Councillor Tony Belton’s Latchmere November Newsletter (# 66)

October highlights

1. I went to a Covent Garden Market Authority reception at Brunswick House on 2^nd October. I wouldn’t normally comment on such an occasion, which was a wine and canapés reception designed to keep corporate Wandsworth happy with the Market’s plans for development but for two things. First because Brunswick House is that rather grand, isolated house on the corner of Nine Elms Lane and Wandsworth Road, which, although in Lambeth, must be well known to many Wandsworth residents. It was built for the Duke of Brunswick in 1759 and is a posh restaurant and reception facility. If you recognise the picture here then you know that it sticks out like a sore thumb in the traffic and architectural hell of Vauxhall.The second reason that I mention it is because of the massive planning application going forward to the Planning Applications Committee on 12^th November, of which more next month. However, the essence is a very large scale reconstruction of the market, which will not in the market traders’ view be to their benefit. Many of them come from generations of old traditional traders, who operated out of the (real) old Covent Garden of My Fair Lady days. The proposals also include very large scale residential developments – watch this space next month.
2. I visited a couple of schools in October. I went to Holy Ghost RC primary school, Nightingale Square, on 14^th and Westbridge primary school, Bolingbroke Walk, on 15^th October – what an interesting contrast! Holy Ghost is in the heart of rich South Battersea, where every house is worth a million, well that’s the image anyway. The school is very pleasant and very rich, and Ofsted says outstanding. The parents were asked to fund a £100,000+ adaptation of a classroom and they did it – no sweat – and here is a picture of the end result. Westbridge, previously known as Bolingbroke, however, did not get a good Ofsted report. So Michael Gove insisted on it becoming part of the Chapel Street Academy Trust. At the Education Standards Group on 22^nd October we met with Chapel Street. I am afraid that I was not convinced that Chapel Street Academy Trust had any record in achieving success with its schools. If you want to read my views on this process then have a look here in my blog.
3. Early in October, Labour councillors got hold of a confidential discussion paper produced by Town Hall officers for the Tory majority party in control in Wandsworth. Essentially the paper says that, if the Government goes ahead with the expected scale of cuts in local government expenditure, then Wandsworth is going to have to cut lots of services in order to make ends meet. Here are some of the cuts (or as the Council will say “savings”) the paper suggests amongst others:-
   • access to parking permits, benefits, council tax queries, etc. online only – NO paper, post or counter service (just imagine, even if you do not agree with me about the scale of benefits, telling the poorest in our community that they can only get benefits if they go online!);
   • closure of one of the Battersea day centres for the elderly, Randall Close or the Gwyneth Morgan centre;
   • closure of Tooting Bec athletic track and Hope Street’s Battersea Sports Centre;
   • closure of York Gardens, Northcote Road and Battersea Park libraries; reduced frequency of street cleaning.
4. This is NOT to say that these cuts will ALL take place but there is a very high probability that most of them willI think the Government is pursuing a disastrous policy and that austerity will not work. It is not working in the EU and I don’t see why anyone should expect it to work here. From my point of view what is even worse is that the Labour Party is not really challenging this Tory view. We are prepared to bail out bankers at enormous public expense. It would cost far less to increase the minimum wage, not by measly 20P an hour but, by several pounds an hour. We need the public to have pounds in their pocket and to start spending in the high street.
5. One of the big stories of the year, and next year, must surely be the possible arrival of Formula E motor racing in Battersea Park. The race would be round the perimeter road of the Park. The road would need some slight re-shaping and re-surfacing, which would be paid for by the race organisers. In future years the Council would get a large injection of funds, probably several £millions. Given the scale of cuts the Council is facing this is clearly a plan which a responsible Council must consider. However, there is much to be said also against the scheme and the inevitable disruption it would cause to the Park at the height of summer. It is expected to attract roughly the same number of punters as does the Fireworks Display, which, by the way, is on 8^th November this year. It is, however, interesting that Formula 1 racing is aware that the sport must face up to a wide range of environmental issues – e-cars will be very quiet and fuel efficient and there is little doubt that it is likely to appeal to many in Battersea’s very young population.English Heritage, which funded much of the Park’s refurbishment, will be consulted and will have to agree and so will the Council. There is going to be a public meeting at All Saint’s Church, Prince of Wales Drive, on 6^th November when we will see to some extent what the Battersea public think about it.
