Our Newsletters are put together by our support officer and we are delighted to announce that we have a new one, Zoe Peet, who used to work for a Green MP in Australia. Zoe has hit the ground running and is passionate about our vision and values. Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been doing…
CEASEFIRE IN GAZA
At the first Full Council Meeting this year (24 January) we presented a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire and the end to human rights atrocities in the Israel/Palestine conflict. Our motion was not controversial, it was based on facts, humanitarian principles and represents the majority view of our borough.
Sadly, our motion was not carried, however three Labour councillors and one Liberal Democrat supported it and one Labour councillor abstained. We hear the Labour councillors faced harsh disciplinary action which has resulted in a resignation and subsequent byelection as well as one permanent suspension.
Nicole and Scott have been active in attending ceasefire demonstrations and will continue to support all efforts to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Palestine. You can read our press release here and a copy of our motion here. Our motion was also covered by several news outlets, you can read the stories here: Evening Standard, London Online, The Morning Star, The Brixton Buzz. Additionally, watch Greens MP Caroline Lucas comment on Question Time.
LOW TRAFFIC NEIGHBOURHOODS
The sudden suspension of the Streatham Wells LTN was a surprise to all of us. The end of gridlocked buses and traffic on the boundary roads, particularly Streatham High Road, along with the heightened levels in air pollution and inconvenience to so many, is extremely welcome. However, we are disappointed that the council has refused to acknowledge its own role in the LTN’s failure. We have been concerned about insufficient consultation, air quality monitoring, traffic modelling, communication, signage and engagement with TfL. Transport accounts for roughly 26% of GreenHouse Gas emissions. As Greens, we support the prioritisation of pedestrians, cyclists and wheelers and LTNs have been a successful measure in achieving this change. It is a shame that the council has not been able to implement the SW LTN to meet its intent. We understand that additional bus priority measures are to be put in place along the High Road by TfL to improve public transport services. These are due to commence later this Spring and be completed in 2025. We also welcome the TfL works that make it safer and easier for people to walk, cycle and wheel along the High Road. We will continue to work with all levels of government and community groups to push for a far more reliable train service for the area, too. Watch to Scott’s video statement here.
BUDGET COUNCIL
.png)
At the end of February, Lambeth held its annual budget council. Like many local authorities, it is struggling to balance its books while meeting the rising cost pressures of temporary accommodation and adult and children’s services. We recognise that this is primarily due to cuts to central government funding and economic factors such as inflation – but we asked the Labour party to more to own up to and atone for its past financial failures (like Homes for Lambeth!) and start operating with more transparency and accountability. We presented our proposals to the council and Nicole kicked us off with a speech highlighting the need for a greener approach to address the inequities and climate crisis facing our borough. Scott demanded answers about unspent developer funds owed to the community, contract wastage and excessive legal fees. He also scrutinised the pay policy statement and asked if residents were getting value for money from the revolving door of highly paid Lambeth executives. As with previous years, the Labour party dismissed our budget out of hand on a purely adversarial basis. The lack of consideration for the 22% of the public that voted Green is evidence of their priorities – politics over progress. You can watch the council proceedings here.
NEWS
Private Sector Rental Scheme
Lambeth is launching a private sector rented scheme to improve conditions for tenants, phase one of the pilot will be in Streatham St Leonards. Find out more about the scheme and read our response to the scheme here.
STREATHAM NEWS
Spires
Many of you will be aware of the great work the Spires Centre in Streatham has done for the homeless since its inception in 1989, jointly organised by the congregations of English Martyrs and St Leonard’s churches. Essential maintenance work has to be done on the church hall it operates out of, so sadly, their offices have moved to Brixton/Stockwell. However, they will still be delivering a rough sleeper breakfast service from the hall in St Leonards on Monday and Thursday mornings.
Scott said: “We met with all stakeholders to try and find a permanent office space for The Spires in Streatham and it is extremely disappointing this failed to materialise. However, we are delighted that the service to the homeless will continue to run as normal once the essential maintenance is done. This new arrangement also means that the Spires model will deliver services to multiple locations, meaning they can support more people across the borough.”
LBSU Green Skills Hub
We both attended the event at the end of 2023. Scott said: “There are so many opportunities for good quality, highly skilled, long term jobs in the transition to a Green Economy, in fact the LGA estimates that up to 2,000 of these jobs could be generated in Lambeth by 2030.”
InStreatham BID – Streatham Green funding application
Scott wrote in support for Louise from BID to apply for £150k – £250 from Lambeth grants to improve Streatham Green.
Safer Neighbourhoods Team
Scott attended the St Leonard’s ward panel on 21 February 2024. The future of the Streatham Police Base is still not certain, but the direction from the head of the Met is to have a base within 20 minutes walk from all operations. What is encouraging is that the local team will be running Cuppa with a Copper in the Streatham base every five weeks on a Saturday at 10am-12pm. The next one will be 30th March. The new Borough Commander wants much better communication with the community and the police. There should be two PCs and one PCSO for each ward; there will be an area sergeant looking after three wards (approx) and one Inspector will cover about 9 wards. So in the South of Lambeth this will be all of the Streatham Wards, Knights Hill and Gipsy Hill. Londonwide – the MET’s priority is to reduce Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). St Leonards ward usually sets 3 ward priorities every time we meet (which is quarterly):Shoplifting and aggressive begging on the High Road Streatham Green – ASB, public urination Potters Lane – needs to be made safer
Thanks for reading!
Best wishes – Nicole and Scott.