Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea September 2024, Newsletter (# 183)
- This newsletter is a bit early but I will be away at the end of August – so apologies. August was a busy month. First, the riots: thank goodness this has not been a problem in Wandsworth, unlike in August 2011, when as old hands will remember, a shop got burnt out in Clapham Junction(CJ). Then there was looting and criminal damage, with many shops in CJ ransacked. The damage then was not as bad as in other riots in Croydon and Tottenham, but CJ ran them a close third.
Every commentator has his/her own theory of the causes of the 2024 version. They range from anti-immigration sentiment to racism, from poverty to the closure of youth clubs/facilities, and from fundamentalist right-wingers to religious bigotry. One can argue the case for any of these being the main factor, or the housing crisis, or the cost of living. The press, though, seems to agree that the disturbances were fundamentally about race; I am not so sure, although clearly some of the rioters were racist.
Looking at the photographs of the riots and studying the rioters’ faces leaves me largely unsatisfied with these answers. Very few of the rioters look poor; not many look as though their problem is the lack of a youth club. Although most are white males, there were a few black faces present and there was certainly no lack of women in the crowds.
Generally, the faces did not look like the nation’s deprived. But they were alienated, massively so, from the society, in which they live. Two men, 
you may recall, were charged with wrecking a public library – an apparently pointless act of nihilism – not apparently about race or deprivation, but simply the mindless vandalism of the deeply alienated, or if you like, the disengaged. Those men did not think that they had any investment in society.
I suspect that the missing ingredient in the lives of these rioters is any sense of purpose. They probably have decently paid jobs, as indeed many of the court hearings demonstrate, but no control in those jobs – being neither management nor trade unionists. They have views about how their society operates but no say in how their society is organised – they certainly do not think having a vote every five years means anything much. The rioters appear not to care about the impact on society, but they do not even see that their behaviour has seriously damaging consequences on their own families. Mrs. Thatcher once notoriously said that “there is no such thing as society, only families”. These disturbances were about neither family nor society.
I am inclined to believe that the main causes of the riots may be the deep inequality in our society, not just about money but about power and influence. And the monetisation of nearly all aspects of modern life – if you have not come across “monetisation”, the best way I can describe it is the triumph of those (largely Thatcherites) who know the cost of everything but the value of nothing That’s my pontificating for the month!
- However, would you agree with me that the Government has played a blinder through this, oh so unexpected, crisis? My contacts, who think that Keir Starmer is deadly boring and unexciting, might start changing their minds as he appears to be handling the complexities of government supremely competently. He appears to be as in command of the situation as could have been expected and infinitely more re-assuring than any of our recent Tory PMs would have been.
- Did you see that Wandsworth Council has invited architects, designers, and artists to submit innovative proposals to rejuvenate the Falcon Road railway bridge? This essential route runs through the heart of Clapham Junction. Transforming
the Bridge would revitalise the town centre. The bridge might even turn into a vibrant, artistic space. The Council is looking for design teams to re-imagine this 100-metre-long tunnel, improving the experience for the whole local community including pedestrians, cyclists, and people living and working in the neighbourhood. I don’t walk through there because of health concerns – I always get a bus, even if for only the one stop. Let’s hope that we get a great response. We all want and need a renovated and healthy town centre!
- I must confess that I spent much of the first half of August recovering from my cracked rib by bingeing on the Olympic Games. My memory of the London Olympics in 2022 is that London ran the most spectacular show of modern times, with a record level of popular public involvement. But, one must admit that it is difficult to beat Paris for style, architecture, and glamour. Both Paris and London have set high standards that are going to be difficult to exceed.
- The Planning Applications Committee on 21st August considered two cases of great interest to Battersea residents. The first was a request for full planning permission approval for the flower stall outside the main entrance to Clapham Junction station. You may not have known but previously the stall has only had five-year permissions. The Committee was recommended to continue that 5-year permission BUT Committee members decided to reduce the permit to three years.
The second was a decision to enforce a “planning refusal” on a basement flat in Queenstown Road, on the grounds that the flat was vulnerable to flooding. Interestingly, the enforcement order only happened because the applicant decided to apply for permission, and therefore the Council had to come to a view about its acceptability.. The terraces on both sides of Queenstown Road are similarly designed with similar style conversions; and they are not the only basement flats in North Battersea. An interesting can of worms, perhaps?
My September Programme
- We are having a longer holiday in Croatia than usual and so I may just be back for a meeting of the Environment Committee on 17th September.
- The September Planning Applications Committee is on 19th.
- And (as of now) that’s it, but I am sure other things will turn up.
Did you know?
Last month I asked “How many of the competitors in the Paris Olympics are resident in Battersea?
Well, I have an answer, but is it the complete answer? Can anyone add to my list which is:
- Georgia Bell, who excitingly and, to many,
surprisingly won a dramatic bronze medal in the women’s 1500 metres track event. Pictured by the Independent (NB, the press has incorrectly described her as being a Clapham resident, but she actually lives in the heart of Battersea!) - Tom Ford, something of a rowing great. He was one of the Eight, who won gold in the Olympic rowing blue riband event – the eights final. He also won a bronze in Tokyo, 4 golds in European Championships and 2 world championships. His sister, Emily, also won a bronze in Paris in the women’s eight.
- Laura Roper is statistically the greatest hockey Olympian ever produced in Great Britain. Although the GB hockey team was unsuccessful by their own high standards Laura had already in Tokyo become the first British hockey player to win medals at three different Games. Laura had won bronze at London 2012, she then famously helped the team secure a historic gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Laura then made it three medals from three Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 as she played a crucial role in leading the team to a bronze medal.
And this month?
Can you name a celebrity of a different kind, who is best known for his great knowledge of extra-terrestrial matters, delivered with a boyishly winning charm, and who lives right in the heart of Battersea?
Tony Belton
Tony Belton 