Agenda item

To consider motions on the following:

 

·  Age Friendly Borough

·  Don’t shaft Faraday

·  Tackling congestion in Jamaica Road

·  Save Southwark post office services

·  The Dubs’ Amendment

·  NHS sustainability and transformation plan.

RESOLVED:

 

Age Friendly Borough

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly recognises and celebrates the significant contribution that older people in Southwark make to the life of our borough, whether it is at work, as carers or in the voluntary sector. Based on estimates produced by the Royal Voluntary Service, the contribution that over-65s in Southwark make to the borough as carers and volunteers alone is worth over £9 million every year.

 

2.  Council assembly notes the administration’s commitment to supporting older people in the borough to live healthy, active, independent and fulfilling lives, in their own homes and communities, for as long as possible.

 

3.  Council assembly welcomes Southwark’s accreditation from the World Health Organisation as the first Age Friendly Borough in London and the work that has been done to deliver the Age Friendly vision, including:

 

·  Implementing the Southwark Ethical Care Charter

·  Building new council homes specifically designed for older people

·  Introducing free swimming and gym use to help older people keep fit and well

·  Being recognised by the Alzheimer’s Society as a Dementia Friendly Borough and forming the new Southwark Dementia Action Alliance

·  Supporting older people to be digitally included with free 'silver surfer' IT sessions in our libraries

·  Providing targeted employment support for anyone over 50 facing barriers to getting jobs

·  Developing plans for the new centre of excellence for older people that will open in late 2018.

 

4.  Council assembly recognises the importance of caring for vulnerable older people in our community and welcomes the work that the council has done including:

 

·  Implementing our Ethical Care Charter for all home care contracts, supporting older people to stay in their own homes by offering quality care at home

 

·  Providing good quality re-ablement support to help more vulnerable people stay in their homes and reduce hospital re-admissions. Despite the massive cuts faced by the council, Southwark has maintained significantly better hospital discharge performance than the London average

 

·  Building new extra care housing, such as Tayo Situ House, and working with others, such as the development at Southwark Park Road by the United St Saviour’s Charity, to help older people to maintain their independence in supported accommodation.

 

5.  Council assembly recognises that the commitment to being an Age Friendly Borough spans all council services and welcomes the participation of residents in community conversations on ageing well in Southwark, which have helped to develop priorities and areas for further improvement, including:

 

·  Improving transport, open spaces and the public realm

·  Tackling isolation

·  Improving communication and information for older people

·  Working to break down generational barriers

·  Developing skills and employment and volunteering opportunities

·  Helping people to stay healthy and active

·  Addressing housing needs

·  Ensuring better customer service for older people.

 

6.  Council assembly calls on the cabinet to continue working with residents and community and voluntary groups to further improve quality of life for people in Southwark, regardless of their age.

 

Don’t Shaft Faraday

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly notes that following successful campaigns over a number of years by Southwark Labour MPs, councillors, residents and community groups, Transport for London (TfL) are currently consulting on the Bakerloo Line extension.

 

2.  Council assembly welcomes this consultation on the Bakerloo Line extension, which will improve connectivity, increase the capacity and resilience of the transport network and reduce journey times between key destinations, as well as helping the area to grow by supporting new homes and jobs.

 

3.  Council assembly notes that TfL’s consultation includes the location of a ventilation shaft between Elephant and Castle and the proposed Old Kent Road 1 station with two possible locations identified for the proposed shaft; the Bricklayers Arms road junction area and Faraday Gardens on Portland Street.

 

4.  Council assembly notes its concern that Faraday Gardens, a much loved and historic green space, is listed as a potential site.  To build the proposed shaft there interrupts a well used park, and places it within yards of a primary school, and flats in the Liverpool Grove conservation area. Faraday Gardens is an iconic part of our community, lending its name to the council ward, and its history, from its establishment by Octavia Hill to its extension to replace bombed out buildings, is part of the pioneering story of our borough. Construction traffic would have to use the new Portland Street quietway, placing extra dangers for the cyclists TfL are encouraging to use the route.

 

5.  Of the options presented in the TfL consultation, council assembly calls on the cabinet to lobby TfL to support the Bricklayers Arms option, to avoid causing unnecessary damage to a local park, subject to strict conditions, with the health and safety of local residents and school pupils a priority.

 

6.  Council assembly further calls on cabinet to formally request TfL consider an additional station at Bricklayers Roundabout.

