Agenda item

To consider motions referred on the following:

 

• Pedestrian Safety at junction of Lordship Lane and Dulwich Common
• Southwark Council Housing Crisis
• Freedom Pass Cuts
• Save the South London Line

 

Report to follow

This item had not been circulated 5 clear days in advance of the meeting. The chair agreed to accept the item as urgent as it was important that motions from council assembly were referred to executive at the first available opportunity to ensure that the issues raised in these motions were considered without delay.

 

Pedestrian Safety at Junction of Lordship Lane and Dulwich Common

 

RESOLVED:

 

The executive notes:

 

1.  The long standing calls by College Ward councillors and local residents, particularly the elderly of the Lordship Lane Estate, for the introduction of a “pedestrian phasing” of the traffic lights at the junction of the South Circular with Lordship Lane at Dulwich Common.

 

2.  The council traffic survey commissioned by College Ward councillors through cleaner, greener, safer funding which concluded that the most effective way to improve pedestrian safety and reduce car collisions at this junction was the introduction of “pedestrian phasing” amongst other measures.

 

3.  Following the survey the description of this junction in local newspapers as “Is this the most dangerous junction in Southwark?” (Southwark News).

 

That executive welcomes:

 

4.  The commitment now given by Transport for London (TfL) under the new London Mayor that a “pedestrian phasing” will now be introduced at this junction in the next 12 months.

 

5.  The recent petition of local residents organised by College Ward councillors which calls on TfL to recognise the importance of making this junction as safe as possible and to bring forward the “pedestrian phasing” forward in their work programme at the earliest opportunity.

 

The executive agrees:

 

6.  To make the appropriate representations to TfL in support of ward councillors to ensure that these works are brought forward at the earliest opportunity in the next 12 months and coincide with upgrading the lights to ease any potential traffic congestion.

 

 

Southwark Council Housing

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  Executive notes that in a draft of the housing strategy a £700 million gap in the funding for the executive’s Southwark decent homes programme was reported.  Executive notes  omission of this figure in the housing strategy agreed by the executive as further work is still being carried out as part of the stock condition survey.

 

2.  The executive regrets the large number of homes classified as non-decent in Southwark and notes that the housing strategy recognises this is a problem across all sectors with more than a third of housing association homes classified as such.  Executive further notes that Southwark has far more council housing than any other London borough.

 

3.  Executive reaffirms its support for the settled view of Southwark tenants that:

 

a)  they wish to remain as tenants of the council

b)  that the government’s so-called decent homes standard is an inadequate and insufficient standard for Southwark’s homes

c)  when refurbishment takes place the work should be comprehensive and take into account landlord obligations, decent homes and other improvements, rather than simply reflect artificial, piecemeal and partial government targets.

 

4.  Executive regrets the continued restrictions imposed on the council by government that prevent it meeting the legitimate aspirations of tenants and leaseholders and its failure to provide any additional funding for fire safety work.

 

5.  Executive welcomes the review of the housing revenue account (HRA) by the Communities and Local Government department, particularly over suggestions that power will be returned to local government over rent incomes and capital receipts and supports London Councils in its view that ‘where an exceptional need to spend is identified, certain local authorities should have their level of debt reduced so as to create additional headroom for local prudential borrowing’, but awaits detailed proposals with concern given the government’s recent record on housing finance.

 

6.  That a campaign be launched to persuade the government to recognise Southwark’s unique position and look at other solutions, excluded from the HRA review, and allow the council to invest in its homes through a combination of:

 

a)  Writing off historic debt – particularly for estates that have been demolished or redeveloped

b)  Allowing the council to remortgage parcels of its debt at the current competitive rates

c)  Allowing the council a temporary ‘debt holiday’

d)  Lifting the restrictions on the use of receipts from planning gain

e)  Giving councils full control over their rent and other income.

 

Freedom Pass Cuts

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  Executive notes the Labour government review of the last year of the 3-year special grant for concessionary fares to support the introduction of the English national concession which has resulted in London losing £28.6 million from the funding it had already been promised be noted.

 

2.  Executive condemns the decision for the following reasons:

 

a)  It means the council is likely to lose around £1,000,000 of already promised central government funding in 2010-11.

b)  It goes against sensible financial planning as the government is proposing unilateral changes to the final year of a three year funding settlement.

c)  The announcement is very late and creates huge uncertainty for London boroughs in dealing with TfL by the end of December.

 

3.  Executive notes with anger that every other urban area in the country will receive a 100% subsidy from the Labour government for the cost of elderly and disabled travel, while London council taxpayers will have to contribute between one half and a third of the cost of the scheme in the capital.

 

4.  Executive supports the view of London Councils’ Chairman, Councillor Merrick Cockell be supported, who said: “The government’s decision at this late stage to renege on the deal they had already agreed is absolutely stunning and will be met with anger across the capital.”

 

5.  That the executive members for resources and health and adult care  write to the Minister for London and the Junior Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan, in the strongest possible terms, to express its anger and demand that London boroughs get a fair deal.

 

6.  Executive approves the use all appropriate means to publicise this funding withdrawal, particularly among Southwark residents applying for freedom passes.

 

Save the South London Line

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  Executive notes the importance of the current South London Line rail service between London Bridge and London Victoria via four stations in Southwark to the residents, businesses and public services of Camberwell, Peckham and South Bermondsey.

 

2.  Executive notes that under the current proposals to end the operation of the South London Line, Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye stations would lose half of their daytime services to London Victoria and have no service at all to Victoria at evenings or on Sundays.  Executive further notes that Denmark Hill station will lose all direct services to London Bridge.

 

3.  Executive  further notes the vital importance of the service for helping some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents access health services at Guy’s Hospital, King’s College hospital and The Maudsley.

 

4.  Executive recognises that residents in areas such as Peckham Rye and East Dulwich continue to be poorly served by public transport despite the efforts of the council to secure the implementation of the Cross River Tram.

 

5.  Executive notes and welcomes the fact that retention of a direct Victoria to London Bridge service will be considered as part of the Transport for London (TfL) / London Travelwatch study into the options for the future of the South London Line.

 

6.  Executives notes that TfL and Department for Transport (DfT) agreed that £24m Department for Transport funding intended for a new London Victoria-Bellingham service be diverted to the provision of East London Line Extension Phase 2.

 

7.  Executive strongly believes that this borough needs both the East London Line Extension and the South London Line.  This is not an either or debate.

 

8.  Executive calls on  the Department for Transport to provide the funding necessary to provide platform capacity for the service at London Bridge station as part of its redevelopment.

 

9.  Executive congratulates the community and cross-party campaign be congratulated against the threat to the South London Line services on its high-profile and effective activities to date, and re-affirms its own commitment to the campaign.

 

10.  Executive agrees to  seek a written assurance from TfL that the retention of direct Victoria-London Bridge services is being considered as part of the South London Line Options Study.

 

11.  That the responsible executive member meet with Network Rail and the Department for Transport at the earliest opportunity to put the case for the revision of the plans for London Bridge station so that it is developed to its full capacity, including terminating platforms for the South London Line.

 

12.  Executive agrees to  work in conjunction with the leaders of all political groups on Southwark Council to ensure the strongest representations continue to be made to the Department for Transport, London Mayor, Network Rail, the Minister of Transport and Minister for London to retain the South London Line service.

 

13.  That it be noted that some of these issues have been addressed as part of the council’s response to the Mayors draft transport strategy.