1. August was, of course, a quiet month in Council terms, even if national politics was as turbulent as I can ever remember. So, I went to Lyme Regis for a couple of quiet days and visited my old friend Tony Tuck, who some of you may remember was a fellow Latchmere councillor in the early 90’s. He has a beach-hut on the famous Jurassic coast and, just to prove it, here is am ammonite set in a beach pebble – 150 million+ years old!
   

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2. I came back through Wilton, Wiltshire, where I was absolutely startled to see this baroque Tuscan church, set in a small eighteenth-century English town. It is a Grade 1 listed building, built as a replacement between 1841 and 1844 on the initiative of the Countess Pembroke. The church is enormous for such a small town and speaks volumes for the Countess’s wealth! A notable feature is the 105 feet (32 m) campanile, which, unlike the traditional English tower or steeple, stands separate from the building – Is this because Tuscany, unlike England, has destructive earthquakes?
   

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3. A week later, on 14^th August, Battersea MP, Marsha de Cordova, and I were invited by a new business called e-cargobikes to see for ourselves their operation of delivery systems for the Northcote Road Co-op. The service uses electric bicycles to provide a delivery service for customers. The bikes are, of course, person-powered but with ancillary electric motors – partly to cope with the many hills in south Battersea and, indeed, the weight of the deliveries. James Fitzgerald of e-cargobikes argues eloquently for the ecological and cost advantages of using this service rather than van deliveries, saving not only petrol, but also congestion charges, road tax, insurance, parking fees and fines, etc. James confidently asserts that a bicycle delivery service, operating short delivery runs from the Co-op to the immediate neighbourhood, can be competitive with van deliveries. If successful, it will also be far more environmentally friendly than using motor vans. The picture shows from the left, the Co-op store manager, me, Marsha, two cyclists, who by the way earn a minimum of £11.15 an hour (and which is well above the London Living Wage), and on the right, James Fitzgerald.
   

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4. Two days later, on 16^th August I went to the House of Commons to take part in a small celebratory party to note Victoria Rodney’s MBE award in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Victoria runs a voluntary organisation, called the Mercy Foundation, from an office in Falcon Road. The party was hosted by the M.P. and the guests included the High Commissioner of Nigeria. Victoria originally came from Nigeria but has lived in the UK for many years.
   

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5. Victoria once told me that she was sitting at home, some years ago, wondering what she could do to improve the life chances of many of the least fortunate in our society. So, completely off her own bat, she set up the charity based in Falcon Road, which is called The Mercy Foundation. The charity aims to teach technical skills, personal confidence, and self- presentation. She was so committed to the idea that she mortgaged her home to raise capital and, since then, has lived and breathed the Foundation. She has persuaded people like me to teach basic English to Somali refugees, living on the nearby York Road estate; she has organised courses in computing, in childcare and in nursing. Two of the speakers, Samuel and Mohammed, at the party were ex-students, who had come back to “honour” Victoria for giving them the self-confidence and skills to run and own their own small businesses. If any reader wants to make a charitable contribution, but to a small organisation and not to one of the giants such as the National Trust or Oxfam, then you could do worse than donate to the Mercy Foundation! Please, contact me for details.
   

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6. On 13^th August, I played chess against my fellow Labour councillor (Bedford ward) Hector Denfield, at the Battersea Chess Club. I am going to have to up my game before I take him on again – I lost, but I felt a little better when he told me that only a couple of weeks earlier, he had come second in the 13^th Weald Chess Congress at East Grinstead. But I viewed this match simply as training for my game for the Battersea Pawnbrokers, again at the Battersea Chess Club on 20^th August. Unfortunately, I fared no better in that match either!
   

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7. The Planning Applications Committee took place on 22^nd August. The agenda was suitably uncontentious for mid-summer and none of the decisions were of any great significance except, of course, to the people and neighbours directly concerned.
   

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8. On 24^th I was off to Croatia for our annual holiday. It was a delight and we swam over half a mile (1 km) every day. So, despite having plenty of wine and good fish every evening, I managed to lose half a stone or about 3.5 kilos! Can I avoid putting it all back on? I sincerely hope so!
   

