Agenda item

To consider motions referred from council assembly  on16 July 2014:

 

• Children and young people
• East Dulwich secondary school
• Alternating the role of Mayor
• Transport links in South Bermondsey
• Bakerloo Line extension

RESOLVED:

 

Children and Young People

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be noted.

 

Schools

 

1.  Council assembly recognises that there are real challenges ahead for local authorities to meet demand for school places, with more than one in four councils forecasting a shortage of primary school places this coming September, and nearly half of local authorities facing a places shortage in September 2015.

 

2.  Council assembly welcomes the work of the current administration over the last four years to expand school places to meet demand, by expanding popular local schools and working with partners to open new ones, ensuring that last year every on time applicant in Southwark was offered a reception place.

 

3.  Council assembly acknowledges that there continues to be a shortage of school places in certain areas and that some parents in Southwark feel they have little choice especially when they are unable to secure places at the community schools nearest to where they live.

 

4.  Council assembly recognises that the work being done by the current Labour administration to ensure that there are sufficient school places to meet demand in the borough is being done against the backdrop of the Liberal Democrats working with the Conservatives in government making it harder and harder for councils to build new schools in the places they are most needed.  

 

5.  Council assembly notes with concern that the coalition government’s flagship free schools policy is failing to address the national shortage of school places, with an estimated two thirds of primary school places not in areas of need. Council assembly calls on the government to stop putting politics before the needs of children by diverting money away from areas with a real shortage of places.

 

6.  Council assembly recognises that the current situation in Southwark, where despite increasing demand some schools are struggling to fill places, with 335 vacancies in secondary schools and 201 vacancies in primary schools currently across the borough, is unsustainable.

 

7.  Council assembly calls on cabinet to continue to drive up standards in Southwark schools and to bring forward a programme to work with schools to ensure that over 70% of students in every secondary school in the borough get at least five good GCSEs. Council assembly also calls for this programme of work to look beyond schools and to what additional support can be given to our looked after children and children from troubled families who all too often achieve well below their potential.

 

8.  Council assembly also recognises the challenge where there are secondary schools in the borough which are rated as ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, but where parents do not want to send their children.

 

9.  Council assembly therefore calls on the cabinet to work with local parents and the Department for Education to ensure that decisions about new schools are based on the needs of the community.

 

10.  Council assembly calls on the cabinet to ensure that free schools work as part of the educational mix of the borough, by continuing to work with popular local schools who choose to come forward with free school proposals, sponsors who can demonstrate their commitment to working in partnership with both the council and local parents, and committed parents who want to open new schools in their area.

 

Childcare

 

11.  Council assembly recognises that the increasing cost of childcare is one of the most pressing issues affecting families in Southwark. Childcare prices have risen significantly while real earnings have fallen – contributing to the cost of living crisis – and there are serious gaps in provision for quality affordable childcare, particularly for working parents.

 

12.  Council assembly recognises that the rising childcare costs are particularly detrimental to women and are pricing half a million British mothers out of work. Council assembly welcomes Labour’s commitment nationally to increase the provision of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds from 15 hours to 25 hours a week, but recognises that more needs to be done across the council’s services to support mothers back into work.

 

13.  Council assembly welcomes the commitment of this administration to invest in Southwark’s children’s centres and work with parents to set up two new community nurseries to increase the number of affordable childcare places in the borough.

 

14.  Council assembly recognises the need for real long term solutions to this growing problem and therefore welcomes the establishment of the Childcare Commission, bringing together experts, parents, providers and employers to find ways to secure childcare provision that is accessible and affordable to all parents, supports them to be economically active, and delivers quality education and development for children in the early years.

 

15.  Council assembly calls on the cabinet to implement the recommendations of the Childcare Commission and to look for opportunities for facilitating and encouraging employment through the provision of quality, affordable childcare, particularly for working mothers.

 

Beyond education and childcare

 

16.  Council assembly recognises that the council’s duty towards children and young people goes beyond education and childcare. Therefore, council assembly also welcomes the council’s commitment to:

 

·  Ensure a top quality playground in every local area and to introduce “play streets”, closing some streets to traffic during school holidays to ensure children have the opportunity to play safely.

 

·  Continue to deliver free healthy school meals for every primary school child in Southwark and extend free fruit to all primary school children as a morning snack.

 

·  Keep young people safe at home and in our community and protect children from abuse or neglect by investing in early support for families.

 

·  Help more people to foster and adopt by paying their council tax, to help give more children a home where they are loved, safe and secure.

