LAMBETH TALK
The following comments are all taken from the August issue of Lambeth Talk, official magazine of Lambeth council where everything in the garden is lovely and no-one is complaining:
“I know Lambeth will uphold the values we all cherish – diversity, community and tolerance. “We have much to be proud of in this borough and as a council, whatever the challenges we face, our pledge of ambition and fairness for everyone remains at the heart of everything we do.” – Lambeth council leader Cllr Lib Peck.
“If you are a member of a community group and you feel marginalised or you would need support from the council for your activities, contact Cllr Donatus Anyanwu who might be able to help you. “The former Mayor of Lambeth explained to Lambeth Talk his way of working……” – Lambeth Talk
“I am happy to meet community groups and discuss their concerns” – Cllr Anyanwu, who has just been seconded to the council cabinet, quoted in the same article, which is headlined ‘Building Bridges’
“Page by page every month we find out all great things happening in our libraries.” – Lambeth Talk.
And the piece de resistance (the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group – source: dictionary.com) : an advertisement in Lambeth Talk headed: “Shelfie Take Over – take over a library display for a month”
Someone with a sense of gallows humour has attached the advertisement to the railings outside the Carnegie library, Herne Hill with the following comment on it:
“We’d love to – but our library is closed.”
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER SAID ALICE……
The Lambeth council press release “Lambeth to review public meetings following disruptive behaviour” originally dated August 4th* did finally appear on the lambeth.gov press releases website….on August 10th.
But it appears Lambeth council tried to put their new and yet-to-be-announced policy of limiting numbers at their council and committee meetings into practice before last Thursday’s press release:
On Tuesday of last week Lambeth’s planning applications committee considered Network Rail proposals to refurbish and redevelop Brixton Arches.
Save Brixton Arches, in a Facebook post, said: “After over an hour of passionate speeches, rage and tears the meeting was due to start. “However, we were told that not all of us could enter the building as they had reached capacity. “We were being denied entry to a public meeting.
“Those of us who have visited the Karibu centre in the past knew that we were being lied to – capacity had certainly not been reached – and the public took their rightful place inside the building.”
In a lengthy post Save Brixton Arches ask: “What is the point in consulting the community if you are going to ignore their wishes?”
(Full story – and more revelations: see Brixton Buzz – Brixton Arches campaigners react angrily to Lambeth’s “smear campaign” by Mike Urban August 9th 2016;
Brixton Buzz FoI (Freedom of Information) request story by Jason Cobb August 8th 2016)
*LAMBETH COUNCIL SET TO CRACK DOWN ON DISSENT AT MEETINGS News From Crystal Palace August 05, 2016
LAMBETH COUNCIL CONSTITUTION 2016-17
The following is Lambeth council’s OWN version of its full council meeting of April 13th 2016 (reported to full council meeting of May 18th 2016)
The Leader of the Opposition Cllr Tim Briggs addressed council. He expressed concern at the level of payment for Special Responsibility Allowances in a time of austerity.
Cllr Louise Nathanson addressed council and questioned the wisdom of payments made to special project leads as outlined in the report. She suggested that expenditure could be better addressed towards tackling homelessness.
Furthermore, she expressed concern at individual councillors’ activity on Twitter, and stated that social media should not be used to mock residents.
Cllr Bernard Gentry addressed council. He expressed dissatisfaction that there was no amendment to the part of the constitution stating that five members’ signatures were needed in order to call a special meeting of council; which meant that the entire opposition would be unable to do so.
He also stated that there was a perception amongst residents that their concerns were not listened to.
Cllr Imogen Walker (joint deputy leader) addressed council. She stated that Conservative comments were hypocritical, as it was a Conservative-led central Government which had cut the council budget by £238 million.
The special responsibility and project payments were justified by the need to maximise the use of talent within the Labour Group.
(We haven’t made that up – Editor.) NB: Cllrs Briggs, Nathanson and Gentry are the three Conservative councillors on Lambeth, Cllr Scott Ainslie is the only Green councillor.
LAMBETH COUNCIL HISTORY
At Lambeth council’s amenity services committee on February 5th 1986 chairman Cllr Sharon Atkin recommended 28 name changes to many of Lambeth’s facilities.
Brockwell Park would be known as Zephania Mothopeng ; Streatham Pool would be known as Mangaliso Sobukwe and the Myatts Fields estate would be rnamed Shapurji Saklatvala.
Other suggestions included naming Clapham Pool after jazz musician Duke Ellington; South Lambeth library, Oval, after the American black rights activist Angela Davis and the Flaxman sports centre in Camberwell after jazz trombonist John Coltrane.
Minet library would become Alexandre Dumas library and Clapham Park library would be named after Chester Himes, American crime writer who created the detectives Coffin Ed (Johnson) and Grave Digger (Jones).
Mrs Mothopeng and one Johnson Mlambo would be invited – from Africa – to the renaming ceremonies at a cost of £5,000. A press release from the Conservative opposition leader Cllr Mary Leigh said Cllr Atkin refused to allow any public consultation on the idea.
A letter from a Herne Hill ward councilor of the time begins: “The crass stupidity and arrogance of Lambeth’s Labour administration is astounding.”
No change there then.
Note: Zephania Mothopeng had been jailed by the South African government. Different websites give different reasons and different sentences. President of the Pan-Africanist Congress, he died in 1990;
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe was founder of the Pan Africanist Congress. Interned on Robben Island, he was released in 1969. Allowed to live in Kimberley with his family he remained under house arrest until his death from lung cancer in 1978. (Source: Wikipedia)
Saklatavala was Labour MP for North Battersea (1922 -23) and Communist MP (1924 -29)
“PLEASE DON’T BE CONFUSED”
The above request comes from Friends of Carnegie Library in their July newsletter. “Some recipients of a four-page orange coloured leaflet recently thought it came from Friends of Carnegie library.
“It was NOT from the Friends, nor from any other supporters of our library. “Our bulletins always carry our name and logo.
“The orange colour and strap line ‘The Next Chapter’ are used by Carnegie Community Trust and its predecessors with links to Lambeth council. “A ‘Who’s Who’ is on our website.”
ACCOUNTS UPDATE
News From Crystal Palace has had another look at the draft Lambeth accounts.
The council with no money to keep libraries open did find councillors gave themselves £508,000 in “special responsibilty allowances” (sic) in the year to March 31st (nothing in 2014 – 15).* And they are giving themselves more this year. (But no money for libraries – Government cutbacks and blah, blah, blah.) Members allowances fell from £1,157,000 to 759,000.
Sir Craig Tunstall, executive headteacher of the Federation of Kingswood and Elmwood primary schools and children’s centres, saw his annual salary increase from £279,922 to £330,394 with employers’ pension contributions going up from £39,463 to £43,753. Described as a school employee there’s a convoluted explanation of why his salary is included. Both items are on page 37 of the draft accounts.
Elsewhere in the accounts there are references to notes 26, 29 and 30c. But the only notes to the accounts News From Crystal Palace could find go up to 24.
*LAMBETH COUNCIL INVESTED £100 MILLION IN BUILDING SOCIETIES LAST YEAR – Claims of no money for libraries or housing repairs in tatters – News From Crystal Palace July 20th 2016