Food Festival
After a gap of two years we are excited to let you know that the Balham Food Festival is returning!
When; Sunday 27th September, 11am-6pm
Where;
Located in the recently transformed Hildreth Street and Bedford Hill Place.
There will be over 25 stalls featuring a diverse range of delicious, freshly cooked dishes from local restaurants, bars and cafés, plus gourmet cheeses, charcuterie, cakes and treats, this will be accompanied by jazz and other musical treats.
Come and enjoy the fun! There will be cooking demonstrations, music, dancing and a Kids Zone.
20mph success!
We’ve had a 20mph speed limit in our ward for nearly a year now, and have been campaigning for this to be across the Borough. Currently the numbers of cars and accidents is rising but the 20mph roads are just dotted about the Borough which is confusing for drivers and leaves roads less safe than with a slower speed limit. Residents were expected to petition people on their own road and achieve high amounts of signatures to ask the Council to make it 20mph.
After a long time and refusal by the Council to consider a Borough-wide limit, we saw success this week. In a U-turn and cross-party decision at the Community Services Committee, there will now be consultation on a fast track move to 20mph on all residential roads. It’ll take a few more months but could lead to a really positive change for making our roads safer as it can be better enforced and will change drivers’ behaviour.
Residents Association for Rydevale Estate and Cornford Grove
We asked the local Council to support starting a new residents association for this area (just off Bedford Hill). Local residents said they would be interested and the first meeting was held in early September and we hope it will build into an active group to take up concerns of the residents and have ideas for improvements which can be made in their area.
Road Safety
Local people are really concerned about road safety on Balham High Road and in August there was yet another accident involving a car and motorbike – this time outside Tescos. We’re working with parents at Rutherford House who are concerned about the entrance, and with St Anselms parents who have started a petition about safety on the High Road, longer lights for pedestrians at Tooting Bec and asking for a crossing at Elmbourne Road, and residents of Hillbury and Elmbourne Rd who also are signing a petition for traffic calming measures for their roads.
Tooting Bec Cafe
A new lease has been signed from now until 2030 and although there are lots of rumours, we don’t yet know who the lease holder is. Whoever it is they must now renovate the cafe and include a new male and female toilet, open to the public and with baby-changing facilities.
Refugees Crisis – what can we do?
We share the concern of many residents that we should be welcoming to refugees and do what we can to support refugees already living here and arriving. The Council have said that they are ready and willing to respond to request from the Government. However we think Wandsworth could be pledging to house families and pushing other Councils to be more ambitious and welcoming through their leadership – rather than just ‘waiting and seeing’.
If you would like to support initiatives working with refugees, with fellow Councillors we have compiled a list of different ways you can help here: https://labourinwandsworth.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/refugee-crisis-what-can-we-do-in-wandsworth/
There is also a local petition asking the Council to pledge to house 10 refugee families:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/refugees-welcome-in-wandsworth-3
Surgeries
We really enjoy every opportunity to meet the public and help. Please do not forget that we are available to meet face to face every third Saturday of the month at Balham library between 10-11am.