, on Saturday 30 July, between 1pm and 5pm. See you there!

Safer Neighbourhoods Team meeting

Thursday 10 July saw the summer's Prince's Ward Safer Neighbourhoods Team meeting taking place at the Riverbank Plaza Hotel on the Albert Embankment.

Sergeant Bob Lockyear updated a packed room about the previous month's policing. The meeting agreed that the local police's priorities should continue to be dangerous dogs, thefts from vehicles, and drug users on estates. There was particular concern about dangerous dogs. Bob reassured people that if dog owners were using their dogs in a threatening or aggresive way then people shouldn't be timid about calling 999 to report them.

If you want to contact the Prince's Safer Neighbourhoods Team then call 020 7321 7570 / 07920 233835 or email princes.snt@met.police.uk

Big expansion to car clubs

Lambeth Council has received funding from Transport for London to expand the number of car club bays in the borough from the current 33 bays, to over 70 bays. This will make car clubs even more accessible to many more residents and businesses .

Car clubs operate pay-as-you-go cars which you can hire by the hour. But unlike hire cars, they are parked locally. Once you are a member, you just book a car, access it with your membership card and drive it away for approximately £5 per hour.

Apart from the cost and time benefits of not having to worry about parking permits, insurance,
maintenance and petrol, car club users who give up their cars also benefit their local community by helping to reduce parking stress, helping to ease traffic congestion and improving local air quality.

New car club bays are proposed in:
Black Prince Road
Cleaver Square
Kennington Green
Radcot Street
Walcot Street
Wincott Street
Juxon Street


If you have any comments, please write to: Lambeth car club consultation, Project Centre, Saffron Court, 14b St Cross Street, London EC1N 8XA before 18 July 2008.

If you would like to know more please call Mike Eames at The Project Centre (working on behalf of Lambeth) on 020 7430 6912.

For more information about car clubs please visit http://www.carclubs.org.uk/.

Labour members visit Sports Action Zone at old Lilian Baylis school

20 members of the local Labour party were treated to a tour of the Sports Action Zone facilities at the old Lilian Baylis school site on the Ethelred estate. Director Brian Dickens told the group about how his team had started providing a programme of activities in summer 2005, soon after the school moved away, leaving the site empty. Since then the Sports Action Zone activities have expanded massively, attracting the attention of celebrities like Michael Jordan, Linford Christie and Kelly Rowlands.

Brian showed the group classrooms used for homework and arts projects, halls used for football, basketball and dance, the boxing gym, and the plush new basketball court, funded by Michael Jordan himself. The site was full of activity, and members were impressed with how much was going on, and what a difference it was clearly making.

The success of the project is a testament to the hard work of all the staff and supporters involved. It did not come about over night. Norman Turner, Chair of StreetGames, has said 'Lambeth Council and Kate Hoey MP are applauded for their vision and commitment to the project. They backed the London Sport Action Zone to take over the derelict school buildings when it would have been easier to walk away and sell off the land.'

You can read more about the project here and on the SAZ website.

Pictured: Cllr Steve Morgan, Kate Hoey MP, Mark Harrison and Cllr Lorna Campbell at the SAZ.

Clean up the Old Paradise Street railway bridge!

Local campaigner Mark Harrison has begun a campaign to sort out the Old Paradise Street railway bridge. Pigeons nesting in the rafters under the bridge continue to foul the pavement and make it dirty, smelly, and slippery for pedestrians. Water also filters down through the railway tracks above and drips unpleasantly on to unsuspecting walkers for around a day after every rain shower.

Mark has already collected dozens of signatures for a petition, and has lobbied Sally Prentice, the councillor responsible for the environment in Lambeth.

Mark said 'it's high time Network Rail and the Council get their act together and tidy up this bridge to make it pleasant for pedestrians to walk under'.

Pigeons nesting in the rafters

under the bridge continue

to make a mess of the path

below:

Vauxhall Gardens community meeting

Labour Action Team members Mark Harrison and Cllr Lorna Campbell attended a special community meeting at Vauxhall Primary School on Thursday 29 May. It was held to update the community on developments since the murder of Carmelita Tulloch two years' ago.

Sergeant Bob Lockyear updated the community on the work done in the past two years, since neighbourhood policing was set up. There are now six dedicated officers who work exclusively in Prince's ward. The Safer Neighbourhoods Team are focusing on thefts from motor vehicles, dangerous dogs, and crime associated with drug misuse.

Door entry systems on the Vauxhall Gardens estate have made a difference, and have reduced the problems with drug users using stairwells. Several crack houses in the area have been closed.

Residents complained that patrols were not frequent enough, and that they did not see officers patrolling all areas of the estate. Bob promised to look into this and instruct his officers to patrol all areas properly. There is a possibility that more PCSOs might be assigned to Prince's ward - Labour activists have promised to push the Council for this.

Council officers also updated the meeting on plans to replace windows and roofs on the estate, and the issue of the parking enforcement scheme. There is currently a ballot of residents to see if they want to continue to have parking enforcement on the estate.

Derrick Anderson, Chief Executive of Lambeth Council, was also at the meeting and promised to listen carefully and take away all the concerns of residents that he heard.

Action Team Member Mark Harrison said, 'it's clear to everyone that dangerous dogs are a concern for people on the Vauxhall Gardens estate, and across the area as a whole. I'm please the police are focusing on the issue, but clearly more needs to be done to tackle the problem'.

If you want to contact the Prince's Safer Neighbourhoods Team then call 020 7321 7570 / 07920 233835 or email princes.snt@met.police.uk