Councillor Tony Belton’s Latchmere December Newsletter (# 79)

November highlights

1. On November 1st, I spoke at a meeting at York Gardens Library about the Borough’s plans for the Lombard Road/York Road area, along with Cyril Richert of the Clapham Junction Action Group, Philip Whyte, of the Wandsworth Society and Andrew Duncan, a resident of Plantation Wharf, in Trade Tower. The first thing to say about it is that thanks ought to go to Cyril for his efforts. The Council claimed to have an exercise in consultation on these plans and claims to have had 30 or so responses. Cyril from his own efforts, pretty much single-handedly, got 90+ people attending this meeting and they were pretty evenly matched between those from the north-side of York Road and those from the south-side.The second thing to say is that the over-whelming majority of the public were clearly against the march of the high rise developments all around the area. We didn’t take a vote but it really wasn’t necessary – it was absolutely clear what the public mood is. If you would like to see a longer description, and video recordings of what we said, then look at Cyril’s (I mean Clapham Junction Action Group’s, of course) very detailed website at http://cjag.org/2015/11/07/public-meeting-york-area-the-videos/#more-5931.
2. I attended a Wandsworth Council seminar on trees on 3rd November! It was actually very interesting and showed just how much effort is put into maintaining and increasing the number of trees in both London and the Borough. And of course, it is not just because they are beautiful and provide shelter for birds, insects and some mammals but because, with our increasingly polluted air, they are essential to our very existence – thanks to their air cleaning properties. Two matters of interest re trees. First, Sadiq Khan, one of the candidates to be London Mayor next year, plans to get 2 million planted in 2016-20 if he is elected – see paragraph 13 below. Secondly, following requests from one of the residents of Wayford Street (behind Little India), expect some new silver birches to be planted there this December.
3. On the 4th I had an Education Standards Committee, when we reviewed Somerset Nursery and Garratt Park schools, both of which got a clean bill of health.
4. On the 5th we had the Wandsworth Civic Awards Ceremony when councillors recognise the contributions of local people to the life of the Borough. On this particular occasion there was no one with particular connections to Latchmere, although some will know Antony Coker Poole who organises the Battersea Police Ball. There is a fuller description of the Awards Ceremony on the Council’s website at http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/13090/civic_awards_for_local_heroes.
5. And on the Saturday 7th I had the Councillors’ surgery at Battersea General Library, when a couple of local residents came along to lobby me against Formula E racing in Battersea Park. I was told off last month by a couple of you for not mentioning this crucial issue and for talking about rugby and trees instead; but as I said to them, this newsletter is about what I do on the Council and doesn’t pretend to be, and indeed could never be, a total record of everything that the Council does. Anyway, I hope I do justice to the issue in para 10 below.
6. On the 10th, I had the Planning Applications Committee (PAC) Just as a footnote on planning applications, Cabul Road residents will recall the application for a 3-storey development on the corner of the public gardens, where ages back there were public conveniences. You may also know that the developers appealed against the PAC’s decision to refuse permission – well, I think you’ll be pleased to know that the Secretary of State agreed with us and that permission has now been refused by him too.
7. I went to the Education Committee on the 19th. There were a few mundane items on the agenda but the two that really mattered were a deputation from Balham Nursery and the so-called “Early Years Review”. ‘Early years’ is how the bureaucracy describes care and education for the under 5s and their parents. It is also the most uncontentious and clearly agreed major success of the 1997-2010 Governments, with the growth of nursery education and the introduction and explosive growth of Children’s Centres.Children’s Centres have been spectacularly successful in improving life chances for all, but particularly for kids from the least affluent families. However, the Government’s cuts are attacking all elements of local government services, not least early years services. And on the 19^th we were asked to cut the budget by £1.3 million and, effectively, to close Balham Nursery’s Children’s Centre.The Balham Nursery was chosen because, by some criteria, it was the least successful of the Council’s 14 Children’s Centres (one of the criteria being that it was not in one of the 14 most deprived areas!) but the fact of the matter is that it amounts to a cut of nearly 10% in centre provision. How can one support such a cut; but, if you accept the Government’s arguments about austerity how can one oppose it either? Not a comfortable position! I think it’s time for Labour to oppose both the closure and austerity.
8. I spent the morning of the 11^th, Remembrance Day, at the service in Battersea Park. at the war memorial. In this rather dark photograph the Mayor is returning from laying a wreath at the memorial, with two Chelsea pensioners in the foreground.
9. On the 21^st I was at the London Councils annual conference, which takes place in the splendour of the Guildhall. The conference is a London-wide gathering of councillors, which this year did not start with a rant from Boris Johnson, which rather made a change. It was instead a more serious discussion of the issues facing local government in general and London, in particular. I suppose it is the case that those, who have been crying wolf about the future of local government for some years now, deserve to be ignored a little. But now almost everyone, regardless of political party, academic expert or councillor, seems to be unanimous that our local government system is in serious danger of collapse, with the government imposing cuts of 30%, 40% and even 50% in various areas.
10. And so on the 24^th November to the debate on Formula E. The discussion started with 5 deputations from Battersea Park (BP) Formula E Action Group, the Friends of BP, the Battersea Society, the Prince of Wales Mansions residents and the Warriner Gardens and Alexandra Avenue Residents Association. They were very effective and by the end of the evening very few other than the Tory members of the Committee could have been in any doubt about how unpopular Formula E is with the immediate neighbours of BP. Formula E was, however, accepted by the Committee and it is now very likely to take place in early July, 2016. NB I know that some of my readers supported Formula E and will argue that the Council cannot afford to miss out on the (let’s say) £1million it brings to the Council. Labour, however, opposed the continuation of Formula E racing.
11. On 25^th November, I gave a presentation on the Role of Town Halls in the Community at BAC (Battersea Arts Centre) together with Dr. Michael Short, a Senior Fellow in Planning at UCL. I didn’t give it advance notice last month, partly because I had very little notice of the event. It was part of a monthly programme of lectures, BAC is running, about old Battersea Town Hall. It went well and the fairly small room was packed tight. I may repeat this presentation in the new year. I picture here, alongside each other, the old Shakespeare Theatre and the Town Hall much as they looked like on Lavender Hill on either side of Theatre Street for all the first half of the 20thC.
12. On the 27^th November, I went round a number of sites in Nine Elms along with the planners and other councillors. The speed of change is staggering and much of it is very impressive – look at this picture. But I remain totally unconvinced that any of this development is going to do much for Battersea’s, or even London’s, housing crisis, or that it is appropriate for the built environment of London. When visiting one marketing suite, the young sales lady I spoke to was very clear that much of their sales strategy was aimed at the Near and Far East.
13. On Saturday, 28^th November, I had the Annual General Meeting of an organisation called SERA. Despite its clumsy name it is the Green Lobby organisation, whose aim is to move Labour policies in a green direction. So we are in favour of re-cycling, energy conservation, are concerned about global warming, etc. I am the Treasurer of it. But my purpose in mentioning it here was that Labour’s Sadiq Khan, once my deputy in Wandsworth, and now Labour’s candidate for London Mayor, presented his green agenda for London. Sadiq was on good form. His agenda included: a larger low exhaust emission zone for London, pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, traffic-free weekends in London, 2 million new trees, the phasing out of diesel buses, super-fast electric car charging points and being a pro-business Mayor.
14. Stop press. I have just heard that the final legal and bureaucratic hurdles have now been signed relating to the redevelopment of the Prince’s Head pub in Falcon Road. Hopefully we will soon see action on this site.

