Agenda item

An opportunity to hear community announcements and presentations from the following groups:

·  South London Tenancy Support (Southwark and Lambeth).

·  Community Payback Scheme – relaunch of the scheme and new arrangements.

·  Community Restoration Fund – Youth Support Services to give an overview and talk about application process.

• Welfare Reform “How will it affect you?” A workshop will be held beforehand at 11.00am – 11.45 am) and brief announcement on the changes during the community slot. Please see briefing note on Welfare Benefit changes from April 2013 on pages 13 – 18.

The following announcements were made:

Community payback scheme

Hudson Mclean from Serco was present to talk about the transition period over the last few months in that the community payback formerly called ‘community service’ would going through in Southwark, Lambeth and Greenwich.  Most of the work is unpaid work.  He referred to the role of the community payback scheme which involved painting and decorating of buildings where all work is risk assessed.  The meeting was told that if they wished to nominate a project to paint please contact the chair of the community council.

Community safety issues – general

Tanya Barrow gave an update on the community safety matters.  She stated the council had embarked on work with a hostel called Joe Richards House, in 100 Queens Road Peckham which is a hostel for vulnerable adults that have misused substances.  Tanya said as part of a consultation on an anti begging campaign for the whole of the borough she wanted residents’ views on this and to ask where the posters related to this campaign should be displayed and the sort of information that should go on them.

Police update

Police Inspector Linda Upton gave an update on policing issues and crime prevention in the South East cluster for the Lane, Livesey, Nunhead, Peckham and Peckham Rye wards:

Since the last meeting:

·   2 cannabis factories were closed down in the area.

·  Executed drug warrants which resulted in several arrests and charges etc.

·  Livesey ward – related to cannabis cafes around Meeting House Lane which the police were able to finally close it down and the 5 people involved were convicted.

·  Several crack house closures.

·  Executed warrants at mobile phone shops which related to the theft of mobile phones particularly iphones and ipads etc.  The police have taken proactive action on this.

·  The overall priority for the borough is “Operation Trinity” which – tackling serious youth crime and violent knife crime.  Also held a knives sweep.

·  Monitoring uninsured vehicles.

·  Nunhead and Peckham Rye Police Ward Panel set up face book page where crime prevention messages are set up.

·  Reported that courier fraud was on the increase, people that claim they are from the police, a courier or bank in order to obtain people’s financial details should ring the safer neighbourhood team or dial 101 if you suspect anything suspicious.

Community restoration

Sharon Pryce, one of the youth workers for Nunhead and Peckham gave an overview of the application process and discussed the number of applications they received from the community projects and highlighted how they derived at their decision.

The following applications were awarded funding:

·  Brimmington Community Football Club (Spark Youth Project) £4,065

·  Westminster House Youth Club (Young Leaders) £4,481

·  Southwark Travellers Action Group  (STAG Youth Project) £4,481

·  Bradfield Club (Medial and Film Project) £3,920

·  Connecting Voices (Voice, Vision, Sound) £4,481

Members agreed to the above funding.

Welfare Reform “How will it affect you?”

Jay Akinola Daisi made an announcement on Welfare Benefit changes.  He announced the council and residents should be prepared for changes to the benefit system which would take affect on 1 April 2013.  Full details of the changes were contained in the agenda pack (pages 13 – 17).  Overall 30,000 to 35,000 people in the borough would be affected.  Southwark residents have not yet been told when exactly the Benefit Cap would affect them.

What are the changes?

·  Benefits cap: A cap on the total amount of benefits, including housing benefit.

·  Housing benefit: Those in receipt of housing benefit for working age people living in the social sector would only be paid according to the needs of their household.  People of pension age would not be affected by these changes. 

·  Council tax benefit scheme: All councils should create a local scheme for residents on low income.  The money available for this local scheme was cut by 10% and the council’s funding shall be reduced by £2.8 million.  The council had developed a replacement scheme, known as the “council tax reduction scheme” (CTRS).

·  Disability living allowance: The DLA would be replaced by a new benefit called personal independence payment (PIP) for people aged 16 to 64 (from June 2013).

·  Universal credit: This would be a new single payment that replaces:

o  Housing benefit

o  Income based job seeker’s allowance

o  Income-related employment and support allowance

o  Income support

o  Child tax credits and

o  Working tax credits

For information contact the council’s housing and council tax benefit on telephone number: 020 7525 1880  Website: http://www.southwark.gov.uk/benefits  Useful web links and contact telephone numbers are on page 17 of the agenda pack.