Agenda item

To consider motions referred from council assembly on the following:

 

·  For a Fairer, Greener, Safer Borough

·  Royal Mail

·  Council-supported events and the Bermondsey Carnival

·  Right to food

·  Tamil Heritage Month

·  Southwark’s support for Ukraine

·  Making Borough and Bankside and St George’s fairer, greener and safer

·  Making Bermondsey fairer, greener and safer.

RESOLVED:

 

For a Fairer, Greener, Safer Borough

 

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

 

1.  Council Assembly welcomes the huge progress that the council has made since Labour came to power in 2010, delivering a fairer, greener and safer future for all, building on Southwark Labour’s vision for the borough. This includes:

 

a.  Supporting 12,000 people into work since 2010, including 5,500 people supported into work since 2018 despite the significant challenge posed by the pandemic.

b.  Creating 4,000 apprenticeships, the most of any London borough in the UK.

c.  Halving the council’s carbon emissions since 2018, delivering on a climate strategy independently ranked in the top 2 of 32 London boroughs.

d.  Delivering on our pledge to plant over 10,000 trees

e.  Achieving Green Flag status for 22 additional parks since 2010

f.  On track to build and start 2,500 new council homes by May since 2014 and agreed a new Southwark Plan which will deliver 40,000 new homes by 2036.

g.  Improving our schools so that 95% are now ranked good or outstanding by OFSTED.

h.  Guaranteed an education, training or employment opportunity for every young person leaving our care

i.  Provided a free mental health drop in service for all children and young people

j.  Opened five new libraries since 2010.

k.  Retained the eighth lowest council tax in London.

 

2.  Council Assembly also notes that the Council has been on your side supporting residents through the Covid-19 pandemic through some of the most challenging times local government has faced in recent years. This has included:

 

a.  Supporting over 73,000 vulnerable residents through Covid

b.  Distributing over £250m of grants and business rate relief to local businesses

c.  Helping 450 rough sleepers into emergency accommodation

d.  Getting £20m of support to community groups to tackle the impact of Covid

e.  Providing 1,700 laptops to school children who needed them the most.

 

3.  Council Assembly notes its appreciation to officers, our voluntary and community groups, local businesses, statutory partners such as the NHS and the Police and, importantly, residents and local resident groups for the role that they have played in these achievements, and for the role that they will play in ensuring another decade of improvements for the people of Southwark.

 

4.  Council Assembly notes that this has been achieved despite the Liberal Democrats’ and Conservatives’ opposition to progress which has included:

 

a.  Overseeing an austerity programme in government which has seen the Council’s funding from central government cut by two thirds in real terms since 2010

b.  Failing to recognise the huge improvements to council services since 2010 despite significantly higher levels of funding for local government under the previous Labour government

c.  Abstaining on funding for a new anti-social behaviour taskforce and support for residents to tackle the cost of living crisis in this year’s Budget

d.  Failing to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the council’s frontline workers who have done an incredible job continuing to deliver services throughout the pandemic.

 

5.  Council Assembly therefore notes that only Southwark Labour can be trusted to deliver for residents, while the Southwark Liberal Democrats will only let residents down. It therefore resolves to call upon cabinet to bring forward a substantial policy programme including a refreshed Borough Plan for the next four years that will include Southwark Labour’s plan to deliver a fairer, greener and safer future for residents including:

 

a.  Achieve a stronger economy building upon Southwark Labour’s achievement of creating good jobs. The new Borough Plan should look to create more jobs and apprenticeships in high growth industries that can give back to our borough and our planet, and put in place measures to support Southwark’s high streets

b.  Tackle the climate emergency, cutting carbon emissions again with greener buildings, more parks, nature sites, cycle hangers and electric vehicle charging points to maintain momentum in making Southwark carbon neutral by 2030

c.  Deliver safer streets and estates investing £2m in a taskforce to tackle anti-social behaviour hotspots, upgrade street lighting across the borough and install more CCTV cameras

d.  Build more council homes and deliver more homes of different tenures for the benefit of all Southwark residents

e.  Support our families by tackling health inequalities, particularly through mental health challenges.

 

6.  Although this represents an ambitious set of pledges for Southwark, Council Assembly acknowledges that more can be achieved with greater financial resources. Therefore, Council Assembly also resolves to campaign for a fairer financial settlement from central government that does not ignore the wide disparities that still exist in London, with those on the lowest incomes more likely to suffer from health problems, squalid living conditions with no prospect of owning their own home and often insecure employment in the form of zero hour contracts.

