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March 3, 2025  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea, March 2025, Newsletter (# 189)

  1. I had a councillor’s surgery on 1st. As usual, people had problems with their housing, but the most serious issue was the threat of violence, drug dealing and intimidation on one of our estates. Fortunately, the police were due to have a raid on that particular estate, and I was able to add some “urgency” to their efforts. Some arrests were made, but I have it on the authority of the tenants that the problem is not yet over. The police, the Housing Department and I will be keeping an eye on developments.
  2. In the afternoon, I went to Plough Lane to see high-flying, promotion-chasing AFC Wimbledon win a tough battle 1-0 against rivals Bradford City. AFC’s win moved them up to second place in Division 2 – given Spurs recent history of erratic performances, I was almost thinking of switching allegiance! Not really but …
  3. The full Council Meeting on 5th February was “enlivened” by a walk-out of the 23-strong group of Tory councillors. I did it once myself when leading the then 25-strong Labour Group – 1979 or 80. But that was over a real issue on an urgent timeline. The curious feature of this Tory walk-out was that it was about a consultation, not a decision. The result was that a whole 2 or 3 months of Council business was passed without a single Tory vote, comment, or observation – truly pathetic. The next day I came across two Tory councillors, Emmeline Owens on the left and Kim Caddy, working out on Wandsworth Common, with their personal trainer. Good for them but they should have a word with their Leader about pointless gestures.
  4. The next evening, the 6th, I had the Transport Committee, where the major consideration was the Council’s decision to increase the budget on road and pavement maintenance by some 400%. Labour Wandsworth recognises that we must tackle the scourges of dangerous pavements and costly and dangerous potholes.
  5. On the 12th, I met with the Battersea Fields Residents’ Association. We discussed a range of issues affecting the estate, from the trivial but annoying confusions caused by poor signage; to the state of the paving, and the need or otherwise for large-scale pruning of the estate trees. It was the first time that I had been to a meeting of that kind conducted online; strange but quite effective. Again – lots of issues to follow up.
  6. The Environment Committee met on the 13th to consider many items but, for my money, the most important related to climate change. The Council will be investing millions in insulating buildings and switching to the most environmentally sustainable fuels. I suggested that we must also spend more time and effort encouraging the private sector – the owner-occupier, the shop-owner, the publican – to do more. Currently, almost half of Wandsworth’s heat loss and pollution comes not from traffic, commerce or industry but from domestic homes.
  7. The 14th was a bit special. As you may have noticed, it was St. Valentine’s Day, and as it happens, the umpteenth (where umpteen is well over 50) anniversary of when Pen and I met, at a friend’s 21st. He and his girlfriend, now wife, and two other couples, who were there all those years ago, all met for a celebratory dinner on this 14th. Quite an achievement – 4 couples who got together 61 years back and are both together, and in touch. On the way Penny and I stopped off at the Courtauld Gallery. It is housed in Somerset House, pictured here and in itself is well worth a visit. And, in addition, its display of French Impressionists, Degas, Cezanne, et al., is as fine as anywhere in the world outside of Paris – and is also well worth a visit.
  8. On the 17th February, Simon Hogg, Labour Leader of Wandsworth Council, announced that the council’s take on Council Tax was frozen for the third year in a row. Is that a record? I am not certain, but I suspect that it is. It is certainly a measure of the financial prudence and the innovative policies we have introduced to Wandsworth Council’s operations – at the same time as relieving over 10,000 of our most financially challenged families from having to pay the tax at all and having the largest Covid Relief fund in London.
  9. I had a couple of meetings last month with a voluntary organisation, which is based in the Wilditch Centre, Culvert Road, and called The Baked Bean Charity. It is an organisation with 30 employees devoted to providing educational, social and training skills to a client group of about 160 largely but not exclusively Wandsworth residents, who are faced with learning difficulties. I have supported their grant applications, successfully, a couple of times in the past, but never before had such an in-depth session with them. It is a splendid organisation, full of warmth and caring.
  10. The Jobs Vacant section. The organisation, which once had a competition amongst its clients as to what it should be called, hence the Baked Beans moniker, is looking for a volunteer Treasurer. It has a turnover of £1 million plus, so it is not insignificant, but, as you might have guessed, all the staff have qualifications in speech therapy, social work, the performing arts and similar. They are conscious that they are not strong on the business and financial side of the operation, although it looked pretty good to me. I think that being their volunteer treasurer would be a great job for anyone local, who wishes to contribute to a worthy organisation and could spare/relish spending a couple of days a month doing something very worthwhile. If that is you, then please do email me at tonybelton99@gmail.com and I will put you in touch.
  11. On the 20th we were off to the Linnean Society, Piccadilly, to hear old friend Prof Brycchan Carey’s launch of his new book The Unnatural Trade: Naturalists and the Slave Trade.  He gave a fascinating lecture on the slave trade and its connection to the European/American industrialisation of the sugar/cotton/tea plantations of the Caribbean and neighbouring parts of both North and South America. It was both witty and deadly serious, stimulating and challenging, but the most amazing parallel becoming obvious from his story was its similarity to this month’s headline story about the Trump/Putin alliance to colonise and exploit Ukrainian resources – WOW.
  12. As for the Linnean Society itself, it was founded in 1788 as a botanical society and has a wonderful collection of botanical books, pictures, and samples, collected by many of its members, the most famous of whom was Charles Darwin. It is housed in Burlington House, a fabulous eighteenth-century mansion in Piccadilly best known for housing the Royal Academy. The Society’s collections, possibly the oldest and most important botanical collections in the world, are open to visitors. I thought I knew my London tourist sites well – but not this one, which should be on everyone’s list of things to see and do.
  13. On the 21st, Penny had a launch at Waterstone’s in Clapham Junction of her new book Time – Space We Are All In It Together. Here, she is autographing the book whilst friends are chatting amongst themselves.
  14. On the 25th the Council launched Wandsworth, the London Borough of Culture 2025. It took place in the splendid Grand Hall at Battersea Arts Centre – pictured here just before it started filling up. The event was buzzy and vibrant, noisy and brash. It was a great launch for the year, which officially starts on 1st. Hopefully, the year will be inclusive both of high- and low-brow, and of both high and popular culture – though what high and low means when used about brows and culture, I am blowed if I know. Mozart, after all, was both the composer of what we call classical music and the rock star of his generation.
  15. The February meeting of the Planning Applications Committee followed the next day on the 26th and was both uneventful and unremarkable but for the fact that I have had some 30 emails since congratulating us all for the considered, thoughtful and mature debate we had – oh and how well chaired it was, which, as I chaired it, has given me a little ego boost!
  16. On the 28th we went to All Souls College, Oxford, to have lunch with the Warden and for Penny to speak at the launch of a book, called, Christopher Hill, the life of a Radical Historian, by Mike Braddick. Christopher, the famous, some might say infamous, Marxist Professor of History, and Master of Balliol was Penny’s uncle. Here, she is holding the book and starting her contribution.

My March Programme

  1. I have the Council Meeting on 5th March, when the Council Tax for the year 2025/26 is officially confirmed.
  2. I have the North-East Surrey Crematorium Board at Sutton Council on the 11
  3. The Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee meets on the 26th, followed on the 27th by the March meeting of the Planning Applications Committee (PAC). This will probably be the most significant PAC of the year. We will have the responsibility of deciding the fate of two major applications. One will be the application to build a 28-storey iconic tower block at the base of Battersea Bridge and the other larger, but not quite so high, blocks of flats on the old Wandsworth Gasworks site, near to Armoury Way.

Did you know?

Last month I simply asked, “Who was Mick Carney and in what way has he left his mark on Battersea?

As Roy pointed out to me from a simple read of the newsletter, Mick Carney was the inspiration behind much of the work of the Carney’s Community Youth Club, hence the name. He also inspired the Fitzroy Boxing Club, Vauxhall, who were well represented at the Carney event I featured last month.

He was from up north, Chester-le-Street, but spent much of his life in the Lambeth/Battersea area. He fought over 80 pro bouts, not from what I can see very successfully – looks like a less than 50% record. He is not on the record for saying very much other than that his career led him to respect everybody that he had ever fought. He sounds like a true gent, with a strong civic and community focus. He was appointed an MBE by the late Queen.

And this month?

This lion enjoys a life of domestic bliss. He’s been at his quiet suburban home since the very height of Empire. He has certainly seen many changes in the UK’s role in the world and, rather alarmingly, he is soon likely to see further changes, thanks to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Do you know where he lives and why he settled there?

