Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea November, 2020, Newsletter (# 137)

1. For me, all the days are merging into one amorphous whole. I work from home, I meet at home on Zoom, I eat at home, entertainment (TV, the internet and books) is at home. My partner and I get on well together so lockdown, or whatever we call the state we’re in now, is not particularly unpleasant as we both have protected incomes and own our house; but it’s not wildly exciting either. It must be so tough for those, who are on piecework, or who are on their own and don’t like it; or for younger people who want to get out there and explore people, places and experiences, or perhaps worst of all for those dependent upon others for care and services. Covid is dividing our community in a way and on a scale that Britain has not seen since at least the end of World War Two.
   

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2. One of the annoying features of this crisis, at least for me, is the complacency and self-satisfaction of the “fortunate”. It’s so easy to object to, say, the noisy activity of construction sites or refuse collection or even play-spaces; it’s so easy to disparage the “other”. It’s apparently not so easy to be a little tolerant, understanding and patient.
   

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3. And as for the news from the USA! I have been to both the East and West Coasts and quite a bit of the bit in the middle and love so much of it; I think it’s hard not to be swept away by some features of the States. But in the build-up to the Presidential election, thankfully over in a week’s time, bar legal challenges, it seems as though some Americans are intent on destroying their reputation, their primacy in the world and perhaps even the world, as we know it.
   

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4. Enough of this global moan! What has been going on in the Council? And what about my part in it? In formal terms the centre-piece was a Council Meeting on 14^th October, which by the way was watched by 148 people online. But actually a “virtual Council Meeting” is a pretty tepid affair. The cut and thrust of debate, even at its best, loses so much flavour when delivered from one spare room to another. The reality during this pandemic is that the Council is, even more than usual, being run by the paid staff – the Council’s equivalent of the civil service, with very occasional steers from the Tory-controlled cabinet. As for the councillors, some are immersing themselves with volunteers, delivering vital domestic services, such as helping with food delivery through organisations like Kambala Cares and Waste Not Want Not, whilst others are helping set up “school streets”. And of course, depending upon personal and family circumstances all of us are, just like everyone else, pre-occupied with keeping alive and well.
   

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5. Meanwhile, I had a couple of meetings with fellow Latchmere councillors and officers about progress on the Winstanley Regeneration. The good news is that 50 or so residents will, by the New Year, be moving into the excellent new flats at Mitchell House in the new block on Plough Road. The large block, Duval, next to Sendall Court and at the junction of Winstanley and Grant Roads, will also be occupied about then. Those units have been sold – not as a little maliciously rumoured to millionaires with vast incomes – but at prices ranging from £300,000 to £700,000. I know some of you hate the thought of Wandsworth Council, or any Council, building homes for sale at a time of great housing shortage BUT, with Government subsidies for housing construction a thing of the past, there is no other known way for the Council to pay for the modernisation or construction of houses available at Council rent levels. Frankly, the choice is to sell land, houses or other properties or not to build or re-furbish any new homes at all. As for raising the funds through Council Tax increases, in the first place even doubling Council Tax would not approach the sums required, and secondly, the Government wouldn’t allow it.
   

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6. I had a Planning Applications Committee (PAC) on 22^nd Interestingly, it was watched live by 145 viewers, with another 58 later watching the recording. This total does not exactly match “Strictly” ratings, but indicates that this technology opens up the possibility for public involvement in a way that Town Hall meetings, as long as they are not broadcast, do not. The main reason for the audience interest was, I suspect, the great local (and political) interest in the planning application covering Roehampton’s giant Alton Estate.
   

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7. The main issue on the Alton regeneration, much as with the Winstanley, was the balance, taking into account the current formula for assessing financial viability, between the quantum of so-called affordable and private housing units. A majority of us, including me, thought that this application provided as much “Council housing” as the developer, the Council, could financially provide. Others argue that the Council could and should provide more Council housing. Either way, Mayor Sadiq Khan will now need to decide on the question of viability. If he presses further than the Council believes viable, then logically it will abandon the project. It’s a process of negotiation, where my guess is that the Council will be forced to concede a little. The question is how much.
   

