Norwood Expo	24 July	11am-4pm	Norwood Park
Open commission meeting	29 July	6pm-8.30pm	Lambeth Town Hall
Vauxhall Expo	11 September	11am-6pm	Spring Gardens
Stockwell Expo	25 September	11am-6.30pm	Larkhall Park
Herne Hill Expo	2/3 October	11am-6pm	Herne Hill station
Clapham Park Expo	16/23 October	11.00am – 2.00pm	Clapham Park (venues to be confirmed)

For more details of what happens at these meetings, have a look at Lambeth’s website.

The meeting will kick off at 6pm on Wednesday, 14th July. If you have a view on anything to do with local healthcare services it might be worth popping along to get your opinions across. Alternatively let us know what you think by posting a comment on this blog so your councillors can take your views to the meeting. For more information see here.

The meeting was well attended by many tenants and residents and all three Clapham Town councillors were pleased to join them.

The committee members talked about their previous year of successes which included running a youth club for young people on the estate, a halloween party, a trip to Margate, a Christmas Grotto and the opening of a new play area for the estate.

There was a great sense of community and pride in what they had achieved, with numerous words of thanks and praise for the chair Elaine Mander and the commitment she gives to the estate.

Additionally the issue of aggressive begging was discussed, with Sgt Nicola Duffy from the Clapham Town Safer Neighbourhood team assuring us that action is being taken to deal with the problem and that they are working with teams in Ferndale Ward and Clapham Common who all share responsibility for parts of the high street. If you have experienced agressive begging yourself you should contact Clapham Town Safer Neighbourhood team to give details as this will help the case against the worse offenders.

We promptly moved on to the Clapham Community Project AGM at St Anne’s Hall in Venn Street.  The project has provided advice for people who live in Lambeth for over twenty years. They are funded by the council as part of the Lambeth Advice Network and are a member of Advice UK. The valuable advice they provide is free of charge, confidential and independent.

They provide advice on consumer, employment and debt matters giving general information and advice to enable clients to take action themselves or by signposting them to the appropriate agencies. They also provide advice on welfare benefits and housing law.

The project last year dealt with over 3,300 enquiries and provides invaluable support to people who otherwise would not know where to turn. The building is also used by a variety of community organisations and I was very interested in a letter of thanks which had been received from Kevin Spacey, artistic director from the Old Vic Theater, thanking them for their support for a education and community project which used their hall for rehersalls.

I attended the Charles Barry Close residents meeting tonight. Key issues on the agenda was the completion of new fencing that had finally been installed after years of broken promises. Some of the old fencing is still in place and I had previously been on a walkabout on the estate with council officers to highlight the issue. I have written to the council asking for an update.

They are looking to organise a party to celebrate the new fencing later in the Summer which would be brilliant.

Other issues included discussing the replacement of guttering which had started since I organised a petition regarding the fact that much of it was broken with water streaming down the walls of homes.

People reported that the men doing the water works on the estate were extremely good, always polite and doing a really good job.

On the way to the meeting I spotted fresh graffiti on the walls of Spectrum House in Bromells Road. I have reported these to Grimebuster so should be removed by early next week. If you spot graffiti in Lambeth please help ensure it is removed quickly by calling 0207 926 9000 or email graffiti@lambeth.gov.uk.

I was joined by Councillor Haselden tonight at a meeting of the Willard Estate residents association. One of the key topics discussed were plans by police in Wandsworth to introduce an Anti Social Behaviour Order which would ban large groups gathering. This follows problems caused by youths in nearby Queenstown Road and an estate on the Wandsworth side of the road. Residents were clearly concerned that the problems would be simply moved to Willard Estate.

Safer neighbourhood teams are on the case though, and are looking to introduce a similar ban. They are also looking at options such as out-reach workers to try and point the youths towards more positive activities.

I heard of how local businesses were being terrorised by the youths, with a local stores security guard recently assulted. Residents spoke of the noise that they caused and whilst we were at the meeting we heard the noise for ourselves which was extremely loud and must be very frightening for both the elderly residents living in the sheltered housing and other people who have to pass them when they are coming home.

Following the meeting Coucillor Haselden and I spent some time on the estate and in the local area witnesing some of the issues first hand for ourselves. Cllr Haselden took note of this broken window which is evidence of some of the vandalism that is taking place in the area.

I took note of a problem with a local business leaving rubbish in a narrow alley which runs between the Willard Estate and Queenstown Road.  Rats have been reported in the area and it adds to the feeling of the area being run down and uncared for. Together Councillor Haselden and I will be looking into how these issues can be addressed.

We met at the town centre office in Bromells Road to consider ongoing traffic issues affecting those living in North Street. Much has been achieved in last year thanks to the hard work and determination of local residents and Hayden Tuck from Lambeth councils transport department, who has listened to the concerns of local people and worked to deliver solutions. This included a speed sign alerting speeding traffic and a re-positioning of parking spaces to reduce traffic speed making the street a little safer.

There is still a lot of work to do here, whilst many just see North Street as a through road for those living there the constant roar of heavy vehicles (which often sounds as if they are going to land in your living room). There is now an enforceable weight limit on the street and regular visits by the CCTV camera are ensuring that these vehicles are discouraged from using the road illegally.

The main issue discussed tonight was traffic congestion close to the junction with Wandsworth Road. As the video below shows at the weekend the back up of traffic is quite simply a nightmare for local residents kept awake by traffic noise. Whilst some residents want extra yellow lines installed others are concerned that the resultant displacement of parked cars will cause problems in the side streets from North Street. It was agreed to look at a partial area of yellow lines which will need to be consulted locally. Unfortunately with statutory requirements to be adhered to there is no quick fix however this is a step in the right direction.

Nicola Duffy from the local safer neighborhood team joined us to hear about issues of noise caused by visitors to local drinking houses each weekend. It was really useful to have her there so that she could hear first hand about that issue along with the other problems affecting people in the area.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2RFl1PRRok]