Minutes:
A resident said he wished to ask a question about Comus House TRA. Cllr Pidgeon reminded the meeting that this was outside the remit of the Community Council and should be raised at the local Housing Forum.
Reusable bags for East Street Market Traders
Q13 & Q14 A resident asked what had happened to the reusable bags which Walworth Community Council had paid for out of its Cleaner Greener Safer budget. He went on to say that he shopped in East Street Market every day and that he not seen any of the bags. He said that traders in the market were still handing out the blue plastic bags. The resident also wanted to know when the council was going to lower the stall rates, in order to attract a better mix of stalls.
A14 The Chair said that plans for lowering stall rates were underway.
A13 Stephen Douglass (SD) responded that the bags had been delivered to the council and that some had gone out to traders, but that the majority still had to be distributed.
Q15 A resident said that all stalls in the market should have the bags and asked when this would happen.
Another resident said that none of the reusable bags had been given out by the traders in the past four weeks.
A15 A representative of the East Street market traders said that, the person who had been supposed to deliver the reusable bags to traders had had some health problems, and had therefore been unable to do so. The bags would be distributed to traders the following Saturday.
Q16 Cllr Pidgeon reminded the meeting that two different kinds of bags had been ordered, and asked whether the second batch of bags had a different design.
A16 SD responded that the new bags had a similar design, but that they were sturdier.
A resident said that because the bags had been bought with Walworth Community Council money, they should have been made available already. He went on to say that because this had not happened, the blue plastic bags were still being used.
Cllr Mohamed supported the resident’s comment and said that the Community Council had a keen interest in this issue, as it had been Community Council money which had paid for the bags.
Q17 Aresident asked when the blue bags were going to be phased out.
A17 SD responded that there were no plans to phase out the blue plastic bags.
Another resident urged those attending to use their reusable bag every time they went out and to promote the bags to friends and family.
A third resident said that because the reusable bags were designed to affect a change in behaviour, there should be a deadline set for phasing out the blue plastic bags, and that giving out the reusable bags should be made mandatory for all market traders.
SD said that the council could not force people to use the reusable bags and phase out the blue plastic bags.
ACTION: Stephen Douglass to distribute some of the reusable bags funded by the Walworth Community Council CGS budget at the next Community Council meeting; and report back on whether they have been distributed among the traders on East Street.
Bus 343
A resident complained about the road works in Borough High Street which had delayed his journey on the 343 bus by 45 minutes.
The Chair asked Val Shawcross to take this up.
Youth Activities
Q18 A resident said that she was a young person and just about to finish her A-levels. She said that there was no youth provision in her area, and asked what the council was doing about this.
A18 Cllr Pidgeon said that there were a lot of council funded activities available. She said the council spent £2.8m a year on youth provision and that the council’s www.whtvr.org website listed all local information for young people. She explained that the website was written by young people for young people. Cllr Pidgeon also asked for information about youth provision to be included in the next Community Council mail-out.
The Chair suggested the resident should also check with the Inspire centre which ran many activities for young people.
ACTION: Forid Ahmed to add information about activities for young people in the area to the next Community Council mail-out.
Q19 A resident asked why the council had cut its funding to the Pembroke Youth Centre, so that the centre had been forced to lay off some of the youth workers.
ACTION: Chair towrite to Children’s Services to ask for a report back on whether the council’s funding for youth workers at the Pembroke Youth Centre has been reduced.
The queries listed in the action points below were received in writing and will be answered at the next meeting:
ACTION: Chair to write to the appropriate section of the council to ask for feedback on the following question submitted in writing: “I would like the Chair or Council Members to provide residents with an update as regards Land Lease not signing the regeneration deal. What implications does this have on the regeneration of the area?”
ACTION: Philip Murphy / Chair to provide feedback to the next Community Council meeting about the following enquiries submitted in writing, provided these are within the remit of the Community Council:
“1. Would the Community Council explain what
provisions are being made to ensure that the 31 residents of Garland Court in Wansey Street have access to recycling services? At present there are no immediate facilities for the residents.
2. Is the Community Council aware of the recent forced entry into Garland Court and the damaged side entrance (via the alleyway linking Ethel Street and Wansey Street), and if the council has received written evidence from Southern Housing Group on behalf of residents expressing concern over the future security of the building and the safety of its residents?
3. If the Community Council is aware of the recurring vandalism of Garland Court along the alleyway linking Ethel Street to Wansey Street and whether measures are being considered to limit the damage to private property and anti-social behaviour? Past damage includes gates with hinges destroyed, graffiti etched into the glass panels by the side entrance and the destruction of air vent covers, all of which have to be replaced at considerable expense.”