January 2, 2025  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea, January 2025, Newsletter (# 187)

  1. I had the quarterly meeting of the North-East Surrey Crematorium Board on 3rd December – pretty routine stuff.
  2. On 11th December, we had the last Council Meeting of the year. It was not a glorious occasion; indeed, it was quite the opposite. Years ago, before Committees were opened to the public (1971), the Council Meeting served the real purpose of informing the press and the public of Council decisions and the policy arguments behind them. But since the committees have been opened to the public and more particularly since the Leader and Cabinet structure was introduced, the decisions have all been made and announced well before the Council Meeting. As a result, all that is left for Council Meetings is the politics – the worst side of politics, the show and the point-scoring, not the debate nor the complexities. All councillors need to reflect on how that Council Meeting looked to anyone actually watching. The question remains, “Whither Council Meetings?”
  3. December’s meeting of the Planning Applications Committee was on the 12 It was a dramatic evening, posing many of the issues facing both the Labour Government and the Labour Council. There were a dozen significant applications, mostly in Putney, but at the centre of the evening was a debate about 3 applications to build nearly 100 “council houses” (flats, of course) in and on the Ashburton Estate, Putney.
    • The three ward councillors, 2 Tory and 1 Labour, gave presentations against the schemes. They acknowledged that we need to build more affordable homes; they all agreed that the plans were for good, well-designed flats; but they all agreed that they just did not want them in the Ashburton Estate.
    • This stance was particularly difficult for Labour’s Councillor Ambache, who found himself in the awkward position where his constituency interests were in conflict with his wider, societal beliefs. It was a difficult argument to sustain but he did it well.
    • At one level, the opposition could be seen as simple nimbyism; but at another level, it reflected an understandable concern that one of the pleasantest estates in the Borough should not be ruined.
    • There was a full public gallery, prepared to heckle and harry the Committee members. But in general, the public was respectful and considered in opposition. After a serious debate – and perhaps unsurprisingly – the plans for the new flats were approved by 6 Labour votes against four Tory ones.
  1. Much of the rest of the month was standard stuff, Christmas Carols, eating and drinking too much – you know Xmas. However, on the 23rd I went to Battersea’s Picture3 (250x191)Cats & Dogs Home to pick up my Xmas present to Penny. And here are the kittens, Sammy and Sally. They are delightful and haven’t yet started ruining the furniture.
  2. To mark the end of the year, I wish to note a few bits of really, really good news for Battersea. The first is about one of the nastiest places in Battersea:Picture4 (250x171)Falcon Road tunnel under the mainline rail tracks at Clapham Junction. I have occasionally got the bus just to avoid walking along that bit of Falcon Road. But now, we have a Labour Council which has invested in a competition to get rid of this eyesore and health hazard. By the end of 2025, we could have something as attractive as this picture, used by the competition winners, GPAD, POoR Collective, whose plans included involving young people, residents and community groups.
  3. Do you ever have need to walk along Howie Street or Elcho Street (pictured) or even Parkgate Road? If you do, then you will know what it is like walking along a narrow road in competition with the 49 bus and reasonably heavy traffic but without any decent Picture5 (250x145)pavement. I have been trying to get something done about this problem since my ward included the area in 2022, so imagine my delight when just before Xmas I got a letter from the Council, saying “that they plan to start works early in the new year on the 6th January … with the intention to complete by the summer.” I know for many people living in the area this will be a great relief. What with the derelict site in Elcho Street, and the threat of developments in Ransome’s Dock and at Glassmills, the area often feels like Battersea in the blitz rather than in 2025, so it will mean something if there are at least some pavements to walk on!
  4. You will all have noticed that York Road has recently been fully re-opened after years constructing the Tideway Tunnel, the picture shows the scale of a section ofPicture6 the tunnel lining – see the man in high viz trousers. The impact on traffic has been enormous and must have cost all road users many more millions than the stated billions that the Tunnel cost to construct. But the Tunnel, built as a giant overflow to ease the pressure on London’s nineteenth-century sewage system. is now functioning and in December it was announced that on just one day recently it “captured nearly 850,000 tonnes of sewage,” which otherwise would have been discharged into the Thames. The work is not quite completed, but soon we will have taken a major step on the way to cleaning up our River Thames.
  5. What do you know about the Wimbledon Foundation Picture7and its contribution to Battersea? Not much, is my guess, so I thought that you might be interested to know that this organisation, essentially funded by the Wimbledon Tennis fortnight, awarded £711,000 in grants and donations to 73 organisations within Wandsworth over the last year alone such as:-
    • five projects in the Borough supporting the mental health and wellbeing of some of the most in-need communities in Wandsworth.
    • core funding to charities helping to combat homelessness locally. More than 22,000 people experiencing homelessness in Merton and Wandsworth have been supported by this fund since its launch in 2019.
    • supporting Wandsworth’s Borough of Culture year when it starts in April.
  1. Congratulations to the residents of Kelmscott Road, off the Northcote Road just south of Wakehurst! Picture8 (300x144)They win my personal prize for the most dazzling, inclusive Xmas display of the year – it has clearly involved the whole street and must have taken quite some time and effort to set up. I guess that you have until the 5th January to jump on a 319 or G1 and take a butchers.
  2. And then on the 31st, we went to the National Gallery to see the Van Gogh It was brilliant, comprehensive and very crowded – really Picture11rather too many people there to make ideal viewing, but it was packed with many of the old favourites such as the sunflowers, the chair, the bedroom and the portraits, though probably the majority of the paintings were of the French countryside, like this famous one.
  3. After seeing the Exhibition, we went for a walk around the West End to see the lights and the normal hustle and bustle of town. It was extremely lively and very busy. A notable feature, for the most part, is just how traffic-free the area is now. The Big Smoke, as London used to be known, has certainly become a cleaner place with air notably fresher than some small towns I have been to recently – with one result being this new kind of seasonally decorated rickshaw rank.Picture13

My January Programme

  1. I am invited to the Ethelburga Tower AGM & Festive celebrations on the 9th.
  2. The January meeting of the Planning Applications Committee is on the 14th.
  3. The Battersea Park Safer Neighbourhood Committee meets on the 21st January and, apparently, I have nothing else – a quiet month.

Did you know?Picture10

Last month I simply asked, “Born in Cheltenham, became a Bachelor of Medicine at St. George’s Hospital, met his wife in Caius House, Battersea, where he did missionary work in the worst of Battersea slums, has a plaque in Battersea Square. He died, a peculiarly British heroic death 10,000 miles from home and he looked like this. Who was he?”

I got the following reply, so comprehensive that it’s worth quoting fully, from Chris:             “This will be Dr. Edward Wilson (1872-1912) who trained at St George’s (at the Lanesborough) and from 1896 lodged at Caius House, a settlement in Battersea associated with his Cambridge college and where he became a “settler”. In addition to his continuing part 2 studies he did mission work with local children. He contracted tuberculosis… but at least he met his wife to be. The plaque is at 42 Vicarage Crescent. This was the Vicarage, but the settlement is in Holman Street.

Whilst recovering Wilson worked on his other talents developing his drawing and eventually watercolourist as well as his skills as an observational naturalist and ornithologist. He eventually recovered sufficiently to qualify in his part 2 exams and in 1900 was offered the post of Junior Surgeon and Vertebrate Zoologist for the forthcoming British National Antarctic Expedition – Scott’s first.

The expedition was a great success, not least due to Wilson’s magnificent visual record. On his return, he enjoyed a further 5 years working on 2 zoological surveys and an epidemic commission but time was increasingly taken up by planning for Scott’s 2nd (fatal) expedition. Wilson was in charge of all science and medicine. He was among the 5 who made the final push to the pole which they reached on 17 January 1912”.

Congratulations to Chris and the half a dozen of you who got this one right.

And this month?Picture9

Has anyone other than me, ever seen the 1964 British film The Guns of Batasi? It was a typically quality British film, starring great actors of the period such as Jack Hawkins, Richard Attenborough and Flora Robson, about the violent demise of Empire in Kenya. I saw the film at the time and recall an impression that the title’s Batasi was a play on Battersea. But now I have found the evidence. Can anyone name the book, and play, which inspired the film?

PS. If you need to get rid of a loved Xmas tree, the Council will collect it from your front garden, or normal bin spot on your normal bin collection date in the week commencing 6th January.

