Labour Councillors for Telegraph Hill Ward

After your ward councillors secured extra funding to make Avignon Road safer, work is due to start at the beginning of March. Cllr Bell said, "A consultation took place with residents which gave a 100% endorsement for the measures. We are now working with Abellio about the 343 bus."

Attached to this post are the outstanding issues Kender Triangle issues from the January Assembly. More updates will follow after we have met with TfL again and the council on 27th February.

Cllr Paul Bell, Cllr Joan Millbank and Dame Joan Ruddock MP attended the Honor CommUNITY Day on Saturday, 11 February, 2012. It was a great community event to recognise the work that so many do on the Honor Oak Estate for the people who live there. It was also a chance to celebrate community activism and making a positive change.

Cllr Joan Millbank said, "It was a wonderful experience to see the community coming together for the benefit of each other," while Cllr Bell said, "This is why I love being a councillor, especially for Telegraph Hill, as the people who live here deserve the best and are the best advocates for our community."

You can see more photos from the day by clicking HERE.

Following pressure from Telegraph Hill councillors, the Council has agreed to arrange for the domestic bins to be placed in the front garden areas (up the stairs) of flats following collection to make the street more tidy. Crews will collect the bins from this area on subsequent weeks so that bins are no longer stored on the pavement. Residents from other blocks along the road should contact us if they need additional bins either via calling our Envirocall number or by emailing one of their Councillors.

There is a litter bin by each bus stop and these are emptied frequently throughout the day between 6.30am - 6.30pm. This is done every day of the week on this road and Councillors have asked for this to be continued and monitored.

Unfortunately the Council Environmental Enforcement team do not have access to the CCTV cameras in the road which are owned by Transport for London - your Councillors have asked TfL if there is any possibility for them to work more closely with the Environment team. However, cameras are not the most productive way to help tackle litter dropped by individuals on foot and are mainly useful to trace a registration number when a vehicle dumps litter. The team can issue a fixed penalty notice (FPN) if a member of the public is witnessed dropping litter by an officer and Councillors have asked them to step up activity in New Cross Road. If residents want to request more clear recycling sacks at any time, they can contact the Council Envirocall number on 020 8314 7171 to order.

Tonight New Cross and Telegraph Hill came together at the New Cross People's Library Fundraiser. An auction of wonderful prizes were listed and bid on, using telephone to internet bids.

Cllr Paul Bell, who went to the event on behalf of all Telegraph Hill ward councillors said, "The community have spoken both in celebrating the success of the Bold Vision incubated project, but also in saying that they want their community library to stay."

Lewisham has stepped up it’s campaign against domestic violence and will be having a White Ribbon Week from 21 to 27 November.

Friday 25 November, is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – known as White Ribbon Day.

White Ribbon Day is part of an international campaign that aims to engage with men, to work to end men’s violence against women. The United Nations has designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and has invited governments, international organisations and non-governmental organisations to organise activities on that day to raise public awareness of the problem.

Throughout  White Ribbon Week, the Council and it’s partners will be hosting three events to raise awareness and public support for the campaign.

On Tuesday 22 November - there will be an information stand in the East Mall of Lewisham Shopping Centre, between 10am and 4pm. At the stall specialist domestic abuse services such as refuge officers and council staff will be giving out information about the campaign, as well as information on where people can seek confidential advice and help. Staff from the Waldron Health Centre will also be present to carry out free health checks to adult members of the public. The Body Shop is working in partnership on this campaign for the second year and staff from the store will be present at the stand during peak hours.

On Wednesday 23 November – there will be a football competition at the Downham Leisure Centre from 12pm to 4pm. Teams will be formed from staff of agencies such as Probation, Lewisham  Neighbourhood Community Safety Service, Lewisham Passenger Services, and Lewisham Social Services. The public are invited to come along and show their support for White Ribbon Week and find out more about it.  

On Friday 25 November – There will be a parade from  the north exit of the Lewisham Shopping Centre to Lewisham Town Hall. The march is scheduled from about 11am to 1pm.  Upon arriving at the town hall, civic suite,  there will be a White Ribbon presentation inside the Council Chambers with several key speakers including, Lewisham’s Cabinet member for Community Safety, Cllr Crada Onuegbu.

Councillor Crada Onuegbu, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “I applaud men who stand up and say “no” to violence against women. I would urge people to visit at least one of the events during White Ribbon Week, so they can find out more. Whether it is simply to show support for the campaign, or for information about where they or someone they know can get help.”

White Ribbon week is designed to draw attention to the campaign, with men of all ages encouraged to wear a white ribbon - wearing the ribbon is a pledge by the wearer never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women.

For more information on the white ribbon campaign or to make an online pledge, go to http://www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/.

Find out more about  where to seek help or advice in Lewisham  at: http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/publicsafety/domestic-violence/Pages/default.aspx

How common is domestic violence in the UK?  Here are some UK statistics:

·     45% of women have experienced some form of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

·     Around 21% of girls, experience some form of child sexual abuse2

·     At least 80,000 women suffer rape every year.

·     In a survey for Amnesty International, over 1 in 4 respondents  thought a women was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was wearing sexy or revealing clothing, and more than 1 in 5 held the same view if a woman had had many sexual partners.

·     On average, two women a week in England and Wales are killed by a violent partner or ex-partner. This constitutes nearly 40% of all female homicide victims.

·     70% of incidents of domestic violence result in injury, (compared with 50% of incidents of acquaintance violence, 48% of stranger violence and 29% of mugging).

·     Around 85% of forced marriage victims are women. 

·     Domestic violence is estimated to cost victims, services and the state a total of around £23 billion a year.

Lewisham Council have just opened this year's funding round for two grants the One Off Grant fund and the Faith in Lewisham grant fund. 

Deadline noon 29 November.  Up to £2,500 available for community projects or £6,000 for a project based on partnership work with two or more organisations.  The criteria, form and other details are on http://bit.ly/rRed86.  

Also the council's Youth Support Services are running the Positive Activities funding programme for providing developmental opportunities for young people aged 8-19 who are identified as being at risk of committing crime, anti-social behaviour, truancy and social-exclusion.  Application form and guidance at - worth a look quickly as they are running Workshops next Mon Wed and Sat.   The Council website also has some general advice about how to approach getting funding, and finding your way through the application process.  http://bit.ly/vGa96s 

And also I have been sent details of various websites for charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises which provides ‘access to thousands of funding and finance opportunities, plus a wealth of tools and resources supporting organisations to develop sustainable income strategies appropriate to their needs.’
 
http://www.fundingcentral.org.uk
http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/
http://www.capitalcf.org.uk/
http://www.j4b.co.uk/
http://www.grantnet.com/
http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/