· Neighbourhoods Fund announcement
· Update on the Walworth Road post office
· UK Power Networks
Minutes:
Su Mano Amiga
Tony Linforth-Hall from the group informed the meeting that the launch event for this charity would be taking place on Saturday 26 November 2016 from 17:00 - 22:45 at Queensborough Hall Community Centre, 11 Scovell Road, London SE1 1QQ. He went on to say that the charity was dedicated to support people experiencing domestic violence specifically in the Latin communities, and that they were keen to work with other organisations.
London Youth Support Trust
The meeting heard that the organisation provided affordable office and workspace for young entrepreneurs, along with business support and access to funding and grants, and were based in Wendover Block, Thurlow Street, SE17 2UU in the old Aylesbury Learning Centre. For further information contact: adenike@lyst.biz.
Neighbourhoods Fund announcement 2017-18
The Neighbourhoods Fund 2017-18 was now open, with the deadline for applications being noon on Monday 19 December 2016. For further information contact Pauline Bonner, pauline.bonner@southwark.gov.uk, Tel: 020 7525 1019.
UK Power Networks
The meeting heard that UK Power Networks now provided a “priority services register” for people who might need extra help in the unlikely even of a power cut. This service was open to older people, families with very young children, and people with specific medical conditions. For more details and to register, visit:
www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/prioritysupport or call 0800 169 9970.
Southwark Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy
It was reported that Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Southwark Council were developing a local Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy to improve the support for children and adults to maintain positive wellbeing and prevent mental ill health. Drop-in meetings were being held on 15 November 2016 and 30 November 2016. The results would be discussed at the health scrutiny meeting in January 2017.
Mint Street Adventure Playground
Officers were asking people to attend a meeting about the latest information and initial ideas for an exciting new adventure playground and public play space on Friday 2 December 2016 from 3:30-6:30pm (drop-in) at Mint Street Adventure Playground, Southwark Bridge Road, Lant Street, SE1 1QP. Southwark Council staff and the landscape design team would be available to talk about the designs and answer any questions. To share your thoughts outside of this session please call 020 7525 5352.
Update on the Walworth Road post office
The chair informed the meeting that she and Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for business, employment and culture, had met with representatives from the managing director of crown post office and their PR person, but that the meeting had not been encouraging, as the company seemed committed to franchising, despite views expressed by the local community. The company was now in the process of considering submissions from franchisees. There would be a six-week consultation, but only on the choice of franchisee, not on the principle of franchising. The changes would be coming in early next year. Councillors would continue to raise their concerns and would be meeting with the unions next week. At the meeting councillors had also suggested making the Crampton Street sorting office a pick up point, which the post office was willing to consider.
Proposed changes to community councils
The chair explained that changes to community councils were proposed, which would be going to council assembly for decision on 30 November 2016. The changes were aimed at the meeting having a bigger community engagement focus. There would be five town hall-style meetings every year, which would make meetings more flexible in terms of agenda items and the format.
In terms of decision making, prior to two of these meetings, there would be a shorter, public decision-making meeting. One of these meetings would be focused on Cleaner Greener Safer and Neighbourhood Fund allocations. Other decisions could then be divided amongst these two meetings. A further change would be traffic management order (TMO) decisions which were currently decided by community councils. The council planned to change the decision-maker for TMOs to be the relevant cabinet member, which meant that decisions could be made whenever they were needed. It also meant that members of the public who are interested in a decision can: contact officers or the decision-maker directly with any issues they wish to raise, engage with the statutory consultation sent out by the council or raise queries and concerns with their ward members. As well as this, councillors from wards affected by TMOs would be contacted directly before the statutory consultation, and if at least two ward members asked for part, or all of a TMO decision to come to community council for consultation, the TMO would be put on hold and brought to the next community council meeting for discussion. The community council's comments would then be taken into account by the cabinet member when taking the decision, as well as any comments from members of the public and individual ward members. Once a TMO decision was taken, there was also a five day “call in” period, during which any three members of the overview and scrutiny committee could choose to call in a decision in for reconsideration. This would still exist under the new scheme.
The meeting heard that the opposition councillors wanted to put it on record that they would be voting against the proposals.
Police attendance at community council meetings
Councillors expressed their concern that the police had not sent any representative to this and the previous meeting. They also asked for a written response to the question they had originally put to the police representative at the community council meeting on 29 June 2016 about a Burgess Park fair where knife crime had occurred, and about which the police had said they had not been informed. The response should confirm whether they had been informed of the meeting and had not taken action, or if they had not been informed how this communication problem would be addressed.
The meeting also heard that there was currently a problem with the credit union’s website, but that this was being worked on.