Get involved

If you're a Labour supporter there is lots you can do to help out...

1) Check you are registered to vote
If you're unsure if you are on the electoral register contact the Council by calling 020 7926 2144 or email them at: electoralservices@lambeth.gov.uk.
If you need to register to vote you can download and print off a form here. Post the form back to the address on the form.
The Labour party can deliver you a form if you let us know you would like one.
Make sure that your Labour-supporting family, friends and neighbours are all registered to vote.

2) Register for a postal vote if you need to
If you will be on holiday, away from home, busy at work, or are house-bound then make sure you register for a postal vote. You can download and print off the form here.
The Labour party can deliver you a form if you let us know you would like one.
Find out if any of your Labour-supporting family, friends and neighbours require a postal vote.

3) Put up a poster
At election time it's great to see Labour posters in windows across the area. Let us know you would like one by emailing us or requesting one from Labour canvassers who call at your door.

4) Deliver some leaflets
We have lots of leaflets to deliver, every day of the campaign. You can volunteer to deliver your block of flats, your street, or a larger round in your area. To volunteer please get in touch

5) Help us campaign
We spend lots of time knocking at people's doors, listening to what local residents think, and asking them to support Labour. If you haven't done this before - don't worry! We can send you out with an experienced campaigner so you can see whether you enjoy it. To find out more, please get in touch

6) Donate to Labour
Campaigning for a fairer Lambeth costs money!
Please consider making a donation to our campaigning. We can send you a form - just get in touch.
Please follow the link below to donate to the national Labour party:


7) Join the Labour party
Have you thought about joining Labour? Our members are what make the party, and membership allows you to play a part in selecting Labour candidates, devising policies, and planning campaigns.

Vauxhall Five balconies and windows

Kate Hoey MP and Action Team Member Mark Harrison attended a special meeting of the Vauxhall Five TRA this evening.

The Vauxhall Five are five 1930s blocks on the corner of Kennington Lane and Vauxhall Street. Residents have been horrified this year as large chunks of concrete have begun to fall from their balconies and walkways. Some balconies have literally collapsed onto the ground below. Since June The Council has stuck up plywood boards and banned residents from using their balconies as they are unsafe. This evening residents were finally informed that the Council will carry out proper repairs, as soon as possible, in the next few weeks.

Residents are also fed up with the state of their windows. The original 1930s crittal windows are still in place, and are in a terrible state. Many can't be closed properly, and some have fallen out of their frames. The Council has promised that windows would be replaced many time over the years, but the estate seems to have been overlooked again and again. The Council have finally recognised that the windows need replacing, but can't guarantee they will be done in the next year, or even the year after that!

Vauxhall Labour campaigners will be supporting residents in their demands for new windows now, and will be keeping a close eye to ensure the balconies are repaired speedily and properly.

Action Team update Ethelred residents on security system service charge problem

Kate Hoey MP joined Councillor Steve Morgan and Ethelred Estate resident Mark Harrison to deliver a letter updating residents on the ongoing dispute over how much residents should be charged for Ethelred TMO's new security system.

Kate, Steve and Mark braved the appalling weather to speak to residents in Gibson Road, Pory House, and Tomkyns House. You can read the text of the letter they delivered below.

Once the campaigning was over the three warmed up with a cup of tea at the Kennington Association's fundraising bazaar, at St Anselm's Church Hall.

Pictured: CCTV outside Fortune House, currently unmonitored because of council officers' incompetence.

Dear Neighbour

I wanted to write to update you on the long-running problems the Ethelred Estate has been facing in funding the CCTV and concierge system. Along with Ethelred TMO and your other councillors, I’ve been working hard over the past year to push Lambeth Housing to sort this situation out.

As you might know, the situation arose several years ago when the previous Lib Dem councillors got a government grant to pay for the installation of the new cameras and security doors, but lacked the forethought to work out who would fund the day-to-day running and maintenance of the scheme! Since then Lambeth Housing and the TMO have been in dispute about how to pay for the system.

I know many of you were alarmed to receive a letter from Lambeth Housing earlier this year informing you that your service charge was to rise massively to pay for the costs of running the system. I immediately objected to this proposal, and asked for a full break down of the costs. I think we all accept that there will need to be some rise in the service charge to pay for the cameras and concierge, but it must be at a level that residents can afford. Your Labour councillors will not sit back and allow your bills to spiral at a time when many residents are facing financial difficulties.

I’m sorry that I can’t provide you with a more comprehensive update, but the situation is still unresolved. Please rest assured that your Labour councillors are doing everything in our power to sort this situation out. Your Labour Action Team member, Mark Harrison, lives on the estate and shares the concerns of neighbours and residents. We continue to take the fight to Lambeth Housing to get this resolved.

Please do get in touch if you have any questions or comments about this issue, or any other that might concern you.

Yours sincerely

Steve Morgan

Councillor for Prince's Ward

£12000 purse to spend!

'The Ward Purse' in a new scheme Lambeth Council has introduced for 2008, which will allow councillors to allocate funds to projects in their local area. Up to £12000 is available to spend in each ward, on up to three projects. It is up to the ward councillors which projects are allocated the money, but they are required to consult their local community before doing so.

Councillors Lorna Campbell, Steve Morgan and Sam Townend have until 12 December to consult and decide which projects in Prince's ward will benefit from the 'Ward Purse'. They want to hear from community groups and individuals who have ideas as to how the money should be spent.

Initial ideas that were suggested at a recent meeting of local Labour party members include:

-protecting newly planted trees from vandalism / planting new trees

-a collaborative project with a local group like the Kennington Association or Roots & Shoots

-improvement work to Kennington Cross, such as installing bike racks

-refurbishment of community facilities - such as the Vauxhall Five's hall

-community action days to clear up certain areas

What do you think?

Please let your councillors know:

lcampbell@lambeth.gov.uk

srmorgan@lambeth.gov.uk

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