 

7.  Council Assembly also acknowledges that the cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on our residents’ finances, with a pronounced impact on those on the lowest incomes. Government has compounded these issues by cutting Universal Credit by £20 a week for those most in need of government support, as well as increasing national insurance which will hit people on the lowest incomes. Council Assembly therefore calls upon Cabinet to:

 

a.  Set up a cost of living fund to support Southwark’s most vulnerable residents

b.  Support the national Labour Party’s plan for a more comprehensive package of measures and sustain a campaign for more support for the borough’s residents.

 

8.  Levelling up has also been described as a key pillar of the government’s strategy to tackle inequality, however in reality there is very little for London boroughs, where the gap between rich and poor is the largest. Council Assembly acknowledges that the Council has made great improvements including lowering health disparities across the borough, building 2,500 new council homes since 2014 and cutting the council’s carbon emissions since 2018, however without government support it will be impossible for the council to close the gap completely. Therefore, council assembly calls upon cabinet to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities expressing its support for the London Councils position that states that levelling up the UK does not mean levelling down London, and campaign for a fair share of the levelling up fund.

 

Royal Mail

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly notes that:

 

a.  The SE22 sorting office was closed on September 17 2018, despite opposition from residents, ward councillors and the local MP, which has significantly impacted the quality of service received in Dulwich.

 

b.  Royal Mail provides an essential service to residents throughout the borough, however residents have experienced significant disruption to their post service with letters arriving up to six weeks later than normal.

 

c.  This has had a significant negative impact on residents, risking them missing important mail such as NHS appointments, benefits and pensions letters.

 

d.  Covid-19 has exacerbated these delays to the service, and despite the challenges Royal Mail staff have faced as a result of the pandemic it appears that contingency plans have not been put in place, leaving residents without regular mail. It is also clear from the closure of the Sylvester Road office in 2018 that these issues predate the pandemic.

 

e.  The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) has reported that ‘managerial capacity issues’ are in part to blame for service issues.

 

f.  Royal Mail workers have worked exceptionally hard in difficult circumstances to keep services running.

 

2.  Council assembly further notes that:

 

a.  Despite ward councillors’ and the local MP’s efforts and discussions with Royal Mail, there has been no action taken to improve the service. This was compounded during the Christmas period when chaos at the sorting office meant that people were receiving post sent before Christmas well into the New Year.

 

b.  That Royal Mail was part-privatised in 2013 with Liberal Democrat MP Vince Cable as the Minister overseeing the privatisation, and fully privatised in 2015. Royal Mail finances since have deteriorated, leading to 2,000 job losses by June 2020 with a further 700 job losses announced. This has only exacerbated the issues that Southwark residents have been facing.

 

c.  Furthermore, the Liberal Democrats in coalition with the Conservatives botched the privatisation with the Business, Innovation and Skills committee reporting that this cost the taxpayer approximately £1bn. A private Royal Mail has gone on to asset strip, with the sale of Sylvester Road amongst many others with no regard to the impact this has had on service users.

 

3.  Council assembly therefore resolves to:

 

a.  Lobby Royal Mail to reopen a delivery office in the SE22 area.

 

b.  Campaign to bring Royal Mail back into public ownership, with the Leader writing to the Chancellor to this effect.

 

Council-supported events and the Bermondsey Carnival

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly notes that:

 

a.  Southwark, like many parts of the world, has suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic with social activity and outdoor leisure severely limited in recent years.

 

b.  In the last decade Southwark has developed into one of London’s most vibrant and innovative locations for cultural and event activity.

 

c.  The Council has faced significant cuts to its funding, with two thirds of government grants cut from the council’s budget by successive Liberal Democrat and Conservative governments, leading to difficult decisions having to be made.

 

d.  Despite financial and Covid-related challenges, the council continues to support an exciting series of free events, which take place throughout the year. From 2018 to 2022, the council supported 5,500 cultural events.

 

e.  The commitments made in the 2021-22 Borough Plan that all event grant funding programmes deliver on Southwark Stands Together commitments and to ensure that 100% of funding for events is proportionately reflective of the demographic make-up of the borough.

 

f.  Welcomes the establishment of the Cultural Celebrations Fund to encourage and promote community engagement and cohesion around the borough. The fund replaced the regular support of a small number of events with open access grants available to all community event organisers. Almost 30,000 people attended events across the borough in 2021-22.

 

g.  Progress has been made to date, most notably that 27% of the 2021-22 funded event organisers through the Cultural Celebrations Fund came from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, sharing 35% of the total grant funding but acknowledges there is more to do to ensure that funding is fully reflective of our population.

