Round-up of green blogs

Quick round-up of a few green blog posts that have caught my attention in the past few days:

Interesting post about CRAGS (carbon reduction action groups) on Ruscombe Green, including the onetonners, who are, as the name suggests, trying to cut down their carbon emissions to one tonne/year. Haven't heard of any CRAG in Lewisham as yet, anyone know of one? Sian shares her republican thoughts on royal 'green' Prince Charles and his globe-trotting on Green Berry. Scott on Coventry Green Voice discusses David Cameron and the EU Social Chapter, while Molly on the excellent Gaian Economics asks "Is it all worth it for 2 weeks in the sun?". Finally, over on Croydon Greens Shasha has strawberries in his front garden and is highlighting disparities in recycling collection in different parts of the borough, while also seeing how many Green Party bigwigs he can get photographed with during his by-election campaign ;).

Ladywell Fields Project: Public Meeting

Thursday 1st February, 7pm, St Mary's Centre, Ladywell Road.

You may be aware that a planning application is currently being considered for landscape improvements to the North Field of Ladywell Fields which falls on the boundary between the Lewisham Central and Ladywell wards. This is part of the EU funded Quercus project. The scheme includes proposals for a larger entrance area, terraced lawn, improved pedestrian access to Ladywell Station, creation of a secondary river channel, incorporating bridges, street furniture and associated signage. However, a particular concern of some local residents has been the proposed removal of 68 trees in connection with the works. Due to the degree of local interest, in line with Council policy, planning officers have arranged for a local meeting to take place on the evening of 1st February between 7 and 8.30pm at the St. Mary's Centre, Ladywell Road. A summary of the issues raised at the local meeting will be included in the planning officers' report to the Planning Committee.

Lewisham Peace Council Inaugural Meeting

The inaugural meeting of Lewisham Peace Council is taking place this Thursday (25th January), 7.3opm at Lewisham Town Hall, Catford . All welcome. If you are unable to attend but have suggestions or comments please contact Lewisham CND.

Agenda includes introduction by Chair of Lewisham United Nations Association, a short speech from the Young Mayor of Lewisham (to be confirmed), Bromley Peace Council experiences (Anne Garrett),
working groups and objectives for the first year, constitution discussion, including proposed dates for next meetings, concluding summary by Chair of the inaugural meeting, food and drink in the foyer, songs from the Strawberry Thieves and street theatre performance ‘Bethlehem’

Education in Lewisham Public Meeting

A quick plug for another public meeting:
Education in Lewisham
29th January, 7.30pm
Catford Broadway Theatre (small theatre)
Organised by Lewisham NUT, among others, the meeting has been called to discuss a number of education issues in the borough, including the proposals to merge Monson with Haberdashers', the new school at Lewisham Bridge and the proposed changes to special educational needs provision.

Sustainable Communities Bill

I'm delighted that the Sustainable Communities Bill has this week got through its second reading in the House of Commons and will now go to committee stage. This bill, which local (Catford) campaigner Ron Bailey has been the driving force behind for a number of years and which the New Economics Foundation, Unlock Democracy and the Green Party, amongst others, have long supported, was first introduced to parliament back in 2003, but has always run out of time. This time it has been introduced as a private members' bill by Tory MP Nick Hurd who topped the private members' ballot. It also has the backing of the Conservative Party and the Lib Dems, along with many Labour back-benchers (including I believe Joan Ruddock, but I'm not 100% certain on that).

So what will the bill do? For a more detailed explanation take a look at the local works website, but in brief it is designed to give local communities more say over what happens in their area and to allow a more bottom-up rather than top-down approach to tackling local social, environmental and economic issues. For example if a plan to build a supermarket in the area was controversial, there could be a local referendum on it. One of the bill's key aims is to reverse the 'Ghost Town Britain' situation in which local shops, post offices and other services are closing and to instead promote local sustainability and help to create thriving local high streets.