PPS. Last, but by no means least, congratulations to Sadiq Khan for his knighthood announced in the New Year’s Honours. For all the mentions of his father’s occupation and his Mayoral record, it is seldom noted that he was also a Wandsworth councillor from 1990-2006 and indeed was Deputy Leader and, as I recall, Labour’s speaker on planning for some years. Well done, Sir Sadiq!

December 2, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea December 2024, Newsletter (# 186)

  1. I didn’t feel too hot on 1st November, so I gave Junction Jazz at the Bread & Roses a miss (I gather the band was good), but did feel well enough on the 2nd to go to the Councillors’ Surgery at Battersea Park Library. Saturday mornings at the surgery can be a very peaceful time, simply reading the papers, but not this time. As usual, the cases were about housing issues, about wanting a transfer or the conditions in rental properties. It can be depressing listening, but I do follow them up and, from time to time, really do resolve the problems.
  2. I discovered one victory this month quite by chance. I was doing my normal monthly tour of the Picture1ward, including a walk Picture2down Anhalt Road, a quiet road near the Park. On my last visit there I came across this trip hazard on the left, created by an aggressive tree root. Now the Council has doctored the tree and re-surfaced the pavement and it is no longer the very serious hazard it was. A small triumph perhaps but mine own!
  3. On 4th November I had a Battersea United Charities (BUC) meeting at the main Battersea Library. Nothing particularly momentous happened but it is worth noting the existence of this small body, which distributes small grants to individuals and/or organisations that live, work or play in Battersea. For example, BUC gives financial assistance to other charities that organise Xmas Day Dinners; or to Providence House to help fund summer schemes for Battersea’s younger people; or to families that have hit hard times and who need carpets, furniture, ovens, fridges, etc. The Chair of BUC is Phil Beddows, once a Tory councillor, but don’t hold that against him too much. For a long time now Philip has been a passionate Battersea boy and has given hours of his time to the charity.
  4. On 5th November I did not go to a fireworks display but went Picture3instead to Wandsworth Council’s Civic Awards. At this annual event, the Council praises and appreciates people, who have contributed their time and efforts to support the community. The Labour administration has added some new features, such as video descriptions of the award winners at work rather than the previous over-long reading of their commendations. One of the stars of the evening was Gonçalo da Cal Martins, Wandsworth’s Young Musician of the Year 2024, who played a beautiful violin concerto.
  5. I went to the Armistice Day Commemoration ServicePicture4 in St. Mary’s on Sunday 10th November, and then on the 11th itself, I went to the service in Battersea Park. I always find the open-air service the more moving of the two. The late autumn weather is very appropriate and the sound of the lone bugle playing The Last Post followed by Reveille almost haunting. The only blemish, of course, is that the Park was right under the day’s flight path into Heathrow! The picture is of our MP, Marsha de Cordova, walking away from the monument having just laid a wreath.
  6. Pen was due to present a paper at a small conference in Antwerp on 14th-15th November, so I decided, more or less at the last minute, to Picture5accompany her. We stayed in the centre of the city from 13th-17th. It was magnificent. Why has everyone kept so quiet about Antwerp? It is certainly the largest city within easy reach of London that I have never been to, and it is only just over 4 hours away, from door to door, by Eurostar. The city centre is substantially traffic free, so it is a pedestrians’ delight and the trams work like a dream. It is very lively, and very cosmopolitan. Belgium’s colonial record was not good – to say the least – and Belgians are very conscious of that, but one result is that it has made Antwerp a culinary delight. It includes African, Caribbean and Indo-Malaysian food of every kind and, of course, some say that the best French cuisine is actually Belgian. Added to that, the many museums and art galleries are replete with works by the three Breughels, Reubens, Van Dyck, and countless other Flemish masters. We had a great time – Oh, and Pen said the conference wasn’t bad either (which is English for a great success). The picture shows part of the Grote Markt.
  7. The Transport Committee on 19th November was quiet and uncontentious but full of interesting matters, not least the extended hours of operation of the controlled parking zone (CPZ) around Battersea Park. The residents had campaigned for the extended hours since before the opening of the Power Station, but that had been the final straw. Other matters of interest were:-
  • The competition to design the transformation of the Falcon Road railway bridge – probably the worst environment in the Borough – which effectively cuts north Battersea off from Clapham Junction and will hopefully be completed by late 2025;
  • more new school streets; and
  • amendments to the Borough Plan designed to encourage the development of more affordable housing.
  1. I chaired the Planning Applications Committee (PAC) on 20th We approved five applications:-
  • three, which in total amounted to some 50 residential units, as part of our 1,000 homes project – odd how it is that everyone thinks that we ought to build more homes at affordable prices but no one wants them built next door – am I being cynical, or jaundiced?
  • one, which involves the total demolition of a terraced Battersea house – except the front wall – and the construction of a modern house in its place. No one on the committee liked it but one does not need permission to demolish property unless it is either listed or in a conservation area – and we could hardly refuse permission for replacing it with a modern version.
  • the fifth was a technical change to a previous planning approval.
  1. Prezza, aka John Prescott, died on 21st November, and with him, some people argue, an old-style Labour brand. I do not know about that, but I do have one very clear memory of him. I was sitting at home one Saturday afternoon watching one of the autumn rugby internationals. The year was 1997 and Labour had stormed into power on 1st May.

    Prezza determined to get between Blair and Brown

         Prezza determined to get           between Blair and Brown    

    I was the Leader of Wandsworth Labour councillors and had recently written an angry letter to John, the Deputy Prime Minister, protesting that he had recently walked around Battersea Park with Wandsworth’s Tory leadership without informing anyone in Wandsworth’s Labour Party, and that despite John making improved communications between the Government and Labour councillors a major theme. I didn’t expect anything other than a formal civil service acknowledgement.

    The phone rang, “on my way to Heathrow and the Kyoto climate change conference”, John spat out, “thought I’d give you a ring about the Battersea Park event”. I was so surprised that I do not recall the rest of the conversation, but I do remember that I could not make sense of the syntax, nor of some of his sentences. But I do remember the meaning, the apology, and the thought that Prezza made a point of ringing me, whilst he was on the way to being a prime mover at one of the world’s most important ever conferences.

    I much appreciated the thought then and have done ever more so since.

  2. Picture7The 22nd of November was the night of the Battersea Ball held in the Battersea Park British Genius site. This is always a noisy, showy, fun event, held to fund the Battersea Summer Scheme for Battersea youth. Pen and I usually go, and often get caught pretending to be training for Strictly!
  3. Picture8I have just heard of the death of Battersea Labour Party member, Timothy West, earlier in November. Timothy and Prunella have been substantial supporters of BLP for many years and have played their part in several revues that BLP staged at Battersea Arts Centre. I will say more about Tim in next month’s newsletter, meanwhile RIP Tim.
  4. And other news about Battersea and Wandsworth:
  • The Council plans to update the Latchmere Estate playspace and is asking users and residents to get involved in its design. Do get in touch if you are interested.
  • Battersea Park Rotary asked me to remind pensioners about Rotary’s Xmas Day special – contact Senia Dedic (seniadedic@hotmail.com) for details.

My December Programme

  1. I have a meeting of North-East Surrey Crematorium Board on 3rd The members are the London Boroughs of Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth, so it should more accurately be called the South-West London Crem.
  2. On 5th December, I am having Xmas Lunch with the soccer team I played with in the 60s-80s – always nostalgic, “remember that goal Prodg scored” days.
  3. On 11th December, we have the last full Council Meeting of the year.
  4. December’s meeting of the Planning Applications Committee is on the 12th and much of the rest of the month is standard stuff, Christmas Carols, eating and drinking too much. I hope that you have a great Christmas too.

Did you know?

Last month I asked who was “an Irish Protestant dramatist, clearlyPicture9 torn between both his Irish and British heritages in that he was at once an Irish Republican and a British patriot, this socialist born in North Dublin spent many of his later years in Prince of Wales Drive, Battersea. Who was he and can you name his most famous play, and even one other of his works?”

Not quite do many correct answers as about Bob Marley and Spurs, but some knew about Sean O’Casey and his most famous play Juno and the Paycock. There is a plaque on the wall of 49 Overstrand Mansions, Prince of Wales Mansions.

And this month?Picture10

Born in Cheltenham, became a Bachelor of Medicine at St. George’s Hospital, met his wife in Caius House, Battersea, where he did missionary work in the worst of Battersea slums, has a plaque in Battersea Square. He died, a peculiarly British heroic death 10,000 miles from home and he looked like this. Who was he?