 

h.  It takes a huge amount of effort from organisers and officers to ensure that events can happen in a way that remains respectful to local residents, and council assembly thanks everyone involved to ensure these events can happen.

 

2.  Council assembly calls on cabinet to:

a.  Explore ways in which revenue from events can be maximised whilst causing minimal disruption to local residents so that more community events and activities can be funded.

 

b.  Publish a full list of events that receive funding from the council so that residents can see the diversity of events being funded.

 

c.  Continue to work to support community events across our borough and ensure a range of events are supported.

 

Right to Food

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly notes that:

 

a.  We are seeing a crisis of food poverty borne out of political choices and systemic failings from successive governments since austerity began in 2010;

 

b.  Food poverty should never be seen as inevitable, and notes that from 1997 to 2010 poverty reduced significantly (for instance the Institute for Fiscal Studies notes that the number of children in relative poverty fell by over 1.1 million from 1997-2010), showing that with sufficient political willpower these issues can be tackled;

 

c.  After a decade of government-imposed austerity, child poverty and hunger has increased significantly, and led to a precarious situation for many, even before the pandemic struck;

 

d.  The pandemic has exacerbated problems and pushed more people into food poverty, with perhaps the worst yet to come. We know that in Southwark:

 

  i.  over 10,000 children are currently eligible for Free School Meals and therefore at risk of going hungry during the school holidays, with this number rising; and

  ii.  foodbank use in Southwark has increased four-fold since March 2020 when the coronavirus crisis took hold

 

e.  The Government cut Universal Credit by £20 per week, which came into effect in October 2021 and has had a significant impact, noting the following:

 

  i.  the Joseph Rowntree Foundation - a charity which researches poverty - states millions of households will face an income loss equivalent to £1,040 a year;

  ii.  the charity Citizens Advice has warned that a third of people on Universal Credit will end up in debt due to the reduction, which will inevitably lead to more people being reliant on food banks; and the 5-week wait for Universal Credit impacts people’s ability to pay bills and buy food, and believes that this wait is wholly unjustifiable and should be scrapped;

 

f.  Tackling food poverty requires a borough-wide effort, across the Council and public services, the voluntary and community sector, communities and business, with a long term, structural approach to find lasting solutions and that, as such, the Council should continue to build on and update its borough-wide Food Access Plan

 

2.  Council assembly notes the work that has already been done, including:

 

a.  A Food Security action plan has brought together the statutory and voluntary community sectors. The Southwark Food Action Alliance (SFAA) are focused on improving access to support for people with food insecurity, improve education and learning about sustainable food and improved access to healthy and affordable food for all.

 

b.  Supported the development of community fridge, pantry and neighbourhood food models to help provide more dignity and community food resilience.

 

c.  Implemented completing cultural foods audits which help ensure the cultural appropriateness of food provided by hubs

 

d.  Implemented a Good Food retail programme that works with convenience stores to improve their healthy, culturally appropriate affordable food offer.

 

e.  Supported over 16,000 children through food security interventions,

 

f.  Offered food vouchers to families of all free school meal eligible children, delivering 162,674 meals to over 4,000 children, taking action in advance of the government’s shameful U-turn on free school meals during Covid.

 

g.  Provided over 29,500 food parcels to those who needed them the most during the pandemic.

 

h.  As a result of Covid, refreshed and extended our current Food Security action plan until April 2022, prioritising resilience, access to affordable food and sustainability.

 

i.  Being recognised as a Sustainable Food Place and developed a sustainable food strategy to replace current food security strategy post April 2022

 

j.  Working collaboratively with over 60 organisations locally.

 

3.  Council assembly therefore resolves to:

 

a.  Give its support to The Right to Food campaign, a national campaign which argues that the 11 million people in food poverty should be central to this strategy, and that ‘Right to Food’ should be enshrined into law - clarifying government’s obligations on food poverty and introducing legal avenues to hold government bodies accountable for violations.

 

b.  Call for the Unite and Co-op backed ‘Right to Food’ to be incorporated into the National Food Strategy as well as call for a reversal to the £20 cut to universal credit, and asks the Leader of the Council to write to the Government to make this case.

 

c.  Build upon its action plan to increase household food security to ensure that no household goes hungry.

 

Tamil Heritage Month

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly observes that:

 

a.  The London Assembly in December unanimously passed a motion declaring support for Tamil Heritage Month in January.

