GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
A party in Gipsy Hill stopped being a private affair when more than five neighbours phoned with
complaints about music on industrial speakers, an MC shouting into a microphone; estimates of 50+ visitors; road blockages; and litter.
Lambeth council’s tenancy enforcement team found this to be the 10th noise incident in five years, growing in seriousness to a noise control warning in summer 2015.
When it was made clear to the tenant that her noise nuisance meant a strong legal case for
eviction, she apologised and promised never to do it again – meaning a good result without the time and cost of legal action.
It’s been five months with no further disturbance and neighbours living in peace.
(Source: Lambeth Talk Winter 2016 www.lambeth.gov.uk)
CROYDON TAKES CLEAN STREETS CAMPAIGN TO NEXT LEVEL
Don’t Mess With Croydon (DMWC) – the hard-hitting campaign to clean up Croydon’s streets by cracking down on enviro-crime – is set to continue with a raft of new measures to keep the borough tidy.
Recycling officers will be focusing on neighbourhoods, schools and community champions to boost recycling rates. The borough’s street champions will also play a key role in spreading this message throughout their communities.
Time-banded waste collections – which discourage businesses from leaving waste over pavements – will continue to be rolled out in district centres, along with monitoring by dedicated council teams.
At the same time, the council will be investing in four new street cleaning machines which will hit the pavements later this month – compact mechanical sweepers to target high-use areas throughout the borough.
There will also be two additional refuse collection trucks and three 3.5 tonne cage tippers to clean hard-to-reach areas such as housing sites, narrow alleyways and flytips.
Meanwhile street cleaners will be armed with 25 new electric hoovers and 50 more solar-powered bins will be installed to keep busy areas in district centres such as entrances to stations and parks – tidy. (Source: Croydon council press release)
BUSINESSES SHOULD PUBLISH PAY RATIOS
Responding to the report from the High Pay Centre which reveals top bosses will already have made more money by the first Wednesday of 2017 than the typical UK worker will earn all year, Labour’s London assembly economy spokeswoman Fiona Twycross said:
“The pay disparities between the highest and lowest paid staff at these companies is staggering. “That it can take bosses just a few days to earn the average UK salary will strike the thousands of Londoners feeling the January squeeze as deeply unfair.
“Every employee should be sharing in their company’s success, whether they manage a department or clean the floors.
“I am calling on all businesses to publish their pay ratios and help to close this unfair pay gap. We must ensure all those who work hard are fairly rewarded.”
Fiona Twycross AM is a Londonwide Assembly Member (Source: GLA Labour party press release)
MAYOR MUST HELP YOUNG PEOPLE
London council youth services have lost a third of staff and £22 million in funding cuts since 2011 as councils struggle to cope with squeezed budgets, a new report from Green London assembly member Sian Berry has revealed.
Sian’s report, ‘London’s lost youth services’, is based on a freedom of information request to borough councils. It reveals that youth services, which are non-statutory and not protected from austerity cuts, have been cut back dramatically in the past five years.
The report shows the average council has cut youth services funding by nearly £1 million since 2011, and plans are in place to reduce 2017/18 budgets by another 25 per cent on average.
Sian Berry says: “Government cuts have hit all London councils hard, and youth services have been put on the chopping block across our city as a result.
“The impact of these cuts could be devastating. “Good quality youth services help prevent young people from falling into crime and also make them less vulnerable to the exploitation of groups like gangs.
“The Mayor does fund some initiatives targeted at knife and gang crime, but many of these also depend on general youth services being available once young people decide to make changes to their lives.
“The Mayor should be helping councils as part of his Police and Crime Plan. “Saving youth centres and youth workers would genuinely help to improve young people’s lives and achieve his goal of real crime prevention.” (Source: GLA Green party press release)
TEENAGERS INVITED TO BE CITY HALL HEALTH CHAMPIONS FOR A DAY
Young people in Croydon aged 14 to 17 can join the fight against childhood obesity by taking part in the Healthy London Hackathon at City Hall on Saturday 28 January, from 10am to 4pm.
The fast, fun and hands-on event will involve up to 80 teenagers from across London working in teams to come up with new ideas to help them and their peers to lead healthier lives. Discussions will focus on health and well-being in the family, community and the wider environment.
There will be support on the day from designers and health experts. The teams can build prototypes or produce scenario plays, and create a short film about their idea, which will be judged by a panel of experts.
The hackathon is being held as part of the Great Weight Debate, a London conversation on childhood obesity which aims to raise awareness of the capital’s childhood obesity epidemic and seek solutions from the city’s residents.
Teens in Croydon can register their interest in attending the hackathon at http://bit.ly/2gahqJZ Lunch, drinks and travel costs will be provided.
More information about the event can be found on the Get Healthy London website. (Source: Croydon council press release)
HOORAY FOR BOLLYWOOD……..
Three Croydon charities will get a cash boost after Croydon’s float was awarded a cash prize in the London New Year’s Day Parade (LNYDP).
An outstanding performance by dancers and drummers from KCWA, Sangeetha of UK and Apsara Arts saw the borough’s Bollywood-themed float scoop a cash prize of £1,000, to be split between the Mayor of Croydon’s charities.
The teenage troupe wowed crowds throughout the city and global audiences on television as they braved heavy rain to continue dancing right to the end, despite the challenging weather conditions.
Also on board the float – which had a Bollywood theme in line with the overall parade theme of Lights, Camera, Action! – and joining in the dancing were Croydon’s Mayor Cllr Wayne Trakas-Lawlor and Deputy Mayor Cllr Toni Letts.
Decorated by street artist Skylight, who is responsible for some of the larger murals in Croydon town centre, the float featured some of Croydon’s iconic buildings depicted in dazzling Bollywood colours.
Croydon was awarded 10th place in the borough’s competition, securing the cash prize which will now be divided between British Home, Stanley Halls People’s Initiative, and Croydon Commitment.
Cllr Wayne Trakas-Lawlor, said: “I’m delighted my chosen charities are to benefit from such a fantastic celebration of Croydon’s culture and talent. “The team from Apsara Arts did us proud on the truck and we were certainly colourful in keeping with the actual theme: Lights, Camera, Action – there was plenty of all three.
“Also a big thanks to TONE Scaffolding for providing the float. “We could not have done any of this without their generosity. “To win a cash prize in an incredibly competitive carnival like this is amazing and I want to thank everyone involved for all their hard work.
“Croydon’s entry truly represented our borough – the Bollywood theme reflected our cultural diversity; their dancing our borough’s young talent and their determination to keep performing to the finishing line showed tenacity. “I was so proud to be with them and to start the year with this celebration of our borough’s rich culture.” (Source: Croydon council press release)