 

7.  Council assembly calls on the cabinet to lobby TfL that should Bricklayers be chosen as the site of a vent shaft, that further work and consultation is carried out with the council and local residents on the possible design and local impact of the shaft, and that rigorous monitoring and mitigation of air pollution at this location takes place.

 

8.  Council assembly notes concerns from residents near the Bricklayers Arms about the impact of a shaft worksite area here and the implications for traffic management and local schools and nursing homes, with no benefit to residents to set against the issues caused by construction.

 

9.  Council assembly notes that Bricklayers Arms is the point of intersection for residents of Walworth, Bermondsey and the western reaches of the Old Kent Road, who presently need to take a bus to the Elephant and Castle to join the tube network. An additional underground station here would be a sensible distance from the Elephant and Castle and would save residents time and money.

 

10.  Council assembly therefore calls on the cabinet to work closely with TfL to secure an additional station, incorporating a ventilation shaft, at the Bricklayers Arms Roundabout, with a view to removing the need for a separate ventilation shaft on this stretch of the Bakerloo Line extension and creating a station which benefits residents of the Bricklayers Arms and surrounding areas.

 

11.  Council assembly further calls on the cabinet to:

 

·  Continue to fight for a second branch of the Bakerloo Line extension to Camberwell, supporting the long running residents' campaign group there.

·  Make representations to TfL to ensure that residents at Elephant and Castle are protected in any plans for the worksite to enlarge Elephant and Castle underground station.

 

Tackling Congestion in Jamaica Road

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly notes that:

 

·  Jamaica Road is one of the most congested roads in the country, being used by more than 1,000 cyclists and 14,000 vehicles per day with an average rush hour speed of just 0.1 miles per hour (MPH) and an average mid-morning speed of just 1.2 MPH.

 

·  Air pollution in the local area is more than three times the legal limit and that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution levels along Jamaica Road are 1.23 tonnes per km per year.

 

2.  Council assembly recognises that:

 

·  A major cause of the congestion is the layout of the Rotherhithe roundabout which creates a bottleneck for vehicles travelling into the tunnel or onto the peninsula.

 

·  The cycle hire (“Boris Bike”) scheme does not include Bermondsey or Rotherhithe and that an extension of the scheme along Jamaica Road would encourage more people to cycle rather than travel by car.

 

3.  Council assembly welcomes:

 

·  The Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund (MAQF) £20 million fund to support new projects by Boroughs to improve air quality for the next ten years.

 

·  The Mayor of London’s planned introduction of the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to remove diesel vehicles from our Borough.

 

·  The Mayor of London’s announced plans to protect London's schools from pollution with 50 'air quality' audits at primary schools in areas exceeding legal limits of nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

 

·  The Mayor of London’s support for a walking and cycling bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf which will ease congestion on local roads and on public transport.

 

4.  Council assembly therefore commends the cabinet for requesting from Transport for London:

 

·  The need to urgently redesign the Rotherhithe roundabout to ease the flow of vehicles queuing to enter the Rotherhithe tunnel.

 

·  To introduce a variable messaging system on approach roads to warn drivers when the tunnel is closed or if queues are particularly long, as the Cabinet did with drivers on Tower Bridge Road through the MAQF.

 

·  To bring forward their proposals for Cycle Superhighway 4 (CS4) and implement safer conditions for cyclists along Jamaica Road and begin a public consultation this year.

 

·  To improve pedestrian crossings along Jamaica Road, especially at Bermondsey Tube Station and the entrance to Southwark Park as part of its CS4 design work.

 

·  To develop with TfL a detailed programme for the extension of the cycle hire docking scheme to Walworth, Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, to form the basis of discussions with local landowners, TfL and the council to commit capital funding.

 

Save Southwark Post Office Services

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly notes that:

 

·  The Post Office announced on 10 January this year that it would be closing and franchising 37 Crown Post Offices across the country, including the New Cross branch which serves residents in Peckham Rye, Livesey and Nunhead ward.  This follows the closure of the Crown Post office on Rye Lane in August 2016.

 

·  The Post Office also announced in late 2015 that it would be franchising Blackfriars and Walworth Road branches.

 

·  Closures across the country will lead to the loss of over 400 jobs nationwide, and they follow the announcement of 62 planned closures in 2016.

 

·  Post Offices across the borough are well used by, and valued by the local community. Local residents, councillors and the Walworth Society have been fighting for over a year to keep the Walworth Road branch crown and improve this important local Post Office.