November 1, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea November 2024, Newsletter (# 185)

  1. On 3rd October, I visited London’s space-age City Hall for the very first time. Amazingly enough, it was sixty years and one month after my first day Picture1in a real job (as opposed to vacation jobs, etc.) at the “real” County Hall, which was then the home of the GLC (Greater London Council), which on that day took over from the LCC (London County Council). I worked there for twenty years. Since then the centre of London government has moved to Borough and now Docklands. Can you imagine the USA or France messing around with both the governance and the HQs of New York or Paris in such a cavalier, shambolic way? Neither the Americans nor the French mess with their capital cities. Why do you think we do?
  2. I went to City Hall to participate in the Hearing on the Springfield Park development in Tooting. I know that it is not Battersea but the development is one of the very largest in Wandsworth and the new park is a delight – if you have not been therePicture2 I recommend it – the G1 bus goes from the Junction right there. My Committee, Planning Applications, had turned down the application for an extension of the park and the construction of 449 homes, 225 of which were to be “affordable”, on the grounds that it was an over-development and exceeded the capacity of the local public transport infrastructure. I suspected that Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe was going to rule in favour of the developer and against Wandsworth’s decision. The developer is, after all, the NHS, and the development is a significant part of the Springfield Hospital renewal project. As they say, a no-brainer, and the development was approved. The photograph dates to 2023; the park has matured a bit in the last year.
  3. I had the Transport Committee on Monday, 7th October. The most significant item was about the installation of bike hangars. From having Picture3none just a few years ago Wandsworth now has the largest number in London. What is more, they are occupied the instant they are installed. I can understand why. When I cycled I had three bikes stolen (at over £500 a pop) as well as a saddle and as for rear lights – they just get nicked for fun. No wonder so few cyclists bother with them. Indeed I have recently had requests for bike hangars from Prince of Wales Drive and Cambridge Road – from sharing young renters, who cycle to work. If that includes you, then register an interest in getting one installed near you – it is easy. Look up the Wandsworth website and ask about bikehangars.
  4. Penny and I went to see Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, on 11th October – my first encounter with this iconic play. It was written by an Irishman, theoretically neutral during WW2, but a member of Picture4the French resistance. He narrowly escaped torture and death at the hands of the Gestapo. He was awarded The Croix de Guerre and the Médaille de la Reconnaisance Française. Having experienced war and totalitarianism, he never joined any political party, but he did fund and support various leftist causes such as black rights in Alabama. Waiting for Godot is an apparently endless, inescapable quest for peace in an inevitably violent and unpleasant world. But despite its occasionally funny dialogue, I am not going to recommend it for those seeking a fun evening, however as a commentary on the desolation of war and chaos it is crushingly powerful!
  5. Wandsworth Council organised its first 5K Fun Run in Battersea Park on Saturday 12th I should have been there – perhaps you were – but I had other commitments including visiting the Glassmills exhibition of plans for a 28-storey tower on Battersea Bridge Road. The Run was very popular and marked the start of a six-month trial of weekly runs. There are probably enough runners in Battersea to keep that going on a weekly basis but I have my doubts whether the organising team can continue at that rate – we will see. I will be happy if you prove my scepticism unfounded by turning up to run and/or volunteer on a coming Saturday at 9 am.
  6. The 14th October was a big day for the River Thames – the Thames Tideway Tunnel was finally opened. The Tunnel complex is about 25 miles Picture5of water storage, running parallel to the river. It is much, much bigger than a tube tunnel and is designed to take rain and river flood waters out of the Thames, during the peak wet weather. Easing pressures on the sewage system and raising the river’s water quality back to the level we deserve. I hope it succeeds in doing just that, because it cost us Thames Water customers £4,5 billion.
  7. On October 30th I had a Design Review Panel (DRP) at what turned out to be Vivienne Westwood’s company HQ in Battersea. The company is doing well Picture6and expanding rapidly. It is in desperate need of more space and is well on the way to submitting a planning application to extend its current site. Whilst I was there I discovered that a couple of hundred people work at the Battersea HQ; there is another, complementary HQ in Milan. Nearly all the employees live locally and travel to work on the several buses that cross Battersea Bridge – others cycle. Well over 50% of the company’s sales go abroad. The Panel discussion was positive although not totally without criticism. With luck we should see an early planning application.
  8. And other news about Battersea and Wandsworth:
  • On 15th October, I had a meeting of the Met. Police’s Battersea Park ward Neighbourhood Team in the Doddington Estate. It is a useful exchange of views between the Met and the local community about police priorities.
  • The Council Meeting on 16th was the usual rubber-stamping of the month’s decisions. Regular readers will know my views about this formulaic, essentially pointless event. Over the years it has lost all its old spontaneity and drama and desperately needs a re-think as to both purpose and format.
  • I cancelled the Planning Applications Committee due on 24th October, because of lack of business – a worrying sign for the building industry or just a temporary blip?
  • Plans proceed for building a new primary school in thePicture8 Nine Elms linear park The construction costs will be carried by all the private developments that have taken place in the area in the past few years. I doubt that it will look quite like this but here was the visualisation presented to councillors.
  • Battersea Park Rotary asked me to remind pensioners about Rotary’s Xmas Day special – contact Senia Dedic (seniadedic@hotmail.com) for details.
  • The Battersea Park Fun Run began in October and on 18th October we held the largest such run anywhere in the world ever – or so my friend Simon says but how anyone can possibly know defeats me! But no matter; it takes place every Saturday morning at 9.30. Why not give it a go? (I don’t think my knees would take it!)
  • The Council has installed traffic lights at each end of the Culvert Road Tunnel. I was frankly a bit dubious about whether they would have any real impact but fellow Councillor Sara Apps from Shaftesbury & Queenstown ward pressed for them. I must say that first indications are good. There is more compliance with the signals than I had anticipated; but let’s see if they are still as successful in a few months.
  • On 30th October the Council in association with TfL started works on Battersea Bridge to make it safer for both cyclists and pedestrians – readers no doubt remember the recent fatal accident involving a cyclist. Unfortunately, I suspect whilst the work is being done, there will be delays crossing either Battersea or Albert Bridge.

My November Programme

  1. I have a meeting of Battersea United Charities on 4th November.
  2. And how could one forget November 5th Fireworks Display in Battersea Park.
  3. Junction Jazz are playing one of their occasional fund-raisers for the Battersea Labour Party on 1st November.
  4. The 11th is, of course, Armistice Day and as always, I will be attending the Battersea Park ceremony.
  5. The Conservation and Heritage Committee meets on 12th November.
  6. I have the Transport Committee on 19th.
  7. November’s meeting of the Planning Applications Committee is on 20th.

Did you know?Picture7

Last month I asked “which Jamaican singer-songwriter lived in Chelsea, but loved playing football in Battersea Park? Name him – and one of his songs – and name the English football team that he supported?”

I have never had so many correct answers. Yes, Bob Marley and Spurs. As to the song, well that was a matter of some dispute but probably No Woman, No Cry won by a short head.

And this month?

An Irish Protestant dramatist, clearly torn between both his Irish and British heritages in that he was at once an Irish Republican and a British patriot, this socialist born in North Dublin spent many of his later years in Prince of Wales Drive, Battersea. Who was he and can you name his most famous play, and even one other of his works?

