Agenda item

Public Question Time (8.15 pm)

Minutes:

 

PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS – October 27 2009

No:

Question

Response from:

1.

I walked the length of Albany Road from Albany Mews.  The pavements are very uneven, particularly towards Thurlow Street, and I nearly tripped over (it is worse with falling leaves). (Ms Roberts)

Phillip Murphy

 

 

2.

Is it possible to extend Sunday trading times by 1-2 hours? 

Matt Steele

 

Local residents were consulted on this, but raised objections.

3

Could we have Portaloos between Walworth Road and Portland Street?

Phil Murphy

 

 

4.

The market is full of beggars, thieves, drunks and bikes on the pavement.  We need undercover police and a police presence to stop this.

Wardens SNT

 

 

5.

Why can regular traders not use the opposite side of the road to fill the market if there are empty pitches eg On Sundays there are sometimes 7 empty pitches in a line.  Regular traders to have seniority.

Matt Steele

 

Traders have the use of vacant pitches, to the right or to the left of where they stand, all in accordance with consideration of the 60% rule, in the Traders Terms & Conditions

6.

Can the Council confirm the 5 pitch rule is going to carry on?

Matt Steele

 

This will continue at the Operations Manager’s discretion.

7.

Could the Council ensure Graham & John Wallington and SAST members are consulted, informed and listened to when discussing and making decisions about markets?

Matt Steele

 

There is a monthly meeting on the first Tuesday of every month at which traders’ views can be aired through their representatives

8.

Community Toilet scheme - Richmond Council operates a community toilet scheme whereby they pay businesses £600 per year to offer toilets to members of the public.  It may be possible to look into closing the current toilets and ask say 30 businesses in the area to provide toilets at a cost of £18k. There would be signage and administrative costs on top of this and I am not clear who owns the current toilets and what could be done with that building.  However, it should be possible to make a saving on the £70k currently raised by the traders and the monies would be going straight back to local businesses. 

Philip Murphy

 

9.

Tom Ulickson suggested, by email, that the Council officers in charge of the market  make links with South Bank University. Masters students in business could write their dissertations on the market and how its decline could be arrested / marketing improved.  The students could do some useful work researching and comparing East Street with other markets and learn from these how they have been successful.  I would also recommend writing to Southwark College and GCSE / A Level business studies students. Again they could do a project on the market.  While less polished this would generate a useful perspective from the young on the market and how the market could reconnect to this group. 

 

10.

Tom Ulickson commented, by email, that he would fully agree with the comments in the meeting that a social enterprise / cooperative type body should be set up to work for the good of the market as a whole and that there are funding pots that can be accessed by this type of body.

 

11.

Matter arising from the minutes (page 2): the response to the Public Question on the Sustainable Communities Act, as follows: ‘Details of the Act were presented at each of the thematic partnerships which make up the Southwark Alliance, asking them to engage with stakeholders(including hard to reach groups or communities) and encouraging them to submit proposals.’  What were the proposals ? (Mr Beedell)

Daniel Gilby

 

Please see the following page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sustainable Communities Act – Southwark Council proposals

 

In July 2009, Southwark Council submitted eight proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act to the Local Government Association. These proposals had been approved by the Southwark SCA panel in June, and were then developed jointly by Council officers and the members of the community who had put forward each idea.

 

The proposals are now being considered by the Local Government Association in order to decide which ideas will be taken forward by the Government. Decisions on this will be taken in the next two months.

 

The eight proposals are:

 

1. Impose a duty on Network Rail and any other rail operators to work in partnership with local authorities and local communities

 

Proposed that a legal duty be imposed on Network Rail and any other rail operators to work in partnership with local authorities and local communities to safeguard and improve the environment directly relating to all railway land and infrastructure.

 

 

2. Relax the requirements for 20mph zones to have self-enforcing calming measures

 

To relax the legal requirement for 20mph zones that every street must have self-enforcing calming measures. This would see the removal of the unconditional requirement and place it at the discretion of the local authority as to whether there are self-enforcing calming measures and what form they take.

 

 

3. Simplify tax incentives that encourage businesses to promote sustainable commuting

 

This proposal aims to create a clearer and more consistent tax regime to incentivise sustainable commuting and work related travel for businesses and their employees. This would require a comprehensive review of the current system, looking at all relevant tax legislation and guidance and exploring the scope for greater incentives. Once this is done, the revised system would be widely publicised via existing business media channels to ensure that it is better known and understood.

 

The intention is to reform the tax system to encourage more people to use sustainable forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport, thereby reducing carbon emissions and increasing health and fitness.

 

 

4. A national plastic bag free day

 

The proposal aims to build national support for a Plastic Bag Free day on which no plastic bags would be exchanged between retailer and customer. This would be held on the 12th September every year in order to coincide with the international Plastic Bag Free day held on that day. The international day is an annual event that is starting in 2009, and we would like to see national support in the UK from 2010.

 

 

5. Southwark Safety Camera Partnership

 

This proposal seeks to create a Southwark Safety Camera Partnership to provide a localised approach to road safety that would better respond to local needs than the current London wide partnership. The Southwark Partnership would be allowed to keep revenue from existing cameras and use this money for road calming measures or to move existing cameras.

 

 

6. Support for permaculture design principles in national planning policy

 

The proposal aims to support permaculture design principles. What is proposed is a permissive regime that enables local authorities to prioritise permaculture design principles in local planning policy. Permaculture and forest gardening systems promote design that increases sustainability and self-sufficiency of food supply and production within a wider context.

 

 

7. Civil penalties for unlawful use of properties to cover enforcement costs

 

This proposal seeks to allow local authorities to impose civil penalties on freeholders, leaseholders or a tenant, for the unlawful use of properties, in order to cover the costs of planning enforcement. The proposal is to include new powers in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that will permit planning authorities to serve a fixed penalty notice in relation to failure to comply with planning enforcement notices or breach of condition notices as an alternative to pursuing matters through the courts.

 

 

8. Leaseholder sinking fund

 

This proposal aims to support public sector leaseholders to pay their major works service charges by incentivising them to make regular payments, similar to the ‘sinking fund’ arrangements available in the private sector to cover service charges.

Major works service charges reflect the cost of the council improving properties within their housing stock to meet the decent homes standard or for other major investments like works to lifts and district heating systems. These works frequently cost up to £40,000 for each individual leaseholder.