I organised a meeting with the New Economics Foundation on this a few years back at Goldsmiths. Charles Secrett (former director of Friends of the Earth) and Jenny Jones (Green London assembly member) were among the speakers, along with Ron, if I remember correctly. Anyway, it's great that (fingers crossed) the bill may finally be getting somewhere. Another local blogger Do Something Extra, who I came across via Andrew Brown's blog has also blogged about this.

I've probably used way too much jargon there to explain something which is in essence about practical, common sense ways of reversing the decline in local communities, but in short I think it's a great bill and I hope it gets through committee stage without too much dilution and well done Ron!

New School Consultation - my response

1. Do you agree that the new school should be moved from the Ladywell Leisure Centre Site to the Lewisham Bridge Primary School site?
Yes. I don't think the Lewisham Bridge Site is ideal, but it is far better than the leisure centre - not right on the junction of a very busy road, no loss of swimming facilities for 3 years, site is slightly bigger than the leisure centre site and marginally closer to the north of the borough. However, I have my reservations about whether there is space for both primary and secondary provision on the site.
2.Do you agree that the new secondary school should incorporate one form of entry from Lewisham Bridge Primary School?
Possibly. I believe the case for a 3-16 form school has yet to me made. I am not entirely against it, but neither have I been convinced that the decision is based on educational, rather than economic grounds. We have not been given sufficient information to make an informed decision on this.
3. Do you have any comments on the proposed federation outlined in this paper?
Yes, I am not convinced that a hard federation is the best option. I think the idea of a federation with Crofton School and Prendergast is a good one, but I would prefer a soft federation, which while retaining close links between the schools doesn't have one shared governing body, which I fear would result in a less accountable and more pressured governing body, with looser ties with teaching staff, PTAs and pupils.
Other comments
I would like to make sure the Mayor and cabinet are fully aware of the considerable concerns of parents of pupils at Lewisham Bridge, many of whom are residents in my ward (Ladywell). They require considerably more information and consultation and every effort needs to be made to recognise and preserve the thriving community their school is. Lewisham Bridge Primary School should not simply be swallowed up into one school, but should be allowed to retain its identity in some form.
What is the evidence which assures officers that reducing Lewisham Bridge Primary School down to one-form entry will not lead to a shortage of primary places in the area, given the considerable number of new homes being built. How will this impact on other schools near-by, such as Gordonbrock Primary School, which currently has an awkward-sized two and a half form entry and would like to drop to two-form entry?
It is difficult to visualise how the planned 3-16 school will fit on the site, with separate entrances for the 2 schools and still have sufficient outside play space. We really need to be consulted further if/when more detailed plans are available. Lewisham Bridge has invested heavily in ensuring its pupils have a good quality outdoor play area, with a variety of play equipment and a wildlife garden. It is important to try and incorporate as many of these elements as possible into the new school.
I am concerned that this school will be hemmed in on every side by railway, road or housing, with no potential to expand at a later date. I would like the council to give serious consideration to allocating the land which is currently Porsons Court to the school. This could potentially give space either for 2 separate schools, or for a larger than 4-form secondary school.
I am not convinced that a 4-form entry school will be sufficient to meet the need for secondary school places in this part of the borough, or be big enough to allow a broad range of subjects, eg a range of modern languages and science subjects. Further information on this required please.
Parents and residents need further reassurance about how the wide age ranges will peacefully co-exist on one site. In particular, they are concerned about the risk of bullying of younger children by older pupils.
Please provide further information about the planned sports provision for this school, and how this will tie-in with the proposals for the new leisure centre near by. Will there be a sports hall with facilities open to the local community out of school hours?
It is crucial that this school, if built, is a beacon of sustainability, with significant on-site renewable energy generation, water-recyling, the highest standards of insulation, brown/green roofs where possible, on-site composting of food waste etc. It is also essential that good provision is incorporated for pupils cycling to school (covered, secure bike racks, safe routes to school by foot/on bike clearly established). Residents living in the area have considerable concerns about the extra traffic that may be generated by the school, in addition to the extensive regeneration projects planned nearby. These concerns need to be addressed.
Finally, I would like to note my objection in principle to PFI as a means to fund public services. Private companies should not be making money out of our schools and we are building up a huge debt that local council taxpayers will be repaying for many years to come.

M&S ups the green ante

Very encouraging news from M&S today that they are planning to go carbon neutral. See here and here. Even allowing for a considerable dose of greenwash, if they do all the things they are promising, and in turn prompt other companies to follow suit, it's a step in the right direction, and more than what the government seems currently able to muster. Among the things they are aiming for in their 5-year, 100 point eco plan:

• more local and regional sourcing of food and source as much possible from the UK & Ireland to reduce air freight (no more year-round strawberries and avocados then?!).
• polyester clothing to be made from recycled plastic bottles rather than oil.
• transporting more goods by freight train.
• millions more garments made from fairtrade cotton.
• all stores and warehouses to use renewable energy sources.
• no waste will go to landfill.

And unlike Tony Blair, they seem to understand that carbon offsetting is the last resort rather than a solution to climate change.
Tescopoly et al take note!

Will I shop there more? Probably not, I'll still get my veg from a local organic veg box scheme and other stuff from a local independent store that sells fairtrade, organic stuff (Sheel Pharmacy on Lewisham Hill, in case you're wondering), but I may be more tempted to try M&S when I need clothes.

Silver foil can go in green bin/box too

Not sure if this is a recent development, or if I'm the only one who didn't already know this, but having read a briefing for councillors on recycling provision in the borough, I now know that (clean) silver foil and foil trays can go in the recycling bin. Hurray! As if I needed another excuse to have take-aways from Ladywell Tandoori! Always wondered why aluminium cans could be recycled but not aluminium foil trays. All the trays I'd been dutifully saving in my cellar for next time I went to my Mum's (who lives in Worcester where they have recycled foil for ages) went in the green wheelie bin on Thursday. Dread to think what recycling collectors thought when they emptied the bin.

Bring Back Democracy Public Meeting Monday 15th January

The Bring Back Democracy campaign are holding a public meeting on Monday 15^th January at 8pm at Ladywell Pool. The aim of the campaign is to get a referendum to change back from the directly elected mayoral system of local government to the option of a Leader and Cabinet elected from and by the councillors. The campaign is supported by all the opposition parties and a number of Labour Party members.

The meeting will be chaired by Louise Irvine, chair of the New School Campaign, and addressed by John Hamilton and Nick Ingham, the Secretary and Chair of the Bring Back Democracy campaign. Also on the platform will be a representative of each of the parties involved, including a member of the Labour party. Questions from the audience will be invited and the party representatives will have a chance to respond to these.

The meeting is scheduled to last for about an hour.

Hope to see you there.

PS: Just seen that Dean has posted on this in much more detail than me.

Meeting on New School Proposal

Attended the public consultation meeting at Lewisham Bridge Primary School last Wednesday about the new school proposals. The meeting was packed out and it's fair to say that the majority of people there had considerable concerns about the plans to build a secondary school at Lewisham Bridge. Lots of Lewisham Bridge Primary School pupils and staff, along with local residents, New School Campaigners and a number of councillors. No Mayor or Cabinet member for education there as it clashed with a Mayor & Cabinet meeting.

Some of the worries people raised were about space (is the site big enough), fear of primary children being bullied by older kids, lack of evidence of any benefit of a 3-16 through school over seperate primary and secondary schools, concern that there would be a shortage of primary school places in the area if Lewisham Bridge primary dropped to one form entry, concern that a four form entry secondary school isn't big enough and will be limited in the range of subjects it could provide, concern that the school would be hemmed in with no room to expand (could adjacent land earmarked for new housing be incorporated into the school site?), parking worries, reduction in playground space, opposition to the proposed PFI funding, opposition to the proposals for a hard federation with Crofton School and Prendergast School.

I think part of the problem is that it's very difficult to visualise how this school will work and what it will look like at this early stage, without any drawings. It'll be one school, but needs to have seperate entrances and play spaces for the different age groups. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, but my gut feeling is that this is still a better plan than a secondary at Ladywell Leisure Centre.

I share residents' concerns over the PFI funding of the school, as I do over the PFI funding for all the decent homes work in the area, the new building at the hospital, even the proposed new street lighting for the borough is being financed by PFI. We are borrowing huge amounts of money that will be being repaid at extra cost through our council tax over the next 25 years or more. Green Party national policy is firmly against PFI. That said, we're not in government and if the choice we are given in this case is a PFI school or no school, I might have to cross my fingers and reluctantly accept the PFI school.

I also share residents concerns over the hard federation and will be expressing this in my response to the consultation (deadline for responses is tomorrow, 15th January). I can see the benefits of schools collaborating closely, but don't see the advantages of having a chief executive and only one governing body in charge of 3-4 schools . It seems less accountable to me and risks leaving parents, PTAs and staff feeling disenfranchised.

Anyway, whatever your views, make them known.

Great response to locality fund

Mike, Ute and I met up this afternoon to go through the suggestions we've received from residents for the £10,000 locality ward fund (see earlier posts here and here). We received lots of excellent proposals and could easily have spent the money ten times over. Thank you to everyone who got in touch. We have provisionally decided how we would like to allocate the money, but need to get more exact costings before we can confirm anything. We are also looking into how some of the other ideas could potentially be funded/developed and following up on casework that has emerged from the process.

For your information, here are the suggestions we were sent (in no particular order):

Playground equipment for Gordonbrock Primary School, bat and bird boxes for Hilly Fields, Christmas tree on corner Algernon Rd/Ladywell Rd again next year, brighter street lighting in Malyons Terrace/Malyons Rd, hanging baskets, zebra crossing on Algernon Rd at junction with Ladywell Rd, pool tables for Crofton Baptist Church youth club, resurfacing pavement on lower part of Tressillian Rd, IT suite open to local community, extending opening hours of Brockley cemetery and promoting its use as a green space, health events aimed specifically at young people, additional Christmas lighting by shops on Algernon Rd, a bench by the post office on Algernon Rd, resurfacing of unused tarmaced area on Viney Rd and provision of basketball hoops for young people, Christmas lights and planters/hanging basket on Loampit Vale and Loampit Hill, playground equipment for Dressington Avenue, funding a Brockley Max closing night concert on Hilly Fields.

Barcelona!

I'm back! Actually, I've been back since January 3rd, but was busy for a few days then went down with the awful chesty cold and cough that is doing the rounds at the moment. Finally on the mend.

Spent 10 days in Barcelona over Christmas and New Year, visiting Nigel, my partner, who splits his time between Barcelona and London. Enjoyed the nice sunny weather, fresh sea air and cheap organic wine. It was the hottest December in Barcelona in 30 years, apparently, and while I was there temperatures averaged about 15 degrees Nice, but worrying. Also worrying that my non-frost hardy plants from the Scilly Isles that I forgot to cover with fleece/put in mini-greenhouse before I went away, I still fine as there has been little or no frost to speak of here.

Before I get bombarded with comments about my carbon emissions etc, I should add that I travelled there by train, which was remarkably easy and stress-free (Eurostar to Paris, then a sleeper train from Paris to Barcelona). It costs a bit more than the plane, but wouldn't do if the aviation industry was made to pay for the pollution it produces. Having read Friday's Metro, I can see I'm not the only one switching. Ute always gets the train when she goes home to Germany. Thankfully not everyone is following Blair's 'bury head in sand and fly as much as I like philosophy.'

Loads of cyclists, skateboarders, roller-bladers and pedestrians in Barcelona. They have the advantage of having wide roads and pavements, with plenty of space for cycle lanes on the pavement. The other thing I like is that there are lots of small independently-run shops - supermarkets don't seem to dominate. They also seem to be investing in markets - the local market was being rebuilt and enlarged and the new building had solar panels across the roof (see picture). Didn't see a huge number of solar panels, considering the potential, but there is a huge solar panel 'art installation' near the beach.
Eating out as a veggie can be a bit of a challenge in Barcelona, unless you go specifically to a vegetarian place, or you're happy to eat cheese baguettes, Spanish omelettes or chips all the time, but I would whole-heartedly recommend Juicy Jones for excellent juices and vegan snacks, Biocenter (amazing value veggie place) and Maoz falafel bars (apparently there are 2 of these in Soho now too).

OK, nuff said about hols, which already seem distant, back to business . . .

No Justice, No Peas!

I attended the annual Lewisham Peace Vigil yesterday, organised by Lewisham and Greenwich CND together with Stop the War. I think this is the fourth one now and it's a bit depressing that the same wars that prompted us to start it are still rumbling on. We met outside the library then walked down to the market area carrying lanterns which spelled out 'No justice, no peace', although the person with 'ce' was a little bit behind the others so some shoppers looked a bit puzzled about what the protest against peas was all about. Music was provided by the Strawberry Thieves Socialist Choir. Attendance was a little down on previous years, but it's always a busy day in the year for people to make it.

Interesting posting on Ruscombe Green about 2 campaigns calling for people to send fruit to the government. The Burma Campaign is calling for the UK government to ban British companies from investing in Burma, while the other, Blair's Banana Republic has been set up in response to the decision by the PM not to allow the police to investigate allegations that BAE Systems bribed Saudi Officials to secure a deal to sell them fighter jets. But hey, on the upside, shares in BAE Systems rose 7% on the announcement, which is good for Lewisham Council's Pension Fund, which invests in the company. Not so good for whoever the Saudis may decide to bomb with them, of course. Just seen that Matt and Richard have written about this whole Blair & BAE fiasco.

BTW, this is my 100th posting, and to celebrate the fact, I'm going to take a break from blogging until the new year. Happy Christmas and a peaceful new year to everyone.

Waste Strategy

On Wednesday evening I went to the Mayor and Cabinet meeting. The Mayor withdrew the items on the Monson consultation and the lighting PFI contract, but the main reason I was there was to here about the borough’s new waste strategy. The document looks at various options to meet our 20% recycling target for next year, including expanding the collection of kitchen/garden waste and making recycling compulsory.

While the strategy as a whole was approved, the Mayor was somewhat reticent about committing to any particular proposal out of those outlined in the document. He was concerned at the cost of implementing them, in particular the green waste collection. He's right to make sure money is spent effectively, but we will need to spend more money if we are to boost our recycling rates. I'm hopeful that this strategy is something we can get a degree of cross-party consensus on, and the Greens will certainly support any sensible plans to increase recycling in the borough, including compulsory recycling as long as it's implemented fairly and alongside a publicity campaign and making sure that everyone has access to recycling facilities.

New Loampit Vale Medical Centre Officially Open!

On Wednesday Mike, Ute and I attended the official opening of the new Loampit Hill Medical centre (next to the colourful local landmark that is 62 Loampit Hill pictured).

Personally, I think the exterior of the medical centre is rather ugly, but inside it is very modern and spacious, without the steep, pokey staircases which are a feature of so many doctors’ surgeries that are converted houses rather than custom-built. Mayor Steve Bullock gave a speech about how good he was getting at pretending to cut ribbons/turn on Christmas lights while posing for photographers, then dutifully cut the ribbon.

A number of patients attending the opening expressed concern and surprise that there was not any parking for patients, in particular no disabled parking spaces. Seems a little strange, although I understand that residents of Somerset Gardens expressed concern at the planning stage about parking for the development. Ute is going to follow up on this with highways/planning and see if anything can be done.

CCTV in Ladywell?

A resident has lobbied me about getting CCTV installed in Ladywell on the corner of Algernon Rd with Ladywell Rd. I'm not strongly for or against CCTV, but I do know that it's expensive ie about £50,000 for the cost of getting a camera installed, linked into the Lewisham network etc, plus running costs.

There are almost 200 CCTV cameras in Lewisham now, mostly in the town centre and Catford. Arguably in all the areas around Ladywell, but not in Ladywell itself (maybe we were forgotten?). They were funded by 4 phases of home office funding, although maintenance and repairs are funded by the council on an ongoing basis. (The exception to this was £56,000 funding for a camera at the bottom of Clifton Rise (near the Venue Nightclub in New Cross). Police requested it and put up most of the money, with the remainder from the council budget.)

Apparently there is some research (but don't ask me to quote sources!) to show that CCTV doesn't work on its own, but can work in partnership with other measures and it tends to be reactive more than proactive. ie Most people don’t notice it is there and it's not a particularly effective deterrent eg for drunken fights, but if operators are aware of places/times/days when problems might occur they can monitor and send police as soon as a problem occurs. They can also look out for vulnerable (eg drunk) people and check they are ok. What CCTV is apparently most effective at is reducing people's fear of crime, rather than crime itself.

When I had my bike stolen from outside Ladywell Leisure Centre back in January there were 2 CCTV cameras - one on the street and one at the Leisure Centre, but one was broken/turned off and the picture on the other was too grainy to make anything out, so the CCTV in this case was absolutely useless. That said, there are of course lots of examples of cases when CCTV images have been crucial evidence to solve the crime.

According to the manager of Lewisham's CCTV system, there is no current funding for extra cameras, but they are trying to get funding for mobile CCTV cameras. At the moment I'm not convinced that if I had £50,000 to spend on crime reduction initiatives in Ladywell, or anywhere else in Lewisham for that matter, that CCTV would be top of my list. My inclination would be to spend it on youth provision, or maybe a couple more community support officers. What do you think?

Ladywell Youth Provision Working Party

The first meeting of the 'Ladywell Youth Provision Working Party' (to take forward issues raised about at the ward forum) will be held on Friday 2nd February 2007 2.30 - 4.30pm at the Professional Development Centre, Kilmorie Road, Forest Hill SE23 2SP. I'm not quite sure why it's in Forest Hill (I didn't arrange it), but I suspect it's because the potential meeting places in Ladywell are all being used at that time. I hope that doesn't deter anyone from going. Please let Bridget Akinbolaji know if you would like to attend.

Provisional agenda:
Welcome and introductions
Minutes from Ward Forum meeting
Background, Context and linked Strategies
Young People’s Consultation
Issues to be addressed – venues, funding etc
Further actions
Date of next meeting

Dreaming of a green Christmas?

Press release we issued today in response to a request from the Mercury. Interesting article in the Guardian today on a similar theme.

Everyone knows that turkeys can’t fly very far, so you might be surprised to learn that your Christmas dinner may have travelled a staggering 30,000 miles before it gets to your table.

From European fowl and African vegetables to Australian wine and American cranberry sauce, the ingredients of the traditional yuletide meal can notch up enough air miles to circumnavigate the globe.

But if that is worrying for the growing number of us who want to do what we can to help prevent climate change, local Green Party councillors have been spreading the message that you can still have a fantastic Christmas without it costing the Earth.

Councillor Ute Michel said: “There is no need to turn into Scrooge in order to help save the planet at Christmas time. By shopping at farmers' markets and local shops, watching our waste and reining in our spending we can enjoy a very Merry Christmas without sacrificing our Happy New Year."

The Greens have been brainstorming and have come up with ideas to make your celebrations more carbon-neutral:

Christmas dinner
Think local, think fair trade, think organic. With all the money being spent at this time of year, it is a great opportunity to support your local community by buying from small shops and market. Buying local produce also cuts down on those all-important ‘food miles’ – why buy Zimbabwean beans when great British produce is on our doorstep? You can find out about your local food suppliers on the Soil Association website.

Councillor Sue Luxton said: "By eating locally grown food we not only enjoy fresher, tastier food but we can spread Christmas cheer by supporting our local economies - and cutting out some of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the aviation industry."

Presents
With UK households already owing more than £1 trillion, festive spending risks pushing thousands deeper into a spiral of debt - a terrible worry hanging over many people at Christmas, spoiling what should be a joyful time. Giving Secret Santa presents means no one goes without, and adds some fun and mystery to Christmas morning. Or why not give home-made or edible gifts instead of spending unnecessarily? If you’re not the craft or baking kind, check out local flea markets and vintage clothing shops – you’ll be giving something beautiful and unique, and recycling without even realising it!

The Christmas tree
Save money and save resources – why not use a tree with roots? You could watch it continue to grow all year round.You can find out more about container-grown trees at www.christmastree.org.uk. Each year, 6 million trees end up in landfill sites. So if you do go for a regular tree, check out the council’s tree recycling service – there should be a drop-off place close to your home.

Cards and wrapping paper

Each year, 200,000 trees are cut down to supply the UK’s 1.7 billion Christmas cards, and enough wrapping paper is used to wrap the island of Guernsey. So don’t forget to recycle yours! Or, as your grandparents probably used to tell you, reusing is even less wasteful – why not help your children to show off their creative sides by turning those old cards into decorations for next year? Learn more here: Woodland Trust.

Christmas waste
When you go shopping, cut down on yet more waste by taking your own shopping bags with you – and avoiding presents with lots of unnecessary packaging. All those vegetables that go into the roast don’t need to come in plastic packaging – buy loose! And when your clueless auntie gives you that present you know you’ll never use, don’t throw it away – join your local Freecycle group and give it away to someone who will appreciate it. You never know what you yourself might get for free when you become a member – and it all helps to avoid adding to our bulging landfill sites.

Going abroad for Christmas?
Consider taking the train to destinations within Europe - it’s far less polluting than air travel, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. And if you know where to look – Seat 61 is a great place to start – it can be cheaper and quicker than you think. With no check-in, baggage reclaim, stale cabin air or cramped seating, avoiding the airport is really a Christmas present to yourself, and the amazing views from your train window are the best way to get know the continent on your doorstep.

Prostitution

The horrific murders in Ipswich have once more thrown the issue of prostitution, the law and the safety of sex workers into the spotlight. Sadly the murder of women sex workers is all too common, and sometimes it seems that it's only when a serial killer is on the loose that it attracts much attention.

I could be wrong, but I think the Green Party is unique amongst the main parties in having policies to decriminalise prostitution, with the primary aim of protecting the rights and safety of sex workers. Our policy can be viewed here (scroll down to where it says Prostitution and the Sex Industry). I attended a packed workshop on the subject at the Autumn Conference, where the vast majority of those present supported the policy as a whole, though some felt we didn't give enough attention to supporting women who wanted to move out of the industry, as well as protecting those who didn't. I'd be interested to hear people's views on the policy.

(and on a lighter note, it will also be interesting to see how many extra hits the blog gets just by having the words 'sex' and 'prostitution' in a posting !).

Addendum: Having posted this, I've just seen that Jim has beaten me to it with a much more detailed and coherent posting on the same subject over on his Daily (Maybe) blog.

Follow up to Ladywell Forum on Youth Provision

Apologies for the time it has taken me to post this report on our ward forum as promised.

Our first forum (Nov 9th) was reasonably well-attended with about 30 people. We had a number of people attend with a specific interest in youth provision - eg council officers from the extended schools and youth services teams, representatives from church youth clubs, one of the young mayor's advisors, a number of young people and parents from the area, PCSO Graham Andrews, who has been carrying out surveys on youth provision with local young people, a representative from 'Teach Sport' the organisation that ran the 'Summer Alive' sport activities that took place on Hilly Fields this summer. Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend, as well as those who couldn't attend but expressed an interest in being involved.