 

b.  Multiple councils celebrate the Tamil community. Harrow Council declared January Tamil Heritage Month in 2020. While, Kingston Council unveiled a plaque dedicated to its twin city, Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, earlier this year.

 

c.  January is significant for the Tamil community as it is also when they celebrate their Harvest Festival, Pongal.

 

d.  The Tamil community has made an incredible contribution to the UK. The London Assembly has quoted estimates that 15,000 Tamil doctors, nurses and front-line health professionals work for NHS England. Many of them will have risked their safety by working during the covid-19 pandemic.

 

e.  The community has also played a part in a range of fields such as in education and in the business sector. Their role in our society is evident in Southwark, as well.

 

f.  Tamil people have encountered devastating violence outside of Britain. This includes the Sri Lankan civil conflict for which the UN opened an investigation into for alleged war crimes.

 

2.  Council assembly resolves to:

 

a.  Recognise the contribution of this community by declaring January as Tamil Heritage Month in the borough of Southwark for future years.

 

Southwark’s support for Ukraine

 

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

 

1.  Council assembly strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and expresses our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Council assembly:

 

a.  Notes that over 1 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave the country fleeing the conflict, and that those people who have remained in the country are facing a humanitarian crisis.

b.  Stands in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against Putin’s illegal invasion, their friends and relatives here in Southwark, as well as Russian citizens who are bravely protesting against the war despite the serious risk to their own lives and safety.

c.  Notes Southwark’s commitment to being a borough of sanctuary, and that the council has a proud record of supporting refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, Syria and many other conflicts, helping them to settle in the borough.

d.  Thanks Southwark residents and organisations who have already made generous donations to support Ukrainian refugees.

 

2.  Council assembly also notes that there is much more the government can and should do, including:

 

a.  A humanitarian response to the refugee crisis by opening more routes for Ukrainian nationals to come to the UK, equivalent to those already offered by other European countries.

b.  Working with local authorities to adequately resource and plan for the potential resettlement of people from Ukraine in order to provide crucial services for refugees including access to housing, employment, education, social care and mental health support.

c.  Continuing to send crucial aid to Ukraine.

d.  Making sure that oligarchs in the UK who are linked to the Putin regime have their assets seized before they have the opportunity to sell them.

 

3.  Council assembly therefore calls on the cabinet to:

 

a.  Support Ukrainian refugees, working in collaboration with the local voluntary and community sector as part of the council’s pledge as a borough of sanctuary for those fleeing conflict.

b.  Lobby the government to do more to open safe routes for refugees fleeing Ukraine to come to the UK, and to provide resources for councils to support refugees

c.  Use the council’s channels to promote information and resources to support Ukrainian residents and anyone impacted by the conflict, and signpost how residents can help with the effort.

 

Making Borough and Bankside and St George’s fairer, greener and safer

 

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

 

1.  Council Assembly observes that the Labour administration has delivered a fairer, greener and safer future for Borough and Bankside and St George’s by:

 

a.  Spending £350,617 of the administration’s Cleaner, Greener, Safer money supporting 49 projects on Borough and Bankside and £227,331 on 31 projects in St George’s.

 

b.  Delivering 74 new council homes in the area despite the sparsity of available council-owned land so that more families can live in the borough they call home.

 

c.  Finding shelter for people sleeping rough by the Imperial War Museum over Christmas 2019, as part of the Council’s success in rehousing over 300 rough sleepers into long-term homes.

 

d.  Installing a permanent memorial to the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack victims.

 

e.  During Covid-19 lockdowns, distributed food to residents and arranged collections of prescriptions from pharmacies as part of the council’s effort to help over 73,000 vulnerable residents through the Covid pandemic.

 

f.  Using CGS money to invest in 34 gardening projects and create 10 cycle hangers across the two wards.

 

g.  Supporting residents suffering from the impacts of noise on their homes, such as those generated from busking, licensing and construction activities, working collaboratively to mitigate the impact of noise pollution on residents.

 

h.  Supported the opening of a pop up LGBT+ cultural space in Bankside

 

i.  Installing 8 bike hangars in St George’s and 7 bike hangers in Borough and Bankside, ensuring that Borough and Bankside residents benefit from two new cycleways with three more due to be completed by May 2022.

 

j.  A new school street for Charles Dickens Primary School and Charlotte Sharman Foundation Primary School.

 

k.  Supporting the Central School of Ballet to move to Bankside.

 

l.  Working with the University of the Arts London (UAL) to secure a permanent home for them at Elephant and Castle.

 

m.  Using CIL funding to support a revamp of Marlborough Sports Gardens.