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9. I came home on 8^th September to discover that the world had gone bonkers. 21 senior Tories, including two former Chancellors of the Exchequer, and Winston Churchill’s grandson have been kicked out of the Tory Party. My partner, Penny, is having a whale of a time comparing the successive political crises with the events of the early seventeenth century, upon which she is an expert. She pointed out that Charles I also tried to prorogue Parliament, but in his case for an indefinite period, but in the end lost his head! I am not suggesting that we should do the same to dear old Queenie, but perhaps Johnson has already lost his head!
   

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10. Whilst I have been away, the new all-weather sports pitch at Falconbrook (Banana) Park has come on-stream. The plan was not universally popular with all residents but now that the pitch and changing rooms have been completed and the Park has been given some new landscaping treatment, I hope that the pitch and other facilities are well used and appreciated.
    

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11. The Boundary Commissioners announced that they had received a large number of suggestions for the new ward boundaries and indeed the various options have been published. They are all on the Commissioners website but for me perhaps the most interesting is the Tory Plan, which you can see as a PDF on the Commissioners website. They are very different from the Labour Party’s plans and demonstrate that there is, as some would say, more than one way to skin a cat. At the last review in 2002/3 the Commissioners final recommendations were almost identical to the Labour submission. Their decision will be published later this year for one last round of consultation.
    

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My Programme for September

1. I came back from Croatia on September 8^th, but it’s a gentle start to the new Municipal season with my first meeting a Labour Group Awayday on 15^th September. It’s pretty obvious, however, that whatever plans we may have to discuss local affairs are likely to be overtaken by a flurry of Brexit or General Election related activity!
2. The Planning Applications Committee, “the committee that never stops”, is on 17^th September.
3. On the 27^th I will be visiting Christ Church school’s Dream Garden. Christ Church is making a feature of outdoor learning, believing that outdoor lessons are good for both children and the environment.
   

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Do you know?

Last month I asked who knew that Battersea and Wandsworth Metropolitan Boroughs were two separate organisations? Judging by the very few responses I got, not many did; or not many cared very much; or, on the contrary, everyone knew and thought that the question was too trivial to bother with!

The answer was that the 1963 London Government Act abolished the 28 London Metropolitan Boroughs and Middlesex County Council and also annexed parts of Surrey, Kent and Essex into a new Greater London containing the current 32 London Boroughs. Harold Macmillan was the Prime Minister responsible, though the blame/credit is often ascribed to Keith Joseph, who had been the Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government. Wandsworth “began” in 1964 but, for the first year of its operation, Battersea and Wandsworth still existed as separate entities during an extended handover year.

This year the Prime Minister is trying to prorogue (to suspend) Parliament until 14^th October. That is one of the reasons for the current controversy. Do you know how long Charles I managed without Parliament before inviting it to sit again? And do you know how long Parliament took to try him for treason and have him executed? And do you know why, in the end, he invited the argumentative MPs back?

1. 1. 1. You may have noticed that the Council has put out press releases and created “photo opportunities” for Tory councillors under a heading claiming 100 years of social housing, dating from the Housing (popularly known as the Addison, after Housing Minister Christopher Addison) Act of 1919. This move might have confused many Battersea residents, who know that the Latchmere Estate was built in 1903/4. Of course, the Council has got it WRONG. The Latchmere Estate was indeed built by Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council and it is the second oldest council estate in the country. Ironically Wandsworth’s very own Totterdown Estate in Tooting is the oldest, constructed from 1901 onwards. The 1919 Act did, however, mark the start of national exchequer support for council housing. One hundred years later that support has virtually ended, an ironic twist to this centenary “celebration”!
         

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      2. On the 4^th July Pen and I went to Headingley to see Afghanistan playing the West Indies in the World Cup. We had seats high up in the south stand, almost directly behind a right-hand bowler’s arm. What with the stand and the white ball, I don’t think I have ever had such a great spectator view at a big cricket match. Unfortunately, we did not get to see a classic Chris Gayle innings in what may be his last big game in the UK, but we did see him bowl and exert himself once to run out an unfortunate Afghan batsman. The Windies won fairly comfortably but/and it was an entertaining game.
         

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      3. We had travelled up the previous evening, allowing us to see a performance of Grease at the Leeds Playhouse. The lead actor didn’t have the charisma of John Travolta in the famous film but the whole troupe threw themselves into the many very dramatic dance numbers with fantastic energy and not a little skill. The choreographer was Arlene Philips, of “Strictly” fame. I am not sure, however, that such athleticism should be seen by the more mature and envious of us!
         

