June Newsletter

The big news recently has been the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor, Leonie Cooper as our new London Assembly Member and Rosena Allin-Khan as our new Tooting MP. but there has been plenty going on locally too. This newsletter features local street parties, Tooting Common Dog show, Rutherford House and St Anselms school fairs, disappearing bins and parking meters, new Neighbourhood Planning Forum, and the latest planning objections submitted.

Two local meetings coming up:

Tooting Common public meeting on June 28th at 7.30pm at St Anselms School, Louisville Rd. An update from the council, plenty of chance to ask questions and an opportunity to the join the voluntary advisory group. I’m on it so do ask me if you’d like to know more.

Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees public meeting with speaker Alf Dubs and chair John O’Farrell. Thursday 30th June, 7.30pm at East Hill Baptist Church, Battersea, SW18 2HD. Lord Dubs led the recent law on receiving unaccompanied refugee children. There will also be latest news from the Calais camps and what we can do in Wandsworth. To become a member of Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees and have an update on this meeting and other events please email: wandsworthwelcomesrefguees@gmail.com

Street Parties

There were nearly 100 street parties across Wandsworth, and they’ve been great ways to meet neighbours, have a fun day together and celebrate where we live. Congratulations to everyone who organised one for the their street and if you haven’t had one yet its not too late! Wandsworth Council have waived the fee for booking a street party until September.

St Anselms and Rutherford House School Fairs and Tooting Common Fun Dog Show

Tooting Common Dog Show

Huge congratulations to Rutherford and St Anselms Schools for their wonderful school fairs – it takes a lot of work, and everyone enjoyed them so much. Tooting Common fun dog show was also really successful and enjoyed by everyone who came to watch or take part. Thanks to Friends of Tooting Common and compere Leonie Cooper new London Assembly member, and to the Mayor Wandsworth for adding dog show judging to his list of talents!

Rosena and Fleur dodging showers at Rutherford House School Fair

Street bins across Wandsworth being removed

A bin was here (a really boring picture I know - but you get the point) — A bin was here (a really boring picture I know – but you get the point)

When I saw that the bins outside St Anselms School on Louisville Road and outside Ravenstone school on Elmfield Rd had disappeared, I asked what was going on. The council has a new policy of taking away bins in public spots across the Borough – clearly a cost cutting policy. I’m very concerned about the impact this will have on our main streets, where there is often too much litter already.

There are very mixed messages from the Council about what can be done. In Chestnut Grove the bin outside the corner shop was put back when local residents complained, but similar requests to replace the missing bins in Furzedown have not been responded to. Councilllor Sue McKinney in Roehampton is seeing the results of the bin removal on Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common. She says:

“I would like to see the litter bins put back at least at the bus stops. Even with your sweeps, the litter unfortunately blows across to the common and is becoming a major concern for the Conservators whom I have spoken to today. They quite simply do not have the man power to see to it.

I am very concerned about the effect litter has on wildlife and would like to see our Wimbledon Common wildlife protected. There are no such issues arising in the part of the Common that stretches into Merton Borough. I have had a report of a fox with its head in a crisp bag running around and bumping into trees in confusion. This fox was impossible to help. Litter severely harms wildlife.

Also our children are taught to put their litter in bins as citizens of the world. How can they do this if there are no litter bins. The majority of people are very litter conscious and therefore we do need to see litter bins back – especially at bus stops and schools.”

Have you noticed a missing bin? Please let me know!

Parking Meter Mess Up

New meter bagged up for weeks – no other one nearby

Motorists have been left very frustrated across Wandsworth as 177 cash parking meters have been replaced with card ones – but a contracting problem means tey can’t be switched on. I have supported a successful complaint over a parking ticket issued on Elmfield Rd which has had no parking meter for weeks at the High Road end, and there were no stickers or alternative payment ofered. I’ve asked the council for an explanation and to know when these machines will be turned on but no yet received an answer.

The old parking meters should not have been taken out when the new ones couldn’t be switched on and people are left wandering up and down streets looking for a marking meter, or facing totally unfair fines. The council needs to take urgent responsibility for this mess up.

New Neighbourhood Forum – taking control of local planning

The government is enabling local groups to create their own neighbourhood plans. These need to be within the London and Wandsworth plans, but could give local people the opportunity to have more say about what is important for them in their area. this could be the type of shops, housing developments, street layouts or use of public buildings and open spaces. A local Tooting Bec and Broadway Neighbourhood Forum is being set up to bring a wide variety of local people together to create a local plan. For more information and to be involved contact: tootingbbneighbourhood@gmail.com

Local planning issues

– Objection made to the proposal for a 18m telephone at the triangle on Tooting Common

– Objection to the additional storey on the Polish old people’s home on Foxbourne Rd

– On-going representations on behalf of Rutherford House parents objecting to more telephone masts on the TA centre nearby, moved from Bedford House which is being redeveloped. The parents and governors have been objecting to this for two years and EE could put the mast on a building nearer to Balham station and further from local schools.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply