Lambeth Council Watch - news and updates about the 'co-operative' council

[Adblock Lambeth]

Hi all,

Another digital billboard is being proposed for the already very advertising0heavy area in Vauxhall. This one has slipped past us on the planning portal, so there isn't long to comment, but you should be able to submit any objections on the planning site for the next couple of days:

21/03295/ADV | Replacement of an existing Light Box Advertisement with a new smaller LED Digital Advertisement. | 383 Kennington Lane London SE11 5

planning.lambeth.gov.uk

Cheers,

Christopher
Adblock Lambeth

 

[Adblock Lambeth]

Hi all,

Another digital billboard is being proposed for the already very advertising0heavy area in Vauxhall. This one has slipped past us on the planning portal, so there isn't long to comment, but you should be able to submit any objections on the planning site for the next couple of days:

21/03295/ADV | Replacement of an existing Light Box Advertisement with a new smaller LED Digital Advertisement. | 383 Kennington Lane London SE11 5

planning.lambeth.gov.uk

Cheers,

Christopher
Adblock Lambeth

And we've now posted a blog with some more details and ideas for opposition:

Urgent action needed – Help us fight a new digital ad screen in Vauxhall - Adfree Cities

Following our first successful billboard opposition earlier this year, Adblock Lambeth is seeking support against the introduction of a new digital billboard in Vauxhall. If you live or work in Lambeth or travel through Vauxhall then you can help us say no to these plans. What’s happening...

adfreecities.org.uk

Christopher

 

[Gramsci]

And we've now posted a blog with some more details and ideas for opposition:

Urgent action needed – Help us fight a new digital ad screen in Vauxhall - Adfree Cities

Following our first successful billboard opposition earlier this year, Adblock Lambeth is seeking support against the introduction of a new digital billboard in Vauxhall. If you live or work in Lambeth or travel through Vauxhall then you can help us say no to these plans. What’s happening...

adfreecities.org.uk

Christopher

Planning objection put in.

I commute through this area by bicycle most days. The amount of these kind of LED advertising signs is intrusive. They are distracting. I also don't need my head bombarded with this in mornings. It's not like I have a choice.

 

[cuppa tee]

And we've now posted a blog with some more details and ideas for opposition:

Urgent action needed – Help us fight a new digital ad screen in Vauxhall - Adfree Cities

Following our first successful billboard opposition earlier this year, Adblock Lambeth is seeking support against the introduction of a new digital billboard in Vauxhall. If you live or work in Lambeth or travel through Vauxhall then you can help us say no to these plans. What’s happening...

adfreecities.org.uk

Christopher

object, but I think it’s one of Vauxhall’s lesser problems.

 

[GarveyLives]

Lambeth Council Watch - news and updates about the 'co-operative' council

Exposed as slum landlords:

South London council pays out £3,500 as mum takes action over mould-ridden flat

 

[editor]

Feel the developer schmooze now with added Binki Taylor

Lambeth council schmoozes with developers again

In what has now become an annual fixture in Lambeth council’s calendar, the council and its ever-increasing circle of buddies, recently attended the developer’s beano the London Real Estate Forum, …

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[Adblock Lambeth]

Hi all,

Thanks for your support opposing the Vauxhall billboard application. I know it wasn't Brixton-based, so not necessarily immediately relevant to this forum but Adblock Lambeth cover all of Lambeth so I hope you don't mind me posting these requests on the Lambeth Council Watch page. I'm pleased to say we were successful in the opposition in no small part due to the number of people who objected - so your contributions really made a difference. You can read the officer report on the documents tab here and a news report here.

The applications are coming thick and fast now, with another proposed digital billboard for Wandsworth Road. You can read our blog post and how to object here. Again, your support may well make all the difference.

We also recently wrote to all Lambeth councillors calling for a ban on any outdoor advertising for junk food (HFSS, or High in Fat Salt or Sugar), alcohol, gambling, payday loans and highly environmentally polluting products (such as fossil fuel companies, cars and airlines). You can read more about this and how you can help us here.

Thank again for your support.