September 30, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea October 2024, Newsletter (# 184)

  1. We were off to our regular village in Croatia inPicture1late August. It was nice to be welcomed back by some of the residents and to see one lady, sitting in the town centre – pictured, reading Penny’s book “The Georgians”, Croatian-English Dictionary to hand – Yes, really!
  2. A friend of mine told me that he found Cyprus too hot for a comfortable holiday and certainly southern Croatia at 90°F or 30°C was too much for me in our first week. Surely no one doubts the truth about global warming anymore? Just make sure that you switch off unused electricity; cut engine idling; and, wherever possible, switch from fossil fuels to renewables immediately.
  3. On that theme, this is at least the fifth time we have travelled from London to this small village in Croatia, without flying. This year we tried London-Paris-Nice-Milan by train; Milan-Ancona by coach; followed by Ancona-Split, and Split-destination by two ferries. It is an interesting and challenging way to travel – greener. And we would never have discovered the charms of Turin, Trieste, Bratislava and Graz, if we had always flown. Nonetheless eco-travelling is expensive in both time and money.
  1. With air travel one of the smaller but much the fastest-growing form of global warming, we, as a society, just have to do at least one of the following:-
    • ban flights between destinations where alternative forms of transport take less than five hours. So, for example, we should ban flying from London to Edinburgh or Paris but flying to Dublin would be OK because there is no direct land link;
    • raise aircraft fuel taxes to the same level as car and rail fuel taxes
    • scrap duty-free shopping in airports. Just imagine the political protests about that from airports and airlines (and from many of you). But duty-free shopping is a subsidy from those who never fly or never go abroad to those who have the money to do so. It’s just not fair;
    • invest and develop electric or other forms of aircraft propulsion;
    • or even tax, not reward, frequent flyers – say 10% tax for one return journey a year, a 20% charge on second journeys, 30% on third trips, 40% on the fourth, ad infinitum.
  1. OK, I hear you say that all this is politically, or technically, impossible but without such reforms or something similar what is going to happen to the billion people, who live in overheating countries, or drowning islands, or desiccated areas of the world? They will be forced to migrate to cooler countries like Britain or Germany, where immigration is already a number one political issue.
  1. One way to keep cool was, of course,Picture2 to go swimming and this picture shows the secluded bay that we swam across twice a day. I reckon that amounted to about one mile a day. It was certainly the most extensive exercise I have taken in years! I loved it and lost half a stone (3 kg) in weight – must be a moral there.
  1. Changing the subject to accessibility campaigning, what do you make of this contraption, which we found in Korcula, onePicture3 of Croatia’s small urban jewels. It is called an Aqualifter; and it looks like a kind of medieval ducking stool. It is, however, a benevolent sea bathing aid, giving mobility-challenged people a chance to sit, splash or swim in the sea as they prefer. Unfortunately, the contraption looked under-used and not very welcoming – a great idea but, whatever the intentions, is it ever being used?
  1. I was still in Croatia when the Environment Committee met on 17th I note, however, that the committee resolved to change the relationship between Wandsworth Council and enable (why they insist on not having a capital E to enable, I have no idea). Those with long memories will recall that “enable” began life as part of the Council’s Recreation Department before the then Tory Council decided to out-source the operation. Out-sourcing was a cost-cutting operation, partly through tax avoidance, but nothing to do with quality service. The Labour Council have now decided to bring 10 of those jobs back into the Council in order to improve the management, the control and the responsiveness of the parks service.
  1. The Planning Applications Committee on 19th September had a very light agenda, with just the one application for development in Battersea. That was for nine flats and a day nursery at 18 Latchmere Road, directly opposite Latchmere swimming pool. The application was refused because it was considered to be an over-development of the site, with a resulting cramped and un-neighbourly design.
  1. On Friday, 27th September, the Greater London Authority Picture6held a public hearing into the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) application for an extension to the famous Wimbledon courts. Prior to the hearing the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, made his view clear that he supported the application. Accordingly, he withdrew from any active consideration of the application, and delegated the conduct of the enquiry to his deputy, Jules Pipe. I watched the hearing online and was impressed by the considered and careful process.
  1. The Deputy Mayor found against the Council and in favour of the AELTC, which I am sure will please many tennis fans. Wandsworth’s objections did, however, achieve some gains for Wandsworth, namely:-
    • an increase of 2 hectares in public open space, about the equivalent of 3 football pitches,
    • a reduction in the amount of car parking.
    • improved access for public transport and cycling.
    • improved access to the ground.

So, by no means a waste of time.

  1. And some good news about Wandsworth:
    • air quality monitors show that air pollution in Wandsworth has fallen and is continuing to fall. This is mainly due to the switch to cleaner vehicles – see the new dust-carts – by the Council, and local residents and businesses, and the Mayor’s Ulez (Ultra-Low Emission Zone) policy.
    • there have been some teething troubles with the new waste collection arrangements. This was largely due to changes that had to be made to introduce the food waste system.
    • the Council has now collected 500 tons of food waste, which is converted into fertiliser and earns the Council, and therefore all of us, money.
    • talking of the food waste system, I saw one complaint (was it in Facebook?) about the food waste caddies being so small that “by the time I have finished peeling the garlic there was no room left in it!” Only in trendy Battersea! But at least our garlic peelings are now being re-cycled.
    • the Council is soon to start a re-design of Old York Road. Hopefully, this will further improve the environment after this successful road closure.

My October Programme

  1. I have a Greater London Authority hearing into Wandsworth Council’s refusal of planning permission for the complete development of Springfield Park on 8th The application included over 400 homes but also an extension of the new park.
  2. There is a full Council Meeting on 16th
  3. The October Planning Applications Committee is on 24th

Did you know?Picture4

Last month I asked ” 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?”

Many of you responded positively to that one with the correct answer, which was, and is, the engaging and charming Brian Cox.

And this month?

In tribute to October’s Black History Month, which Jamaican singer-songwriter lived in Chelsea, but loved playing football in Battersea Park? Name him – and one of his songs – and name the English football team that he supported.

August 22, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea September 2024, Newsletter (# 183)

  1. 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, Picture2you 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!

  1. 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.
  2. 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. TransformingPicture1 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!
  3. 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.
  4. 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

  1. 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.
  2. The September Planning Applications Committee is on 19th.
  3. 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,Picture3 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?

August 1, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea August 2024, Newsletter (# 182)

  1. “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive; but to be young wasPicture1 very heaven!” wrote Wordsworth as he recalled hearing the news of the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Not sure that I could claim exactly the same thoughts on July 5th, as I took in the full glory of Labour’s 174 majority win in the 2024 General Election. I can after all hardly claim to be young anymore – but nonetheless the news brought Wordsworth’s words to mind.
  1. There wasn’t for me exactly one “Portillo moment” as cabinet member after cabinet member fell before the onslaught of an angry public. The voters showed that they did not want the Tories anymore – even if they were not quite as enthusiastic for Labour as I might have wished. Nonetheless, bliss it was!
  1. Moreover, haven’t the first few days of the Labour government already made such a difference? It feels and sounds as though the adults are back in charge of events – as even some of my Tory friends ruefully acknowledge – for the first time since the 2016 Referendum and the emergence of joker Boris Johnson as our Prime Minister.
  2. July 2024 will obviously feature in Keir Starmer’s futurePicture2 biographies if not in this version but, in hindsight, it may be even more significant than it already appears to be. On July 1st Starmer was the Opposition Leader of a medium-sized power in the Western alliance but within days of Starmer’s election victory, the French President Macron committed what appears to be political suicide and President Joe Biden has written himself out of the script. Suddenly Keir Starmer is one of the senior leaders in the Western world and the leader of one of the most stable countries in that alliance. What a month!
  3. Meanwhile, back in Wandsworth, the Planning Applications Committee was held on 18th There were three particularly significant applications – all of which were approved. The first was for 12 new council houses – way over in Roehampton. However, the other two were in Battersea. One was for a Tesco store to replace the gymnasium on the Falcon Road, though there are legal issues around that application which makes its implementation far from certain. The other is for a major development of residential units in two blocks – one of twenty storeysPicture3 and the other of seven storeys in Gwynne Road, North Battersea, near Lombard Road. It is planned that 35% of the residential units will be affordable and the other 65% will be available at market prices – a split which is in line with the current Greater London Authority’s London Plan. It is not, however, as ambitious as Wandsworth Council’s more radical ambition of achieving a 50:50 split, between affordable and market housing. Our ambitious, proposed plan amendment has not yet been approved by the Secretary of State, who may think that we are in danger of discouraging developers. The graphic shows the design line of development from the large, new block on the riverside down to the 14-storey block on the right.
  4. July has seen a number of encouraging developments in Wandsworth Council services. I have not been closely involved with all these initiatives, but I am sure everyone will be interested in, for example, how we are trying to make many facilities accessible (i.e. free) for children on free school meals. But we are also doubling the number of mega-skips available; encouraging developers to fund local improvements; introducing free breakfast schemes for many more schoolchildren; and initiating a mega-regeneration programme on the Alton Estate in Roehampton.
  5. Two events dominated the middle week of July, both slightly taking the gloss off Labour’s optimistic and confident control of the Council. The first was the discovery that on the night of July 4th, the Council got the Putney result in the General Election wrong by a few thousand votes. It was a bureaucratic error, nothing to do with the political control of the Council and fortunately, it appears as though it has made no substantial difference to any candidate – no deposit was lost, no wrong result – but it was not good for the Council’s reputation – to put it mildly.
  6. The other event was the resignation of Wandsworth’s (and Richmond’s) Chief Executive, Mike Jackson. We are told that this was for personal reasons – and I am sure that it was – but it certainly was not in the plan when he was appointed almost exactly on Day One of the Labour Council. Best wishes to him and his family. But for a Council, that has been used to long-serving senior leadership, this third major change at the top of the organisation represents an interesting corporate challenge.
  1. Meanwhile, on 14th July back in the “real world”, England lost 2:1 to Spain in the Euro- final. As always, the commentators said that we had man for man the better players whilst everyone, me included, could clearly see that Spain was the better team. Therefore, QED they must have the better manager. So, let’s blame poor old Gareth Southgate. But, I think Southgate has played a blinder ever since he was appointed as England’s manager. Hence, my guess is that our players are not actually better man for man than the Spanish team. Perhaps, because all the commentators are ex-Premier footballers, they hate to criticise players and turn instead against Gareth.
  1. Also, on the 14th I went to the Northcote Road festival, which was mainly distinguished by food and drink stalls, where, as expected, I bumped into neighbours and a few old friends – even if this year it was notable for the lack of Tories on show – were they licking their wounds?
  1. On 19th July immediately after the PAC (well at 8 the next day) Penny and I set off for a much anticipated 10-day break in Ireland. We spent the first six days in Killarney and the last few days in Maynooth, near Dublin. I had always wanted to return to Kerry having had good experiences of the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry in the 1960s!
  2. We started with a tour of the Ring of Kerry (the beautiful coast road around Ireland’s extreme south-west peninsula) but unfortunately,Picture4 the weather was very Irish and we only really became acquainted with the inside of an Irish cloud. Then two days later I stupidly managed to fall over, whilst cycling around Killarney National Park. I ended up with a cracked rib – ever had one? Don’t bother if you haven’t. They are very painful and can only be left to mend at their own pace – not fun – and so I spent the rest of our time in Ireland in a hotel bed, getting up on a couple of occasions for nice choral evenings in Irish pubs. This picture of us at Ross Castle in Killarney National Park, does remind me that the sun came out just a little before I injured myself!
  3. We finished off in Maynooth, a small Irish University town 30 miles west of Dublin, where Penny was participatng in one of her eighteenth century studies conferences. I usually enjoy those occasions – plenty of socialising and entertaining discussions, but I am afraid that on this occasion, cracked rib an’ all, I was a bit of a weakling and largely stayed in bed! Happily, Penny reports that her Conference went well – she certainly came back to the hotel in merry mood on the last evening.