Below are notes from the meeting (not necessarily my views, but reflective of opinions expressed at the meeting by both young people and adults). Gill Wills, the Extended Services Manager, has agreed to set up a steering committee to take things forward and is hoping to organise another meeting/taster activity event early in the new year. If you would like to be involved with this steering group, please contact either me or Gill directly. I will also post up soon a summary of the feedback from the surveys that PCSO Graham Andrews carried out with young people in the ward.

What’s happening/What Facilities are available at the moment in and around Ladywell?
Plenty of open space/green space in ward.
Ladywell Leisure Centre (not being closed anymore!)
Ladywell Centre (Dressington Avenue) – but public access to facilities limited and it may be demolished.
Prendergast School (indoor cricket annex planned)
Gordonbrock Primary School (after-school club)
Ladywell after school club (where?)
St Mary’s Centre has a youth club on Fridays and Tai Kwon Do and they are keen to do more youth work.
Anything happening at St Cyprian’s Church Hall on Brockley Road?
London & Quadrant ran a football programme in Slagrove Place and the police fund-matched some football coach training with one of the housing associations.
Crofton Leisure Centre will re-open to the public in 2008 (when Crofton School’s rebuild is completed). Any chance of a gymnastics club there?
XLP Youth Work Charity with double decker activity bus (but not in Ladywell?).
Crofton Baptist Church has a weekly youth club on Wednesdays for 30 -35 young people. Nearing capacity and hoping to expand soon. JUMP.
Summer university (primary)
Skate Park in Ladywell Fields
Summer Alive (sports on Hilly Fields) was a success – can it be expanded to be all-year?
Youth club at St Andrews (they have plans to expand and make their basement a ‘youth space’ – but need lots of funding to do this!)
Brockley Baptist Church have an after school club 3 days a week for younger children.
Felix School of Rock (New Cross?)

Previously – Ladywell Gymnastics Club, but moved to Bellingham now. Also, Street Vibes – moved to site on TESCO car park. More used to happen at St Mary’s Centre. Ladywell Centre sports hall threatened with demolition.
Sure Start opening next year in Dressington Avenue, but may not have rooms for hire/community use.

What is good about existing facilities?
Football
Swimming
Street Vibes (music production)
Table tennis and Playstation, Pool, snooker, workshops, café, dance, drama and art (Crofton Baptist Church youth club)

What would you like to see in the area?
Organise trips (eg Quasar), Cinema, More performing arts, More youth clubs, More counselling, An adventure playground, Cheerleading, Computer consoles, Nightclub for under 18s, XLP double decker bus, Trampolines, Go karts, Theme park (!), Gymnastics, Nail salon (?!), Partnerships, Funding for all-weather sports facilities, Joined up provision and winter provision, More variety to include all, including kabbadi, badminton.
Need to bring together buildings, funding, facilities, expertise and staff.
Ladywell Safer Neighbourhood Team – keen to see space alongside Viney Road flats turned into some kind of football pitch for kids there to use.

Proposals to take forward
More consultation with children
A list of activities for children to choose from
Identifying buildings – visit existing buildings to see what is currently going on and what can be developed.
Set up a steering group
Audit of existing provision and facilities and anticipated future need.
Useful contacts, networking, partnerships
Fundraising.
Link in with Sure Start?
Some attendees expressed opposition to plans to demolish the Ladywell Centre Sports Hall and wanted to use the green area in Dressington Avenue for activities (Abbey Manor College wanted to put an all-weather basketball pitch there).
Build links with local schools
Can derelict changing rooms on Ladywell Fields (end of Malyons Rd be renovated for some kind of youth space?
Smthg at Old Bothy on Hilly Fields now it has been vacated by Envirowork (too noisy for residents on Shell Rd, and there may be plans for the site already?).

Possible sources of funding:
Youth Opportunities Fund and Youth Capital Fund
Jack Petchey Foundation (match funding youth initiatives)
Lottery money
Youth Services existing budget (!)
Housing associations
Locality Fund (only £10,000 and lots of interest already though!)