Christopher
Adblock Lambeth

 

[GarveyLives]

Exposed as slum landlords:

South London council pays out £3,500 as mum takes action over mould-ridden flat

A report by the housing ombudsman has revealed that Lambeth Council is in the top five worst landlords in England in relation to the mismanagement of damp and mould cases:

Two South London councils among worst five landlords in England for damp and mould

 

[editor]

Nice work if you can get it!

Homes for Lambeth pays £9m in salaries since 2018 with top earner pulling in £190,000 per year

Homes for Lambeth has paid £9 million in salaries since Lambeth Council set up its property speculation company in 2018.

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[editor]

Lambeth Council news:

Fossil fuels, the future of leisure in Lambeth and leaf blowers all feature in Questions to Councillors at Full Council Meeting

 

[urbanspaceman]

About the anti-democratic cabinet system operated by Lambeth. Two people were leafleting about this issue and knocked at my door the other night. Here is the leaflet they gave me. I am rather impressed by the civic-mindedness of people who are prepared to go door-to-door on a cold evening campaigning about what might appear to be a bureaucratic trifle (but actually very much isn't)

 

[BusLanes]

About the anti-democratic cabinet system operated by Lambeth. Two people were leafleting about this issue and knocked at my door the other night. Here is the leaflet they gave me. I am rather impressed by the civic-mindedness of people who are prepared to go door-to-door on a cold evening campaigning about what might appear to be a bureaucratic trifle (but actually very much isn't)

Oh that is interesting. What part of the borough do you live in?

 

[editor]

Blog from yesterday's Lambeth council meeting

LIVE BLOG: Lambeth Full Council Meeting – estate regeneration, leisure contract and leaf blowers

TWO live blogs from Brixton Buzz in two days? We’re spoiling you. It’s just a shame that some of the decisions coming out of the Town Hall these days offer little accountability for tho…

www.brixtonbuzz.com

 

[Not a Vet]

Does anyone know which part of the Labour Party our councillors belong to? I know that it’s the Progress wing that have the power but wasn’t sure how strong their numbers are

 

[Tricky Skills]

Does anyone know which part of the Labour Party our councillors belong to? I know that it’s the Progress wing that have the power but wasn’t sure how strong their numbers are

From the Register of Interests:

Iain Simpson - Progress

Rezina Chowdhury - Progress

Danial Adilypour - Political Advisor The Labour Party

Matthew Bennett - Progress

Ed Davie - Progress

Jim Dickson - Progress

Stephen Donnelly - Progress

Jessica Leigh - Office Manager for Sarah Jones MP / Progress

Philip Normal - Progress

Mohammed Seedat - MD Pop Brixton

Joanne Simpson - Planning Officer Richmond Council

Martin Tiedemann - Member Brixton Green

Paul Gadsby - Consultant Just Housing ("We have been working with the housing team in Lambeth to procure new long term contracts for repairs, major works, cleaning and concierge services. The contract values are in excess of £500m.") Gadsby was Cabinet Member for Housing May 2018 - May 2020.

 

[CH1]

From the Register of Interests:

Iain Simpson - Progress

Rezina Chowdhury - Progress

Danial Adilypour - Political Advisor The Labour Party

Matthew Bennett - Progress

Ed Davie - Progress

Jim Dickson - Progress

Stephen Donnelly - Progress

Jessica Leigh - Office Manager for Sarah Jones MP / Progress

Philip Normal - Progress

Mohammed Seedat - MD Pop Brixton

Joanne Simpson - Planning Officer Richmond Council

Martin Tiedemann - Member Brixton Green

Paul Gadsby - Consultant Just Housing ("We have been working with the housing team in Lambeth to procure new long term contracts for repairs, major works, cleaning and concierge services. The contract values are in excess of £500m.") Gadsby was Cabinet Member for Housing May 2018 - May 2020.

Surely Cllr Mohammed Seedat can't be running a council-funded organisation with a £500,000 bank loan outstanding and negative assets of over £400,000?
I think we should be told!

PS The was a time (1990-1994) when Councillors Greg Tucker, Joan Twelves and many more would banned from voting at council meetings because they weren't up to date paying their council tax. This seems petty compared with a debt of £1 million????

 

[urbanspaceman]

Oh that is interesting. What part of the borough do you live in?

Very central - near Windrush Square. Why does it matter ?