 My August Programme

  1. The August Planning Applications Committee is on 21st
  2. But apart from that August is entirely free – bar a couple of planning meetings with officers and fellow councillors – until 22nd, when Penny and I will be off for what has become our traditional holiday in Croatia.

Did you know?

Last month, having listed all Battersea’s MPs, since 1900, I asked if you could list streets, parks, houses, named after any of them. Well, that certainly taught me a lesson – not one person bothered to reply – such is the interest in our MPs. (Though to be fair JP and a couple of others noticed a bad error I made about Alf Dubs’ dates!) But just in case some of you are interested in the answers, here is my list:-

  1. Burns Road, named after John Burns of course,
  2. Stephen Sanders Court in Salcott Road,
  3. Ganley Court, after Caroline Ganley, and
  4. Jay Court, after Douglas Jay, now anonymously Park Court South.

And this month?

This is a genuine question, in the sense that I do not know the answer, but would like to know it – and you may be interested as well. How many of the competitors in the Paris Olympics are resident in Battersea, if any?

July 1, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea July 2024, Newsletter (# 181)

  1. My June diary was entirely disrupted by the bizarre timing of the General Election – so all plans were out of the window. As far as Labour members have been concerned, it has been all hands to the pumps since then (22/5/24). But not, so it seems, asPicture1 far as our opponents are concerned. Here in Battersea, there has been almost no sign of Tory, Lib/Dem, Green or Reform activity. The truth, of course, is that it is difficult to exhort the troops into action when all the leaders seem to have decided that Labour is the certain winner. 1997 was like this, and not just in retrospect – I am on record expecting Blair to win by a majority of 150 – his actual victory was 179! I acknowledge that there is not the same enthusiasm for Keir Starmer, pictured here at the party leadership hustings in 2020, and Labour as there was then for Tony Blair and New Labour – but equally there was not the same despair about John Major and the Tories as there is about Rishi Sunak and the current no-hopers representing the Tories. What are the odds on Starmer’s majority being even larger than Blair’s 179?
  2. On the 5th June, I went to the unveiling of the Charlotte Despard Plaque in the Nine Elms Linear Park. This was the culmination of years of campaigning by Jeanne Rathbone, who wants Wandsworth to have as many plaques commemorating women as there are commemorating men. And in particular, Jeanne has long wanted one to commemorate Despard. Charlotte was an Irish nationalist, republican, rich, suffragist, philanthropic radical, Picture2who in the 1920s spent much of her time and money doing good works for the poor of Nine Elms, at a time when they really were distressingly poor. I think Charlotte, herself, would have recognised the irony of unveiling a plaque to her within a stone’s throw of the US Embassy surrounded, as it is by some of the most expensive and exclusive properties in London. She would have been particularly bemused or horrified by the reception, held in the Skypool complex 200 feet above ground level. My guess is that the pool will be the most expensive, under-used pool in London – spectacularly so, as in the picture.
  3. The occasion was notable for Mary McAleese’s The past President of Ireland, who confessed her total ignorance of Charlotte Despard, before being invited Picture3to attend this unveiling, honoured the occasion with a quietly powerful speech. Referring to Despard’s relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, McAleese made a truly memorable plea for the cause of all peoples across the world suffering from the twin disasters of climate change and war. It was a speech full of careful consideration and feeling for people suffering whether in Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar or Sudan. It was very special for a quiet, cool, not well-attended Wednesday evening in a London suburb.
  4. June 11th was the day of Sean Creighton’s funeral held at Lambeth Crematorium, Blackshaw Road, followed by a wake at La Gothique. Sean, accompanied by his wife Ann, was a big figure in the Battersea Labour Party in the 1980s and 90s. He was a Labour councillor Picture4representing the old Fairfield ward in the years 1982-86. Being an elected councillor did not, however, come naturally to Sean. Frankly, he found it difficult always to follow the party line – and as I was the Labour Leader at the time that was often my line! (At the time he lived 200 yards from Wandsworth Town Hall and he and I often addressed our differences over a friendly bottle of wine, with Ann adjudicating.) Sean was more of an activist and a chronicler, than a party politician. He was the secretary of more organisations than anyone I ever knew, including the Prisoners Education Trust and a Northumberland Historical trust (Sic!). Sean and his bookstall were a feature outside many a local history and/or Labour conference anywhere in the country for a dozen years. Sean was an activist, archivist, campaigning, eccentric individualist: in short one of a kind. RIP, Sean Creighton.
  5. Off to Winchester on the 15th for a splendid party thrown by our niece, Melissa. The city, the Saxon capital of England, always leaves me confused between Kings Picture5Arthur and Alfred, one of whom managed to burn cakes but then also to unite the ancient regions of England into one kingdom, whilst the other mythically sat at a round table with his knights – or was it the other way round? The Round Table really does exist. It is very large and hangs high in a grand ceremonial hall – it looks like a rose window in this picture. It was, however, built in 1290 for a royal tournament in honour of the Arthurian legend – the tournament must have been a late flourish of Ye Olde Merrie England not long before the Black Death of 1348.
  6. On the 18th Penny and I went to the Jermyn Street Theatre to see Being Mr Wickham. The theatre itself was fascinating, literally a stone’s throw from Piccadilly. With an audience capacity of 70, it must be the most intimate of West End theatres. The one-man, one-hour play was written, created, and acted by Adrian Lukis, – the very man who acted the disreputablePicture6 George Wickham opposite Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy in the seminal 1996 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. Lukis had clearly spent much of the intervening 28 years being George Wickham, imagining a variation of possible futures from Hogarth’s Rakes Progress to the version depicted in the play. Witty and clever, this personal after-dinner history was just right for such an intimate space, where he described how dull life must be for Elizabeth living with that dreadfully priggish bore Darcy – a life so unlike the well-lived one that he, Wickham, shared with fun-loving Lydia. The script was littered with acerbic references to Mr. Collins, the other Bennett girls and of course to Mr & Mrs Bennett themselves. Both George and Adrian seem to have done alright for themselves. Nice one, Adrian.
  7. The Planning (PAC) Applications Committee was held on the 20th Again, it was, thanks partly to the imminent General Election, a quiet committee. There was, however, one application, which will concern devotees of Northcote Road, and that was to demolish and rebuild 78 Northcote Road. No 78 has, in the recent past, been variously Downings restaurant, Picture7a Tapas bar and currently the Soi Thai restaurant. When, or perhaps if, it is demolished, there will be many concerned posts hitting social media. But, unfortunately or not, local authorities do not have the power to prevent demolition of any property if it is neither specifically protected nor within a conservation area. However, let me re-assure readers that the replacement will complement the terrace – in case you had not previously noticed the current building is one floor lower than the rest of the terrace, more of a gap tooth than a sore thumb. The replacement is planned to be the same height, have slightly more living accommodation, and, of course, modern plumbing, etc. No. 78 is on the left of this Northcote Road terrace and is clearly one storey lower than its nineteenth-century fellows.
  8. On 21st June, Penny and I had the pleasure of going to the retirement dinner of Oxford University Chancellor, Chris Patten, at Keble College. It was held in Keble’s grand and magnificent Hall and the occasion was as splendid as one might expect. Chris spoke of how Oxford “made him” and, as ever, laced his speech with many personal anecdotes. He also made it clear that whilst no longer free to vote – as Lord Patten of Barnes he is disqualified – if he could vote he would not vote for anyone who had supported Brexit. Quite a journey from being a senior member of the Cabinet to a major critic of the current Tory Government – even if it took 30 years to do it.
  9. The next morning, we went for a delightful walk round thePicture8University Parks. It was absolutely beautiful – notable for the re-wilding along the River Cherwell – very different as I recall it from the well-mown lawns of the Parks in the 1960s. We enjoyed both the wild and the cultivated flowers, and the couple of thousand Park Fun Runners.
  10. Meanwhile, a team of us, 6-8 strong, have been meeting at 8am every weekday, as the organising committee of the Battersea Labour Party’s election campaign. We all have our allocated responsibilities, from running the canvassing, to organising the digital campaign, from mobilising the volunteers to writing the campaign materials, from looking after the candidate to ensuring the money is available. As the Battersea LP Treasurer, I am “the money”, which this year has been, I have to admit, the cushy number. It is all so very different from an election run in 1997, and as for 1970 well words ……. Technology has changed absolutely everything. In 1970 every constituency largely did its own thing, in its own way. The 8am Zoom meetings would not have been possible; the party could not have moved resources from London constituencies to the Midlands or even, as happened recently, to Scotland – they would not have the data that both enabled and inspired the move. Today, in theory (and in practice) the “boss” knows every morning how many canvass contacts were made last night across the whole of the UK, how many were so-called Labour promises, how many were not. I must confess to a little nostalgia for the more intuitive approach that we used the day before yesterday.
  11. On the evening of the 23rd I attended an election-hustings meeting at St. Michael’s, Wandsworth Common. There were about 40 members of the public there to hear from the Green, Labour and Tory candidates – the Lib/Dems were invited but were a “no show”. What weird occasions these are. The public included about 25 party members – there simply to support their candidates and ask friendly questions. Half of us knew the other half – I even swopped notes with the Leader of the Tory opposition on Wandsworth Council as to who did best between my Marsha de Cordova (MdC) and his Tom Pridham. For what it is worth, I thought that MdC won by a country mile, but I also thought that given the event was set-up on a “green and very wet pitch” that Tory Tom Pridham did well – disagreed with every word, of course but that’s politics. Just one tip for the Green candidate – if you think that we are all bound to hell in a handcart (as you and I both do) then at least add some gallows humour to your presentation. Total misery is a bit of a turn-off.
  12. There was one final hustings, on 26th June, this time in the new church on Plough Road. Personal confession here – I was part of MdC’s preparation team. We spent an hour in the afternoon talking through the likely questions and MdC’s possible replies – and it worked. Marsha was excellent that evening and on this occasion all the other candidates, including the Lib/Dems, Reform, and the Workers’ Party, virtually conceded that Marsha de Cordova won the debate comfortably.