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      4. On Sunday, 7^th July, Penny took me for lunch to Ronnie Scott’s in Soho – very pleasant too, but much more sedate and “mature” than Grease! The music came from Tony Kofi, second from right, playing a tribute to Cannonball Adderley. The high-quality musicians were on great form and the jazz was very accessible, easy listening. However, in terms of value for money it was no better than Streatham’s Hideaway jazz club.
         

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      5. Two days later, I went to the Grand, Clapham Junction, to see Latchmere’s Thames Christian School’s production of The Pyjama Game. It was very ambitious and demanding and, to be honest, a little outside the range that one could reasonably expect from young teenagers. But they deserve good marks for their ambition. All the girls in the cast are seen here on the right. The school, by the way, has for a long time been in negotiations, now nearly concluded, to move from its site in Wye Street to a new building on Grant Road as part of the Winstanley regeneration. It is planned to move in to its new home, shared with the Battersea Baptist Church, in 2022.
         

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      6. Have I mentioned that Penny has, for some time, been President (elect) of the International Society of Eighteenth Century Studies (ISECS). ISECS has 38 national societies, from Japan to India, the USA to Argentina, Italy to Sweden. She was due to be “installed” at their Conference in Edinburgh on 17^th July. So, we went up to Edinburgh on the 14^th and returned on the 20^th. There were 2,000 delegates at the Conference, which had some 477 separate seminar sessions. You can perhaps get some idea of the scale of the event by this picture of the opening reception held in Scotland’s National Museum.
         

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      7. I came back to London to lead a presentation on the work of the Planning Applications Committee on 16^th July and the Council Meeting on the 17^th. The Council Meeting was notable for the unanimous decision, by all Tory, Labour and Independent councillors, to declare a Climate Emergency. In itself, of course, declaring that there is a climate emergency amounts to nothing much. No Arctic ice is going to be saved because of our decision. BUT, having declared that there is such an emergency, it should make it easier to take the “right”, ecological decisions about a thousand other Wandsworth matters, such as the levels of insulation in schools and other council buildings, or the power systems for transport or heating, or what to make this year’s or next year’s priorities for investment.
         

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      8. On the 22^nd I was at the topping out of one of the Winstanley new-build dwelling units, the one on the corner of Grant and Plough Roads. The block is largely for current elderly residents, who need rehousing before the regeneration can continue. At first, I had some complaints about the proximity of the block to Time House and Thomas Baines Road, but happily, since the external framework of the block has been completed, there have not been any further complaints. This picture is not an Ealing comedic witticism about industrial relations in Wandsworth, but a warning of a dangerous building process!
         

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      9. On 23^rd July Wandsworth Labour Party had a fund-raising dinner. I don’t normally mention such party political events but in this case the speaker was Birmingham Yardley’s Jess Phillips. I’m sure that Jess is not to the taste of everyone reading this newsletter, but I find it difficult to resist her courage, her wit and her charm. She is not an ideologically driven Labour MP, but rather a very pragmatic, and essentially very “sensible” politician. Good luck to her.
         

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      10. On 24^th July, the hottest day in UK history, I (and others) were unlucky enough to be attending the Planning Applications Committee. There weren’t any applications of substantial interest to Battersea residents. But there was an interesting one for “collective” living for 292 residents in Trewint Street, Earlsfield. I went to see a similar and larger development at Willesden Junction. I was quite impressed. It was a bit like a high-quality student campus. Given the incredibly high cost of private rented accommodation in London, I would not at all be surprised, if this sort of collective living marks the start of a growing trend.
          

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      11. I went to Sarah Rackham’s birthday party at KLS, the Katherine Low Settlement, on the 27^th. Again, this kind of private social engagement is not something I would normally mention except that in Sarah’s case it was not so private as she has been a fixture in North Battersea’s community and youth services for the best part of 50 years, and I am sure many readers will know Sarah or at least know of her work. We should all celebrate her commitment and her passion for the community.
          

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      12. On 29^th we went with our old friends, Ron and Hazel Elam, to see Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. This month Ron retired from being a governor at Chesterton School. He had been a Governor at other Wandsworth schools and an Ofsted Inspector and many years earlier worked with me at County Hall. Ofsted inspectors are not always very popular people, but Ron did a great job both as a Lay Inspector and governor. Alert readers will recall that we went to see the same play only a couple of month’s ago, so why go again? We know Ron and Hazel are theatre buffs, and we wanted to go with them to see this outstanding play. And, actually, the performance was interestingly different in a large West End theatre as opposed to the small, intimate, “in the round” production we had seen at Kingston’s Rose Theatre.
          