 

[BusLanes]

Very central - near Windrush Square. Why does it matter ?

I was wondering where they were delivering it.

 

[CH1]

My brother kindly sent me this link: Norfolk Labour website tells people not to vote Labour

It's not just Lambeth where the Labour party stalwarts are rebelling against Progress Co-op.
But Mid Norfolk has shown the way - take control of the party's website!

 

[Adblock Lambeth]

Hi all,

I'm pleased to say that your contributions once again helped us with a succesful billboard opposition - this time on Wandsworth Road. Harm to visual amenity was again the reason given for rejecting the proposal, but significantly it is the first time the billboard proposal was not in a conservation area, so we were less confident about success. You can read the officer report here.

The applications keep coming though - this time for 24(!) free standing digital billboards to replace existing non-digital versions across Lambeth (with 3 on Coldharbour Lane). These 'upgrades' were commissioned by the council and a contract has already been signed with the billboard company, Clear Channel. Read our latest blog for more details. Due to the number of applications, we're really going to be focusing on getting signatures on a general petition against the proposals which you can find here, but the blog also contains links to each of the individual applications if you'd like to object to a specific one near to you.

A further application for 5 new large digital billboards across the borough has also been submitted, but we've decided to focus on the 24 freestanders for now before getting to the other 5 next week - so I will be back in touch soon!

As always, any support you can give will be very much appreciated and will potentially make all the difference.

Many thanks,

Christopher
Adblock Lambeth

 

[editor]

Lambeth update Special Meeting of Lambeth Council agrees to the response to the historic child sex abuse inquiry with Councillors required to receive safeguard training

 

[Adblock Lambeth]

Hi all,

As mentioned in my last post, applications have been submitted for 5 new digital billboards (not replacing paper ones) across Lambeth. Our latest blog has more details about the locations and how to object.

We may be helped in our objections by some good news in the Lambeth Local Plan (page 206) which clarifies that billboards will only be approved where they "contribute positively to the local scene" and "do not add unacceptable street/visual clutter". This gives us clear lines for objections. Furthermore, the plan includes the following bit of good news:

"In order to enhance the environment, proposals for the renewal of advertisement consents for existing large panel advertisements will generally be resisted".

Less positively, dealing with all of these applications mean we're still to get up to speed with what this news article is all about, but you may be hearing more from me soon!

Cheers,

Christopher

 

[CH1]

Clearing out old emails, this case came to light:
XXXXX v Lambeth Magistrates’ Court: Admn 25 Apr 2002

The appellant applied for housing benefit. He completed a form which asked if he owned other properties. He had been prosecuted for failing to disclose ownership of a property. He requested the court to consider whether he had a duty to disclose property which he held as bare trustee.​

Held: The regulations defined as the owner a person who ‘is for the time being entitled to dispose of the fee simple, whether or not with the consent of other joint owners’. A conviction required the prosecution to demonstrate that he did not know of the need to declare the ownership. In this case the ownership did require declaration. Whether he knew it to be false was a question of fact and the first instance court having heard the evidence, its judgement should not be interfered with. The court was not concerned with the proceeds of sale, only with current entitlement to sell.​

Lord Justice Kennedy & Mr Justice Leveson​

[2002] EWHC 785 (Admin), [2002] EWHC 772 (QB)​

Bailii, Bailii​

Social Security Act 1992 112, Housing Benefits (General) Regulations 1987 2​

England and Wales​

Citing:​

Cited – Regina v Sedgemoor District Council Housing Benefit Review Board ex parte Weaden 1986​

One wonders how it is that Lambeth Councillors are subject to such scrutiny (this person, whilst a councillor, was on Housing Benefit and then came into an inheritance - dead parent leaving a house up north to them and other relatives.)

Reading this appeal judgement, it doesn't matter if the resigned/disqualified councillor could lay hands on the money from the inherried house or not, they broke the rules and are deemed to deserve losing their job etc etc.

What a difference with the corrupt fellow travellers of the Johnson government.
No-body so far has even gotten ANY of them into a court!

 

[urbanspaceman]

I was sent this flyer, produced by local Conservatives, which compares Wandsworth and Lambeth. Lambeth comes off rather badly. I wonder how they fixed the numbers to arrive at this outcome.