My July Programme

  1. July 4th is the big election day. I will be in Battersea Park Ward for most of the 15 hours of election day – like many other activists across the UK. We will all want a high turn-out and most of us will be VOTING for a CHANGE away from our current, pathetic and ineffective government.
  2. The Planning Applications Committee is on 18th
  3. We are off to Killarney and the Kerry Ring from 19th-25th July and
  4. Back to Maynooth, near Dublin, for an Executive Committee of the International Society for Eighteenth Century Studies from 25th-28th
  5. And I will, therefore, have to give my apologies for the Council Meeting on 24th July and the Environment Committee on 27th

Did you know?

Last month, I asked if we could list all Battersea’s MPs, from 1900. And I started with John Burns (1892-1918) and Marsha de Cordova (2017- ).  I am afraid that quiz obviously did not appeal to many of you, indeed I got only one reply. But that one from Roy, was very good and very detailed – well done, Roy. His complete list of MPs, with dates, is:-

Battersea – John Burns, Liberal “but obviously also a socialist” 1892-1918

Battersea North                  Years              Battersea South 

Richard Morris, Liberal        1918-22          Francis Curzon, Tory

Shapurji Saklatvala, Lab      1922-23          Francis Curzon, Tory

Henry Hogbin, Liberal         1923-24          Francis Curzon, Tory

Shapurji Saklatvala, CP        1924-29          Francis Curzon, Tory

William Sanders, Lab           1929-31          William Bennett, Lab

Arthur Marsden, Tory          1931-35          Sir Harry Selley, Tory

William Sanders, Lab           1935-40          Sir Harry Selley, Tory

Francis Douglas, Lab           1940-45          Sir Harry Selley, Tory

Francis Douglas, Lab           1945-46          Caroline Ganley, Lab

Douglas Jay, Lab                 1946-51          Caroline Ganley, Lab

Douglas Jay, Lab                 1951-64          Ernest Partridge, Tory

Douglas Jay, Lab                 1964-79          Ernie Perry, Lab

Douglas Jay, Lab                 1979-83          Alf Dubs, Lab

Battersea

Alf Dubs, Lab 1983-87

John Bowis, Tory 1987-97

Martin Linton, Lab 1997-2010

Jane Ellison, Tory 2010-17

Marsha De Cordova, Lab 2017-

And this month?

And which of those MPs have had buildings or roads or institutions named after them, and which are they?

June 5, 2024  

Councillor Tony Belton’s Battersea June 2024, Newsletter (# 180)

