Crofton Park assembly
Saturday 15 January, 11.30am – 1.30pm
Meeting notes
Cllr Morrison welcomed everybody to the meeting.
1. ‘Our Lewisham our say’ consultation feedback, presentation by Head of Service Liz Dart please refer to the presentation hand out attached.
Questions and Answers
Q. When do you use consultants?
A. Only when we do not have the expertise in-house such as a surveyor on a project.
Q. Who are the suppliers and what do they supply?
A. Such as mobile phone suppliers, Glendales who maintain our parks, IT contracts, sheltered housing contractors.
Q. They should review Senior Management structures and earnings can you tell me how much they earn?
A. It is available on the Lewisham Website
Q. Is their a commitment to protect front line services?
A. Yes there is a commitment, but the savings can not be achieved just from back office staff.
Q. What is the Council doing to appose cuts rather than implementing them?
A. As Officers we are legally obliged to balance the budget, it we do not, then the Government will send someone external in and set the budget.
Q. What are Councillors doing, such as with the Libraries?
A. Cllr Morrison informed the assembly that she had been a very active lead in saving the libraries and Liz Dart replied that a number Councillors had been active in the Save the Libraries campaign.
2. Crofton Park Library update
Cllr Morrison updated the assembly that 2,000 signatures had been signed in Crofton Park to save the library and 5,000 across the borough, since then things had moved on and there had been a local community meeting to consider future options to keep the library running through community use and partnership working. Who ever is the winner of a successful bid will come to discuss plans with the community.
Darren Taylor from Eco-Computer Systems was introduced to the assembly as somebody who has expressed an interest in running the library, with the view to keep a librarian there. Eco-Computer Systems is a not for profit organisation that re-conditions second hand computers and uses the surplus money for other community projects. They already have a community library and recycling project in Deptford with eighty volunteers. They provide IT classes for Senior Citizens and maths and English classes for children. The organisation is self-financing through sponsorship.
Darren’s company are proposing to work with Lewisham Library Service to keep the library within Lewisham but are looking to set up a charity.
Questions and Answers
Q. Where is Pepy’s community library?
A. Its on the river front ion Deptford
Q. The issue I have is that the employees are employees of Lewisham Council but you are not Lewisham Council so how would that work?
A. Eco-Computer Systems have not won the contract so we are can’t really discuss this yet.
2. Census 2011, Mike Foley
Mike Foley explained that whilst the Census is compulsory to everyone he wanted to focus on the benefits to Lewisham by completing the Census. The amount of money allocated to Lewisham from the government is based on the number of people accounted for recorded from the Census. For the last ten years Lewisham lost 21% of the budget it should have received because some people in Lewisham had not completed the Census. It is very easy to complete you can either complete it online, there is a telephone translation service also available.
Questions and Answers
Q. What happens if you are not in the country?
A. The forms are available from 7 March and are to be completed by 27 March, so you can complete it in advance, or it can be completed online which is quicker.
Q. What happens if you are illiterate?
A. The Census has a workforce who can support people in completing their forms and sixty translation specialists.
Q. Is it compulsory? Has anyone been fined for not completing it?
A. Yes, this is why we are raising awareness.
Localities Fund 2010 / 2011, projects funded, Cllr Morrison
The following local projects were allocated Localities funding:
· Blythe Hill Fields festival , £800
· Crofton Park Transport User Group, £500
· Elder Person’s Support Project at The Ackroryd Centre, £2,269
· The Brockley Max festival, £500
· JUMP, YLP job club for young people aged 18-25 years, £1,000
· Walk in Space youth project, £1,680
· The Pen community sports facility, youth sports coaching, £1,200
· Flowers around the ward, hanging baskets and planters £3,000 for flower baskets and planters around the ward
12.05pm Prendergast- Ladywell Fields College Citizens project
The young people for the school promoted their Citizenship campaign.
Inviting people to join the coordinating group 2011, Liz James Crofton Park coordinating group
Attendees at the assembly were invited to sign up to be part of the smaller coordinating group who help shape assembly meetings and drive assembly business forward.
Crofton Park ward priorities assembly 2011- 2012 action planning session, table exercise.
Attendees took part in an priority action planning table exercise to began to develop solutions and actions to take forward this year in response to some of the local issues raised by people around the ward priorities of: youth provision, streetscape, roads and pavement maintenance and community cohesion.
There were community updates from Safer Neighbourhoods and the Elder Person’s support project.
Non declarations of interest were raised at the meeting.