 

[CH1]

I was sent this flyer, produced by local Conservatives, which compares Wandsworth and Lambeth. Lambeth comes off rather badly. I wonder how they fixed the numbers to arrive at this outcome.

They've been doing this since the introduction of the Poll Tax in 1990, when Lambeth, in common with all other boroughs except Wandworth had to levy a Poll Tax but for some strange reason Wandsworth for a couple of years had ZERO poll tax.

There is IMHO something weird about the way boroughs subsidies and debt are calculated.
I suspect that the majority of Wandsworth and Westminster council housing was LCC/GLC and somehow the debt incurred to build it was written off - where Lambeth, Southwark, Islington and Camden to name but four boroughs did not get their debt written off - so were always held up as profligate, spendthrift etc. and therefore high taxing.

Thats just my theory though - many posters on here may know better.

BTW I had the priviledge to represent the old Thornton Ward (SW12) in the mid 1990s. There people would aways tell you that they wanted to go back into Wandsworth - which they had been prior to 1965. Same applies to much of Streatham.

This ridiculous pamphleteering is playing to that nostalgia. Its a bit like Brexit really.

 

[urbanspaceman]

They've been doing this since the introduction of the Poll Tax in 1990, when Lambeth, in common with all other boroughs except Wandworth had to levy a Poll Tax but for some strange reason Wandsworth for a couple of years had ZERO poll tax.

There is IMHO something weird about the way boroughs subsidies and debt are calculated.
I suspect that the majority of Wandsworth and Westminster council housing was LCC/GLC and somehow the debt incurred to build it was written off - where Lambeth, Southwark, Islington and Camden to name but four boroughs did not get their debt written off - so were always held up as profligate, spendthrift etc. and therefore high taxing.

Thats just my theory though - many posters on here may know better.

BTW I had the priviledge to represent the old Thornton Ward (SW12) in the mid 1990s. There people would aways tell you that they wanted to go back into Wandsworth - which they had been prior to 1965. Same applies to much of Streatham.

This ridiculous pamphleteering is playing to that nostalgia. Its a bit like Brexit really.

Interesting to hear about how this started. As for the current pamphlet, which bits are the lies ?

 

[CH1]

Interesting to hear about how this started. As for the current pamphlet, which bits are the lies ?

Without doing lots of investigation, I would say that these are "spin":

LABOUR SPENDS YOUR MONEY…
…ON HIGHLY PAID OFFICIALS,
…ON SPECIAL ALLOWANCES FOR LABOUR COUNCILLORS,

because the pay for Chief execs, heads of planning etc etc are likely to be very comparable between Lambeth and Wandsworth.

The leaflet is not actually saying Wandsworth are more frugal - just implying it - and then showing the tax bands.
You can't tell me the Wandsworth Tory cabinet are doing their jobs for nothing.

Regarding the road closures, this is the Lambeth Tories waving the flag of their win in Wandsworth are regards rolling back the LTNs. Presumably they feel this is a vote winner here in Lambeth.

The actual council tax rates show a stark win for Wandsworth - but IMHO this is not because Lambeth have 5 more cabinet members on over £24,000 pa. Nor even Lambeth having twice as many executives paid over £100,000 pa (how many of Wandworths are in the bracket £80,000- £100,000).

The real difference is in the debt servicing and the central government grants.
I do not know how these are worked out - but it seems quite likely that we are stuck in some sort of local government "Barnett formula" where the grants were calculated by the Thatcher regime, and ever since it has been cost plus with no real evaluation of what is fair and appropriate.

 

[BusLanes]

I have been told the debt valuation and servicing costs are a big part of it too

 

[alex_]

Yes - Lambeth pay their chief exec 185k, Wandsworth “nearly 300k”

 

[editor]

This didn't go quite to plan

Vauxhall Labour Party tweet lauding Sir Tony Blair for his Knighthood doesn’t quite get the NY bounce the Comrades were hoping for

A tweet from the official Vauxhall Labour Constituency Labour Party has congratulated Sir Tony Blair on his New Year Knighthood – but not everyone is happy.

www.brixtonbuzz.com