  1. May 2nd was, of course, the day of the London Mayoral and Greater London Council elections. It was also the day of a Wandsworth Council by-election in West Putney. You will know that Sadiq Khan, pictured here, Picture1won the Mayoralty comfortably (in Merton & Wandsworth his majority was 33,000) and that Labour’s Leonie Cooper was returned as the GLA member for the constituency with a much-enhanced majority – 27,423 as opposed to 15,500, representing a 4% swing to Leonie. However, Labour’s Jane Briginshaw lost West Putney to the Tories, by 489 votes – a swing against Labour of about 4.5% (and my confident prediction to the contrary!) – no doubt there will be much speculation in both “major” parties about the causes and lessons that can be drawn from these massively different results. Congratulations to Sadiq and Leonie; warm commiserations to Jane.
  2. The elections made for a very curious first weekend of May as the results across the country dribbled out from Thursday until Sunday. ItPicture2 was livened up by a splendid party at the Bread and Roses pub, which was clearly enjoyed by Cllr Sara Apps (left), Leonie Cooper herself (centre) and campaigner Amy Field. By the way, for those who do not know the Bread and Roses, let me recommend this pub in Clapham Manor Street – not perhaps for the cuisine or the décor (though it does have a battling picture of a young, radical John Burns on the stump), but because it is owned by Battersea & Wandsworth Trade Union Council and run by the Workers Beer Company – surely unique.
  3. On the 7th May, I had the Conservation And Heritage Advisory Committee. That allowed me to applaud the long-awaited Picture4restoration of the Vestry School on Battersea Rise. Most of you will have noticed this old monument to a bygone age, which was recently in a very poor condition. It might have been demolished but I and the late Tory Cllr Gordon Passmore got it listed as a building of historic interest. It has now been taken over and renovated and will soon be open as an architect’s practice. The school itself was opened and run by St. Mark’s Church in 1863 just prior to the 1870 Education Act which made children’s education in England free, universal and compulsory.
  4. I went to an Art Exhibition held at Battersea Place in conjunction with a local youth club, Carney’s Community on 9th Battersea Place is the new development (maybe 5 years old) on the west-side of Albert Bridge Road, halfway up. The art was the work of fourPicture5 artists and they were selling their work at the exhibition with the proceeds going to the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association and Carney’s. Whilst I was there I got chatting to Sarah Ezekiel, pictured here. This remarkable artist suffers from MND and has to talk using her computer screen (top left of picture) and uses eye-gaze technology to create her art, bright and very vivid paintings – stunning! You can see her work at EzekielArtShop – Etsy UK.
  5. On Friday 10th May Penny and I went to see The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. It is a brilliant one-woman performance Picture6over two-and-a-half hours (no interval) by Australian Sarah Snook. It spans the ecstasy of beautiful, captivating youth and its contract with the devil, through time – right up to the inevitable corruption of age, agony and death. It has obvious references to Faustus and Mephistopheles, and even to Jekyll and Hyde. Does English literature have a unique pre-occupation with this very masculine theme about ageing or are there equivalents in French, German and Italian literature? But my problem was that, despite the virtuoso acting and brilliant direction, I didn’t relate in any way to Dorian Gray, and therefore I was not emotionally involved.
  6. By chance, on the way back to Charing Cross Picture7we walked through Trafalgar Square, where we caught a splendidly beautiful lighting display of the National Gallery, which was celebrating its 200th It looked magnificent; but unfortunately, the display was only on for the 10th and 11th May. However, the Square is going to be the centre of festivities for a full year. I recommend a visit.
  7. On Sunday 12th Penny and I went to the St. John’s Hill Festival, toPicture8 be followed a week later at the Katherine Low Settlement street party. The festival had a substantial emphasis on street meals and entertainment – I had a delicious African stew/curry from this stall. The party was very much oriented to KLS and its many members. Clearly, these events are enjoyed by councillors enjoy – I met many Tory councillors on St. John’s Hill and lots of Labour ones at the KLS party. There was even some cross-party fraternisation, with Mayor Juliana Anaan also a prominent visitor.
  1. I was invited by Coventry University to be a guest speaker for a class of students from Oklahoma State University on Tuesday, 14th And if that sounds strange, let me explain! Coventry University has a campus, well a smart building in Kennington Lane, Vauxhall. One of their courses is in real estate management – they didn’t do courses like that when I was at university either – and as a fund-raiser, they host Oklahoma State students for a one-week visit to London. The tutor had seen the piece in The Observer a few weeks back, where I had made comments about the costs, values, and Council Tax levies associated with the Nine Elms developments, which they had visited the day before. He thought that I would make an interesting commentator on those developments. I think the students enjoyed it – I certainly did – American students are very open and chatty. I asked them for a two word impression of the UK (they had been here 2 days from Heathrow to Vauxhall). Favourites were WET, CHAOTIC, PICTURESQUE- Vauxhall wet and chaotic I understand, but picturesque!
  2. The Planning (PAC) Applications Committee was on the 21st It was a quiet committee but it did have one very interesting and contentious application: for a “homeless hub”. The Council’s Housing Department was under direction from the Labour administration to provide a hub as a safe, managed place, where street sleepers could be “housed” and assisted back into a safer environment. I am sure that very few could or would object to the objective, as I know we are all concerned about the people forced to sleep rough in Clapham Junction and elsewhere. But recognising the worthiness of the objective is not quite the same as having the facility close to one’s own home, even if any fears or concerns are not justified, in reality. As Chair of the Committee my main concern was that the debate and decision took place in an atmosphere, respecting both the concerns of the community as well as the objective. I am glad to say that it was – a word of thanks here to Tory Cllr Tom Pridham, who spoke on behalf of the local objectors, many his constituents, and despite being the Tory parliamentary candidate for Battersea on July 4th, he spoke with admirable restraint. The application was approved with just one dissentient.
  3. And then it was the 22nd May, 2024. Unquestionably a big day for Councillor Sana Jafri, who was elected Picture9Mayor of Wandsworth. Sana, born and bred in Wandsworth, was educated at Burntwood School, and is the Borough’s first Muslim Mayor. Here she is pictured left, with our first Youth Mayor Millie Quinn and her deputy, Favour Onirir – the appointment of the Youth Mayor is a new Labour initiative.
  4. But at about 5 pm all attention was somewhat distracted by Rishi Sunak’s announcement that the General Election would be on July 4th.Picture10 For the next six weeks all Council activity will be on hold – not of course the day-to-day process of clearing the bins, processing rents and paying benefits, and all the other daily business of the Council – but all the politics of committee and council meetings. The political parties all jumped into action and on Friday 24th Labour adopted Marsha de Cordova officially as our candidate and had our campaigning launch – pictured here with Martin Linton, Battersea’s MP 1997-2010, and with the impressive Battersea Banner, designed and handcrafted by local party members.
  5. So, what to make of the sudden call for a General Election? Personally, I am pleased that we are spared several months of “will, he, won’t he?” Furthermore, as the Treasurer of the Battersea Labour Party, I am glad that we will spend much less in 5 weeks campaigning than we would have done in a 5-month campaign later in the year. Some Labour colleagues think (hope) that he has made an enormous mistake, but I am not so sure. I am confident that the Tories will lose badly, but I argue that they would have lost more heavily after a long campaign into the autumn. Either way Sunak certainly now “owns” the result. Meanwhile, it’s going to be all ferocious activity for those of us who run around organising the campaigning, which will annoy and bore many people (maybe including you) with lives to get on with – but always remember that democracy is much better than any alternative yet known.
  6. The other night I saw a TV programme called The May Blitz. It was about the week, of 1-8 May 1941, when the Luftwaffe turned its attention Picture11on to Liverpool, which took one of the most intensive and destructive bombing assaults of the war. The SS Malakand was in dock; it had a cargo of munitions and on the night of the 3rd May it blew up in what was said to be the single biggest explosion that has ever taken place in Britain. The amazing thing is that I have a slight tendency to claustrophobia, which I have slowly related to sheltering with my mother in a cupboard under the stairs, but never knew when or why. On that night of 3rd May 1941 I was living in a house in Liverpool about a mile and a half from the SS Malakand and quite near where some of the bombs fell. Could it be that I have the very dimmest subconscious memory of that night? But I was 28 days old. Ironically my late mother had just been evacuated, with an embryonic me, from dangerous London to the safety of Liverpool. We survived but I don’t like being shut up in small dark places.

My June Programme

  1. July 4th is The big election day, and hence the Council has entered the “so-called purdah Period”, with all political activity suspended for the duration. So there will be very few meetings in June.
  2. On 5th June, however, a plaque to Charlotte Despard will be unveiled near where she lived and worked, near the new US Embassy and the Skypool (you can just make out someone swimming above the hoi polloi of Nine Elms!). What the republican, Irish, socialist, anti-imperialist Despard would now think of the location of her plaque, hardly bares thinking about.
  3. On the 11th June there will be the funeral of my old friend Sean Creighton at Lambeth Crematorium, He was a very distinctive Wandsworth councillor in the years 1982-86, I will say more about him and others next month.
  4. The Planning Applications Committee is on 20th June – as a regulatory committee, with statutory responsibilities this, and licensing, are excluded from the purdah rulings.

Did you know?

The month before last I asked, “just how many surviving pre-nineteenth century buildings or structures in Battersea can you/we name? I had one terrific answer from Chris, which I shared with you all last month. Then Roy added a lot more detail. I must confess that it was far too complex for me to work out so I will forward to Emma at the Heritage Library to see whether she can resolve it all for me!

So back to last month, when I asked who was a famous inmate of Wandsworth Prison and a local lad, born in Stockwell but well-known in the “right” circles in Battersea, who spent many years in Brazil, but returned to see his family and old mates, and benefit from the NHS before dying in 2001. The answer is, of course: Ronnie Biggs. If you want to see a romanticised version of his life produced by his son, then I recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgwlHgDSecI

And this month? Picture13

Can we create a list of Battersea’s MPs? – Both North and South, since 1900 and to 2024?

I’ll start with John Burns (1892-1914) as a member of Battersea Liberal Association, and finish with Marsha de Cordova (2017- ), Labour Party.

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