 

·  Post Offices also provide wider social value for older residents, according to a government survey 87% of over-65s use the Post Office for pension’s services and other social benefits. 66% of 65+ use the Post Office for personal banking services, insurance products and foreign currency.

 

·  Independent research shows that franchised Post Offices offer poorer disabled access, longer queuing times, worse customer service and fewer staff, often on minimum wage.

 

2.  Council assembly believes:

 

·  That the continued closures of Post Offices are bad for our community and will downgrade vital services to our local community.

 

·  That the loss of post office services on the Walworth Road is bad for our local economy and would have a detrimental impact on businesses on the Walworth road and the local economy.

 

·  That the closure of New Cross Post Office is bad for postal workers and will lead to good quality, skilled jobs on decent pay being replaced by insecure and low-paid work.

 

3.  Council assembly resolves:

 

·  To affirm our opposition to the closure of New Cross Post Office as well as serving residents in New cross this provides vital post office services for residents in the south of our borough.

 

·  To affirm our opposition to the loss of Post Office services at Walworth Road, Blackfriars and Peckham Branches.

 

·  To call on councillors to offer their support to the CWU campaign against the closure of over 100 Post Offices across the country.

 

The Dubs’ Amendment

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly welcomes Lord Dubs’ amendment to the Immigration Act 2016 which offered unaccompanied refugee children safe refuge in Britain.  It notes that this amendment committed the UK to providing a safe haven for vulnerable children fleeing war and persecution.

 

2.  Council assembly is proud of Southwark's tradition of being a welcoming and compassionate borough, ready to play its part in supporting refugees.

 

3.  Council assembly:

 

·  Condemns the government’s decision to end the scheme prematurely which will put the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children at risk.

 

·  Refutes the suggestion that local authorities are not willing to help.

 

·  Notes that the national transfer scheme set up within the act means that the demand on services is shared across the country but the Home Office has simply failed to take up the offers of help from councils.

 

·  Praises local authorities who, despite the government’s underfunding of child refugees¸ are still meeting their commitments and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of child refugees.

 

4.  Council assembly calls on the leader of the council to write to the Home Secretary urging that she:

 

·  Immediately reinstates the Dubs scheme.

 

·  Opens up new consultation with local authorities and commits to provide adequate funding for local authorities taking children under the scheme.

 

·  Publishes a strategy for the safeguarding of unaccompanied refugee children safeguarding of unaccompanied refugee children living in the UK.

 

NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan

 

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

 

1.  The council welcomes the publication in full of work undertaken on the South East London Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) and the commitment local NHS bodies, including Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group, have made to working collaboratively with the Councils and Southwark residents to further develop these plans. The Council also welcomes the work the Our Healthier South East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is undertaking to scrutinise these proposals and to ensure they are developed in a way that is accountable to local people.

 

2.  The council notes that:

 

·  There is an urgent need for the government to provide adequate and sustainable funding for health and social care.  Whilst demand for these services is rising rapidly (due in a large part to our ageing population) the Government has cut funding to local authorities every year for the past seven years and now plans to cut in real terms NHS funding per head of population for the next two years. 

 

·  The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures show that the UK now spends less on health care both per a person and as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) than most similar countries including Germany, France, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, Belgium and Netherlands.

 

·  Significant concerns have been raised nationally about the Government’s approach to STPs. For example the respected think-tank The Kings Fund has pointed out that: “Tight deadlines have made it difficult to secure meaningful involvement in the plans from key stakeholders, including patients and the public, local authorities, clinicians and other frontline staff”; “Despite the focus on local ownership, key elements of the process have been ‘top-down’”; and, “National requirements and deadlines for the plans have changed over time, and guidance for STP leaders has sometimes been inconsistent and often arrived late.”

 

3.  Therefore, the council resolves to:

 

·  Call on HM Government to provide the resources to fund good quality health and social care services across South East London.

 

·  Call on HM Government to ensure the national STP process supports the real and meaningful involvement of and accountability to local people and organisations in South East London, and enables closer partnership between local authorities and health services.

 

·  Request the continued full publication of all South East London STP documents, appendices and impact assessments.

 

·  Require full public consultation on all significant changes to services arising from the South East London STP.

 

·  Require continued pre decision scrutiny of all significant changes to NHS and social care provision arising from the South East London STP.

 

·  Call on HM Government to provide adequate funding support to allow councils to effectively scrutinise STPs.