 

2.  To maintain momentum following the good progress already made, Council Assembly therefore calls upon Cabinet to:

 

a.  Invest over £60m to create a new Northern Line station at Elephant & Castle as part of a 21st century transport hub.

 

b.  Continue to lobby for the Bakerloo Line extension so that Borough and Bankside is better connected.

 

c.  Campaign for an improved and accessible Elephant and Castle train station

 

d.  Complete the build of a permanent LGBTQ+ cultural space at Bankside Yard.

 

e.  Ensure that Borough and Bankside and St George’s benefits from Southwark Labour’s pledge to create more good jobs, cut the council’s carbon emission by half, make our streets and estates safer, build more homes local people can afford and support our most vulnerable residents.

 

Making Bermondsey fairer, greener and safer

 

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

 

1.  Council Assembly observes that the Labour administration has delivered a fairer, greener and safer future for Bermondsey by:

 

a.  Spending £1,272,373 of the administration’s Cleaner, Greener, Safer money supporting 154 projects in Bermondsey.

 

b.  Delivering 624 new council homes despite the sparsity of council-owned land in Bermondsey to ensure that more families can live in the borough they call home.

 

c.  Tackling air pollution on the congested Jamaica Road by delivering Cycleway 4 and investing in cycle hire stands and greenery on the road.

 

d.  Renewing street lighting and improved road safety.

 

e.  Securing over £2m to transform the Blue in South Bermondsey, upgrading the market and securing a new multi arts centre.

 

f.  Using CGS money to invest in 45 gardening projects and create 33 cycle hangers across Bermondsey.

 

g.  Delivering new homes in Welsford Street in South Bermondsey with 10 family houses. Also delivering Cherry Gardens School on site with 26 new council homes.

 

h.  Working in partnership with Leathermarket JMB in London Bridge and West Bermondsey to deliver 27 new homes at Marklake Court.

 

i.  Delivering a new community space and home for our Southwark Young Advisers at 231 Old Kent Road.

 

j.  Installed rooftop solar at Ellen Brown Children’s Centre as part of delivering our Climate Emergency Strategy.

2.  To maintain momentum following the good progress already made, Council Assembly therefore calls upon Cabinet to:

 

a.  Deliver major improvements to Guy’s Park

 

b.  Upgrade Bermondsey Spa Gardens adventure playground with new play equipment.

 

c.  Work with residents to deliver major improvements to the Abbeyfield Estate.

 

d.  Work with the Mayor of London to upgrade South Bermondsey station.

 

e.  Ensure that Bermondsey benefits from Southwark Labour’s pledge to create more good jobs, cut the council’s carbon emission by half, make our streets and estates safer, build more homes local people can afford and support our most vulnerable residents.

 

Making Surrey Docks fairer, greener and safer

 

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

 

1.  Council Assembly observes that the Labour administration has delivered a fairer, greener and safer future for Surrey Docks by:

 

a.  Spending £467,585 of Cleaner, Greener, Safer money supporting 34 projects in Surrey Docks.

 

b.  Improving access to full fibre broadband in Rotherhithe, working with providers to extend full fibre to all council estates, and securing new partnership with Openreach to further upgrade full fibre broadband across the Pensisula.

 

c.  Supporting local residents with training through the Southwark Construction Skills centre, through its new homes at Canada Water.

 

d.  Delivering 3 new bike hangars in Surrey Docks with 2 more completed by May 2022.

 

e.  Ensuring that Surrey Docks residents benefit from Quietway 14 and linking Surrey Docks in with the Rotherhithe to Peckham cycleway.

 

f.  Delivering more council housing in Surrey Docks including 8 homes at Fisher Close, 16 at Salter Road, 19 at Danny McCarthy House and 71 at Canada Water K1 site all bought through section 106 commitments.

 

g.  Using £500,000 of CIL money to refurbish community buildings at the Surrey Docks Farm.

 

h.  Allocating £3m to fund improvement works to South Docks Marina, working with berth-holders and the local community to develop the boatyard and marina into a centre of excellence.

 

2.  To maintain momentum following the good progress already made, Council Assembly therefore calls upon Cabinet to:

 

a.  Open a new leisure centre at Canada Water and campaign for a pedestrian and cyclist river crossing.

 

b.  Create a brand new park within a short walk from Surrey Docks that residents can enjoy.

 

c.  Ensure that Surrey Docks benefits from Southwark Labour’s pledge to create more good jobs, cut the council’s carbon emission by half, make our streets and estates safer, build more homes local people can afford and support our most vulnerable residents.