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      13. Battersea Summer Scheme’s “Summer In the Park” included the Battersea Bake Off on 31^st July. The five competing youth clubs were chosen because they are part of The Big Local SW11 Alliance. They were Providence House, St Peter’s, Caius House, Katherine Low Settlement and Carney’s Community. I was one of two councillors asked to be judges along with representatives of Battersea Power Station Ltd, Battersea Crime Prevention Panel and a senior citizen from KLS. Of course, I have no qualifications other than being a councillor; but it was hard work! We had to select the best of 25 different cakes, quiches, biscuits and other bakes, without a chance to have a drink, even of tea! The overall prize went to Providence House, but all participants deserved warm congratulations.
          

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      14. Stop press and late news for those, who like Alan, are interested in my pleas about Building Regulations! In July, the Council responded to the Government Building a Safer Future (Proposals for reform of the building regulatory system). And in essence, the Council is agreeing with what I (and Alan and others) have been saying. Leaving building regulations in the hands of the developers was and is crazy. It is essential that there is an independent body exercising control, such as the local authority. Let’s hope that the Government will soon introduce legislation to that effect.
          

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      15. Out of the news and in the background, many councillors will have been preoccupied, in July, with ward boundary redistribution. Redistribution happens every 20 years or so as a result of changes in population distribution. So, for example, here in Wandsworth we have had to consider what to do about the rapid increase in population in Nine Elms and along the river-front. Obviously, the boundaries cannot stay the same as now because if they did the Queenstown councillors would find themselves with twice as many constituents as, say, the Nightingale councillors. But not only would it be unfair to the councillors; it would also be unfair in democratic terms.
          

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      16. Both Tories and Labour have put in their own suggestions to the Boundary Commissioners and, for all I know, the Lib/Dems, the Brexit party, UKIP and other interested, independent groups or individuals may have done so. The Boundaries Commission’s task is to choose the most credible looking plan and put that out for further consultation at some time in the autumn. It is impossible to say what that plan will be but early indications from the Commission suggest that the total number of councillors will be cut and all, or nearly all, current wards will change. For further updates, watch this space.
          

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      17. I can’t let July, 2019, pass without mentioning the elevation of Boris Johnson to Prime Minister – that’s the last time I will use the intimate first name. This picture of his first cabinet has Sir Edward Lister, sitting against the wall, third from the left (the Guardian, 25/719). Lister was Leader of Wandsworth Council for 19 years from 1992 to 2011 and for 16 of those years I was his opposite number as the Leader of the Opposition. During this time, he gave the look and impression of a kindly, favourite uncle – everyone’s soft touch. But the reality was different. He believed strongly that public expenditure constituted too high a proportion of the British economy and hence he was prepared, perhaps happy, to cut drastically (60% 2010-19) the funding of local services, almost regardless of the impact on their delivery. Interestingly, however, Lister doesn’t now seem to object so much to Mr. Johnson’s haphazard spending promises, which certainly demand the so-called magic money tree, which the Tories love to mock, whenever Labour talks of protecting services.
          

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      18. But will these promises be enough? His chances of delivering a No Deal Brexit look slim; his chances of delivering a Good Deal Brexit look even slimmer. The end product looks very much like a General Election – on October 24^th?
          

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My Programme for August

1. August is holiday month and so on 6^th and 7^th August we are off to Lyme Regis and on 24^th to our favourite spot in Croatia.
2. The Planning Applications Committee, “the committee that never stops”, is on 22nd August.

Do you know?

Last month I asked what is the connection between Pennethorne House and Battersea Park? Many of you told me that Sir James Pennethorne was one of, if not the main designer and architect of the Park and that is quite correct. But I also asked, if anyone could confirm that the chimneys on the left were the long-gone Lots Road Power Station? I was never very happy with that thought as Lots Road seemed further to the right (north) than these appear to be. Now Marlon has supplied me with a much better answer; he suggests that they are the equally long-gone Fulham Power Station. Much more plausible and thank you Marlon!

This month’s question comes from the reference in paragraph 1 above. Did you know that Battersea and Wandsworth Metropolitan Boroughs were two separate organisations? When and why were they merged into the one London Borough? Who was/were the Prime Ministers responsible and were any other boroughs affected?