6. Talking of English Heritage imagine my surprise when I saw a copy of their members’ magazine for October. It includes a picture of last year’s Mayor unveiling Latchmere’s blue plaque to John Archer, accompanied by me and Wendy Speck!
7. Talking of Mayors, just a quick update on the Boris bikes. In summary use of the bikes in Wandsworth has increased from approximately 10,000 a month in January to 44,000 in July. Unsurprisingly usage is down from July but still much higher than earlier in the year (January-July statistics are attached). We will be able to make serious comparisons when we have a full year’s statistics.
8. On 27^th October I, and several other councillors, visited the newly opened Caius House Youth Centre in Holman Road, which has many Latchmere users. You may remember I went there a few months ago before it was finished. It’s a superb facility with an excellent sports hall, a recording studio, a well equipped kitchen and plenty of other facilities. This women’s’ basketball game illustrates the quality of the facilities.
9. On the 15^th there was the full Council Meeting, but I am afraid that there is not much to say about that. It was all very predictable and, if I am honest, we have allowed the Tory councillors to take all the meat out of Council Meetings. Prime Minister’s Question-time is not the great stage for the House of Commons that MPs like to think it is but Wandsworth Council meetings have become bloodless, uncontroversial, uninteresting occasions, which is evidenced by the absence of the press and almost any members of the public.
10. The day after I attended the Planning Applications Committee. There were two major decisions with Borough-wide implications. One was approval for a new residential and shopping development in Parkgate Road but the really massive application was the “final” approval for the Battersea Power Station site. The picture is of a model that displayed the final scheme.I am unhappy with these developments and voted against both of them. It is not that I do not want development – I have been pressing for action on the Power Station for 30 years! However, I am unhappy that all of these developments and the residential accommodation that comes with them is targeted at the super-rich and will do nothing to help the crisis of affordable housing facing the average Londoner. Indeed these developments will continue to force up the price of all other housing in Battersea and make it more and more an enclave for the super-rich.
11. On 30^th October I went to Burntwood School to see (and hear) the students of Wandsworth’s National Opera Studio singing a selection of songs from great operas by Donizetti, Puccini, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Offenbach. Here is the ensemble taking the final curtain call. If you ever get a chance to hear these students give a free rehearsal then jump at it – they are terrific. The Opera studio gives frequent, free concerts, usually at All Saints Church in Wandsworth High Street. They are magnificent and if you are interested let me know and I will tell you the dates of their next concerts.

My Programme for November 

1. I will go to the Fireworks Display in Battersea Park on 8^th November.
2. On 9^th and 11^th I will be at the Remembrance Day services in St. Mary’s, Battersea, and in Battersea Park.
3. On the evening of the 10^th November there is the Civic Awards presentation.
4. On the 11^th I will be part of the appointments panel for the Deputy Director of Education at Wandsworth Council
5. The Planning Applications Committee is on the 12^th.
6. On the 22^nd I will be attending the London Summit, which is Mayor Johnson hosted Conference about all the issues facing London.
7. On the 24^th I will be leading the Labour councillors on the Education and Children’s Services Committee.
8. On the 25^th I will be visiting Alderbrook primary school.

Did you know Latchmere in 1912? Of course not.

Here is an extract from an Ordnance Map of London, published in 1912. Sorry about the reflected flash light in it – must improve my tech skills! But it does show most obviously that the road pattern has not changed that much except for where the Winstanley and York Road estates are and where Trinity Road has been linked up to Wandsworth Bridge.It also shows the string of industrial plants along the river-front, which made this area such a strong working class area. It also shows the mouth of Battersea Creek, where the Heliport now stands, and the aptly named Creek Street, running into Lavender Road. I hope you find it interesting!