Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Brixton news, rumours and general chat - June 2017

I don't know. I said to him, please tell me what is going to happen next, I am giving you this information voluntarily, and he got quite cross about that - told me that wasn't true, that I'd been charged with an offence under section blah of blah and so I was compelled to tell him my details. I don't really feel like moaning about it much as I'm a hypocrite, I complain about litter all the time and then I go and do that, I very rarely do it but I did do it.

I expect its mainly about Lambeth council trying to claw some cash together in whatever way they can. I got a letter the other day saying 'we're reviewing your single occupancy council tax discount - if you don't reply within 10 days (confirming that you still are single occupant) we will automatically stop giving you your council tax discount and retrospectively charge you for the past year at the higher rate.
 
CH1 said:
There was a BBC programme about this recently. Personally I'm against using private companies to enforce against anti social behaviour (including littering). As the companies are incentivised to issue tickets the results can be perverse.
Partnership with Lambeth Council for zero-tolerance approach to environmental crimes | NSL
Apart from NSL clearly benefiting from an "offence" occurring, there is also the risk of false allegations form NSL staff.

Additionally NSL probably give guidance to staff to ticket nice middle class people who will pay the tickets. Imagine ticketing Windrush Square alkies, some of whom are psychiatric patients with social workers looking after their interests.

Basically we live in a society where nobody is allowed to stand up for community standards as an individual - even to the point where the Police would say "don't get involved". Then some asshole beaurocratic councillors think they've got the solution by employing what is basically a bailiff to intimidate some of the population who might be intimidated - and thereby claim they are solving the problem at no cost to the council tax payer.

I can't spit on their graves - that would no doubt be a £200 penalty notice.
Click to expand...

It's very New Labour. Back in the day Blunkett wanted to give extend Traffic Wardens powers to fine people in this way. At one point Traffic Wardens had "civil enforcement" on there uniform. Blunkett saw this as part of a new "citizenship". With bureaucratic busybodies enforcing it. Never really happened. This was along with bringing in identity cards.

New Labour accepted Thatcher neo liberalism in economics. But was socially authoritarian in other ways. This did not apply to the super rich or the City.
 
bimble said:
I don't know. I said to him, please tell me what is going to happen next, I am giving you this information voluntarily, and he got quite cross about that - told me that wasn't true, that I'd been charged with an offence under section blah of blah and so I was compelled to tell him my details. I don't really feel like moaning about it much as I'm a hypocrite, I complain about litter all the time and then I go and do that, I very rarely do it but I did do it.

I expect its mainly about Lambeth council trying to claw some cash together in whatever way they can. I got a letter the other day saying 'we're reviewing your single occupancy council tax discount - if you don't reply within 10 days (confirming that you still are single occupant) we will automatically stop giving you your council tax discount and retrospectively charge you for the past year at the higher rate.
Click to expand...

I don't think you are compelled to give details.

Did the person show you there ID?
 
Gramsci said:
I don't think you are compelled to give details.

Did the person show you there ID?
Click to expand...
He didn't. He was wearing a uniform with golden letters and numbers on the shoulder-things though, a very intimidating getup. There were 3 of them there outside the tube.
 
bimble said:
I expect its mainly about Lambeth council trying to claw some cash together in whatever way they can. I got a letter the other day saying 'we're reviewing your single occupancy council tax discount - if you don't reply within 10 days (confirming that you still are single occupant) we will automatically stop giving you your council tax discount and retrospectively charge you for the past year at the higher rate.
Click to expand...

That's been standard procedure for a few years I think I used to get those letters from Lambeth when I was a single occupant.
 
bimble said:
I don't know. I said to him, please tell me what is going to happen next, I am giving you this information voluntarily, and he got quite cross about that - told me that wasn't true, that I'd been charged with an offence under section blah of blah and so I was compelled to tell him my details. I don't really feel like moaning about it much as I'm a hypocrite, I complain about litter all the time and then I go and do that, I very rarely do it but I did do it.

I expect its mainly about Lambeth council trying to claw some cash together in whatever way they can. I got a letter the other day saying 'we're reviewing your single occupancy council tax discount - if you don't reply within 10 days (confirming that you still are single occupant) we will automatically stop giving you your council tax discount and retrospectively charge you for the past year at the higher rate.
Click to expand...
I get that letter sometimes. I think it's standard.
 
bimble said:
huh, didn't know. I'm sure I never got one before (and have been single occupancy for longer than i'd care to mention).
Click to expand...
I think they may have changed policy about a year ago.
I've had people with student status over the years staying. Students don't count for council tax.
Now the council require proof of status in order to award the discount.

I would say this is fair enough - but it might impact on people like you, where they are "just checking".
 
Gramsci said:
I don't think you are compelled to give details.

Did the person show you there ID?
Click to expand...
As I understand it these guys are acting on behalf of the council so can do what any council officer can do in this situation which is more or less nothing. You don't have to answer their questions and they have no power to detain you. So say nothing and walk away. How many people would actually do this in a purposefully intimidating situation is preobably very very few.
 
Barnardo’s has teamed up with Teletubbies to help young children explore Big Toddle Week 19 – 25 June 2017

WHERE: 414 Brixton Rd, Brixton, London SW9 7AY

WHEN: Saturday 17 June 2017 – Please see below schedule

- 11:30-11:50 – Photo call – Teletubbies will be taking over the shop

- 12:20-12:40 – Photo call – Teletubbies to appear in shop window

- 1:10-1:30 – Teletubbies to meet parents and children in shop and do activities including colouring and reading.
Click to expand...
 
bimble said:
huh, didn't know. I'm sure I never got one before (and have been single occupancy for longer than i'd care to mention).
Click to expand...
Me too, 10 years, since I've been here. Ha. I think it's conscious pricking. Which would work on me, repressed Catholic guilt. I only get it sporadically, must be computer generated.
 
bimble said:
He didn't. He was wearing a uniform with golden letters and numbers on the shoulder-things though, a very intimidating getup. There were 3 of them there outside the tube.
Click to expand...