My Programme for December

1. On December 6^th, Sunday, Labour councillors are meeting for an away day when we discuss strategy and tactics for the coming year.
2. There is a Council Meeting on 9^th December, but as is probably obvious to any observant reader of this newsletter, I am getting more and more frustrated with the process of Council meetings, which have lost their significance of old and have found no new role.
3. There is an Academies and Free Schools Forum on 10^th December, followed by an Education Standards Group. As of today, I don’t expect either of them to be particularly important.
4. On the 15^th, I have the Planning Applications Committee and then it’s Christmas.
5. I also have quite a large range of Xmas invites to residents groups and other festivities. It would be impossible to be able to get to all of them, although I am sure I would have a good time, if I could. Good wishes to all who organise and attend..

Did you know?

Of course, the lost river flowing through Latchmere was (and is) the Falcon River. Its source is on Tooting Common and it flows under-ground into south Battersea, but is most obviously underneath the Northcote Road, St. John’s Road and Falcon Road. At some point near Ingrave Street, it swings west and passes the edge of Falconbrook School, under the pumping station at the edge of York Gardens and into the Thames near the Heliport. A few years ago, Thames Water dug up parts of Northcote Road and the river was visible, flowing quite strongly straight down the length of the road.

Mention of York Gardens, got me wondering about its name – and, of course, York Road. There are many York Roads, but they are usually on the edge of towns and where the road is obviously going to York, once England’s second city. But why is there a York Road, clearly heading east and north to London and south and west to Portsmouth – and going nowhere near York? It just doesn’t make sense. There must be some other answer – and there is. Can anyone tell me?