 

·  Help young people to get sound financial education by opening a credit union account with a £10 deposit for every 11 year old and helping them get good money advice.

 

East Dulwich Secondary School

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be noted.

 

Council assembly:

 

1.  Notes that there is clear evidence of the need for a secondary school in the Dulwich area in order to meet local demand and that the Dulwich hospital site has been identified as the only suitable site in the local area.

 

2.  Notes that two providers have put forward proposals for a new secondary school on this site and that both are backed by strong local parental campaigns and have the full backing of the council and local MPs.

 

3.  Notes that the need for primary school places in this part of the borough is being met through a number of new local free school proposals and the expansion of existing primary schools, including Ivydale School, which is the preferred choice of local parents. 

 

4.  Supports the view of local parents that what is needed on the Dulwich hospital site is a new secondary school, not another primary school.

 

5.  Believes that it is completely unacceptable for the coalition government to be progressing plans for a primary free school on the Dulwich hospital site without consulting local parents or the local authority. 

 

6.  Believes that blocking a new and much needed secondary school in this area would completely go against the coalition government’s own policy of responding to local need and demand, as well as the free school aspiration of parent led schools with a diversity of providers.

 

7.  Calls on cabinet to press the Education Secretary to be open and transparent about his plans for the Dulwich hospital site and to listen to the views of the local community and their elected representatives who have been campaigning for a secondary school on this site. 

 

8.  Calls on councillors from all parties to stand firmly with local people who want a secondary school in East Dulwich, rather than supporting another primary school, which would limit rather than increase parental choice, in an area where the council has worked hard with popular local schools to expand places and meet demand

 

Alternating the Role of the Mayor

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be noted.

 

1.  Council assembly recognises that the position of Mayor is a civic, ceremonial and non-political position.

 

2.  Council assembly recognises that the current Mayor of Southwark was democratically elected by the majority of councillors in the borough. Council assembly accepts that the decision of councillors to elect as the first citizen a representative of the majority party, which includes representatives from across the whole borough, in recognition of the democratic wishes of Southwark residents.

 

3.  Council assembly therefore supports the continued election of the Mayor by the full council in a democratic vote.

 

Transport Links in South Bermondsey

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be noted.

 

Council assembly calls on the council to improve transport links in South Bermondsey to benefit local residents and boost footfall for local businesses, support the upcoming rejuvenation of the high street and help the Blue fulfill its potential as a major destination.

 

Council assembly calls on the council to:

 

1.  Lobby Transport for London (TfL) to deliver new bus connections from Southwark Park Road, to and from London Bridge, the West End and the City, to ensure all of South Bermondsey is fully connected with the rest of London including building on existing conversations about the C10 route.

 

2.  Press the Mayor of London for an extension of the cycle hire scheme into all parts of South Bermondsey.

 

3.  Work with Network Rail and Grosvenor Estates to ensure that a new garden and pedestrian link through the redeveloped Biscuit Factory and railway arches is fully realised, directly connecting Bermondsey tube station to the Blue.

 

4.  Take action to tackle the high number of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) using Southwark Park Road through The Blue.

 

Bakerloo Line Extension

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be noted.

 

1.  Council assembly applauds Labour councillors’ long standing campaign to extend the Bakerloo Line to Camberwell and Peckham, which has included a petition signed by more than 2,750 people, in order to improve public transport for current and future Southwark residents, and to help bring jobs and growth to South London.  Council assembly welcomes the fact that the Labour campaign to extend the Bakerloo line to Camberwell now has cross-party support, including from Liberal Democrat opposition councillors.

 

2.  Council assembly welcomes the cabinet’s commitment to campaign for the Bakerloo Line to be extended south of the Elephant and Castle to Camberwell, as set out in the cabinet report “Delivering a Fairer Future for all in Southwark”.

 

3.  Council assembly recognises that the Old Kent Road is desperately in need of better transport, particularly given its new designation as an opportunity area. Council assembly welcomes the further expansion of the Bakerloo line to the Old Kent Road, which could provide more opportunity for new homes in the area. However, council assembly believes that any expansion of the tube to the Old Kent Road should not be done at the expense of Camberwell, and therefore calls on the cabinet to press the Mayor of London to deliver on his promise to extend the Bakerloo line to Camberwell as well as the Old Kent Road.

 

4.  Council assembly believes there is a strong case for expanding the Bakerloo Line to serve both Camberwell and the Old Kent Road and calls on cabinet to push for a two-branch extension with Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London.