That's not good.

I've had the Council around to do yearly gas check and follow up to look at the boiler. When I answer the door the first thing the plumber does is show me his ID badge. They are told to do this. Im ok. But there have been people taken advantage of by those saying they are from Council.

Wearing a uniform and showing no ID. Not good. Particularly if they are trying to fine you.
 
Last edited:
Brixton is heaving beyond belief tonight. Drunk punters, shouty people, happy people, dealers, cops and mobs of tourists are filling Coldharbour Lane. Just passed two guys getting frisked by The Man in plain clothes.
 
Cops galore around Electric Lane/Coldharbour La area on Sat night around 1.30am. Any idea WTF was going on?

2017-06-19_145504.jpg
 
Anyone see a helicopter flying low and fast over Brixton today? It looked white from underneath and was too big and the wrong colour for Police or Air Ambulance. It was probably military to have permission to fly there, so maybe one of the SAS ones. Apparently they've got five Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphins. One landed on London Bridge after the Borough Market attack.

HeliHub.com UK special forces add fifth N3 Dauphin

Football, cricket and rugby union react to London Bridge and Borough Market attacks

SAS 'Blue Thunder' helicopter team called in after London attack
 
Last edited:
Well that's confusing. How are we supposed to know when to get under the table because the SAS are dropping in? Please tell Kent and Surrey to paint theirs red.

It was going in the right direction to be heading away from King's. And the wheel wells looked more like the AW169 than the Dauphin. So I'm sure you're right.
 
David Clapson said:
Anyone see a helicopter flying low and fast over Brixton today? It looked white from underneath and was too big and the wrong colour for Police or Air Ambulance. It was probably military to have permission to fly there, so maybe one of the SAS ones. Apparently they've got five Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphins. One landed on London Bridge after the Borough Market attack.

HeliHub.com UK special forces add fifth N3 Dauphin

Football, cricket and rugby union react to London Bridge and Borough Market attacks

SAS 'Blue Thunder' helicopter team called in after London attack
Click to expand...
Doesn't look nearly as impressive as the Silent Hawk choppers used in the bin Laden raid. Then again stealth was probably not much of a concern there.
 
Reposting from tradespeople thread, to recommend the knife sharpening service at Katada in Pop Brixton (yes, a useful service in Pop). The guy transformed 2 blunt old kitchen knives for me - the tips were bent & broken from levering lids off (a knife crime) and he ground them back so they're like new, for £10 the pair. He can also fix broken handles, and he's going to renovate a friend's ancient garden saw. Nice man, too. Unit S17, back left of Pop Brixton. Casaubon on here rated him too.
 
catriona said:
Reposting from tradespeople thread, to recommend the knife sharpening service at Katada in Pop Brixton (yes, a useful service in Pop). The guy transformed 2 blunt old kitchen knives for me - the tips were bent & broken from levering lids off (a knife crime) and he ground them back so they're like new, for £10 the pair. He can also fix broken handles, and he's going to renovate a friend's ancient garden saw. Nice man, too. Unit S17, back left of Pop Brixton. Casaubon on here rated him too.
Click to expand...
I have never been to Katada and I'm sure you're being helpful, but personally I find the idea of loads of sharpened knifes round Brixton rather alarming.

Clearly there are Trumpian arguments that we all need an adequately resourced kitchen in case we might need to carve a joint. And obviously only criminals and maniacs go round stabbing people - including stabbing people to death with knives.

But I do read my Evening Standard every day.
 
While knife crime is both horrific and at present depressingly common, the presence of a tool sharpening trader in the area will have virtually zero effect on knife crime stats IMO. It's not as if would-be knifers have ever been much concerned by the sharpness of their blades, or the relative bluntness ever been an impediment to their actions.
 
CH1 said:
I have never been to Katada and I'm sure you're being helpful, but personally I find the idea of loads of sharpened knifes round Brixton rather alarming.
Click to expand...
There are plenty of places in Brixton that sell brand new, very sharp knives at reasonable prices. I'm not sure how a local knife sharpening service makes the situation any more or less alarming... If people want sharp knives for nefarious purposes, they're trivially simple to find.
 
More beer!

IMG-20170607-WA0004-1024x576.jpg



Brixton micro-brewery, London Beer Lab is launching a new beer for Brixton this evening – Coldharbour Pils
 
CH1 said:
I have never been to Katada and I'm sure you're being helpful, but personally I find the idea of loads of sharpened knifes round Brixton rather alarming.

Clearly there are Trumpian arguments that we all need an adequately resourced kitchen in case we might need to carve a joint. And obviously only criminals and maniacs go round stabbing people - including stabbing people to death with knives.

But I do read my Evening Standard every day.
Click to expand...

I would have thought the rigorous bag searching at pop would have prevented that?

Incidentally - Claudia from Pure Vinyl is playing pop tonight:

just-vibez-pop-brixton-june-2017.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

editor
Cyclist killed in Brixton
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
T & P
T & P
blameless77
After work pint in Brixton?
Replies
12
Views
756
editor
editor
editor
Homophobia in Brixton
2
Replies
38
Views
5K
Tulster218
T
editor
It's a grim Christmas around Brixton: no lights, no tree and no funfair
Replies
1
Views
732
skyscraper101
skyscraper101
Maggot
Lambeth Country Show 10 and 11 June 2023
2 3
Replies
60
Views
3K
magneze
magneze
Back
Top Bottom