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8. Most of the other important and large applications were, on this occasion, in either Putney or Tooting, the largest being one for more than 800 housing units, amongst other things, on the massive Springfield Hospital site. There was, however, one smallish application that will interest Battersea residents and that was for the site of Blacks store in St. John’s Road. As most Battersea people must have noticed Blacks has had a closing down sale there for what seems like years – it’s certainly more than 12 months. After the PAC meeting, the developers now have permission to concentrate the retail store on the ground floor and to convert the upper stories into six custom-built residential flats.
   

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9. On 24^th October Radio 4 ran a Profile of ex-councillor Edward Lister, now the Prime Minister’s No 10 adviser. The programme director interviewed a number of Wandsworth councillors, including me as I had been the Leader of the Opposition to Lister for 15 years. The interview lasted at least 30 minutes but, of course, my comments were drastically, but not unreasonably, cut to make the final 15 minute programme. If you are interested, you can hear it on iPlayer, Radio 4 at 19.00 on 24^th October.
   

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10. Away from the Council I, like everyone else, have had a quiet month. My only memorable trip outside Battersea was to go to the National Gallery on October 5^th to see the Titian I went with Marcy, wife of fellow councillor Peter Carpenter. She has recently completed a degree in Italian Renaissance Art. I was looking forward to being tutored through the visit, because I’d never really appreciated Italian religious art. That was my first mistake; these paintings were all about classical mythology. Gods yes, but capricious, malicious gods of the kind that the ancients seemed to revel in! Here, for example, the goddess, Venus, is pleading with the beautiful Adonis not to go hunting the wild boar, which inevitably turns on him and goars him to death. However, I am afraid that, despite Marcy’s fascinating tuition, I still don’t find Titian to my taste.

My Programme for November

1. On 10^th November we have a Zoom meeting of Battersea Labour Party members. That would have been interesting enough, just involving a membership of over 1,000, in a Zoom meeting, but after the 29^th October decision about Jeremy Corbyn, it’s possible that “interesting” will prove to be an understatement!
2. The November Planning Applications Committee (PAC) is on the 25^th.
3. As I said last month, with so few official meetings since Covid, it might appear as though we councillors have very little to do, but there are plenty of site meetings and discussions with officers as well as dealing with constituents’ queries and issues.
4. On 26^th November at 5.45, I have Latchmere Ward’s Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) SNTs were established across London some years ago in order to sustain and improve relations between the police and the local community. We (both police and Council) are keen to encourage broader community participation and just possibly the enforced migration onto an online platform will encourage YOU to join us. If you are interested (and I hope you are) then please email Roger Lyddon, at the Town Hall for details. Roger is at Roger.Lyddon@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.You can join us by telephone or online.  PC Gavin Gilliam, Latchmere’s dedicated Ward Officer will be in attendance.  We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 26 November but, even if you cannot attend, please let Roger know your details so that he can contact you about future meetings.  But do join us on Thursday 26 November at 5.45 and get involved.

 Last month I asked about this impressive building?

I must confess to a little disappointment that no one else either knew or appeared to be interested.  No matter: the answer is 220 Queenstown Road. It is about 20 yards/metres south of the main Waterloo lines and, when I first came to Battersea in 1966, it was black with soot. When the last steam train services stopped in 1967, its owner decided to give it a clean. For most locals its sudden yellow and redbrick appearance was a great surprise.

Hopefully this month’s Did You Know inspires rather more interest!

Anyone from the Valleys will know that Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru translates literally into Church Presbyterian Wales. My question is simply “Where is the Battersea Welsh Presbyterian Chapel?”

PS about the picture of a boxing match in Culvert Road

Rita, who now lives in Wimbledon, wrote to me in October saying “if you went under the Arch on the left-hand side there used to be offices situated there, rented by Battersea Council, one of which was my Dad’s office. The Council offices were there, I think before World War II, my Dad worked there during the 40’s, and even possibly before the War, until his death in 1958.

“I come from a Family of fourth generation, who were born in Battersea and Wandsworth.  I was brought up in Battersea.  My late husband was also fourth generation from Battersea. There was also a permanent caravan sited there, where a disabled lady lived. The caravan was always spotlessly clean.

Rita, thank you for that personal history. I am pleased that it brought back happy memories. By the way, there is still a caravan encampment there, which can be seen from the Victoria line.

PPS. In the last moments of October, the Prime Minister announced the Lockdown starting on November 5^th (Talk about the old rhyme “Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot” – it will be difficult to forget this one!) and hopefully ending on 2^nd December. Wishing everyone a healthy November and I look forward to writing to you all again in December.