Clare Wins Possible Labour U-Turn on ‘Pavement Tax’
When Lambeth Council invoked an ancient by-law to draft a set of extortionate charges for café owners and businesses to use their privately owned pavement for tables and chairs, Clare went into action. Many business owners were worried these new charges would literally put them out of a livelihood and force some shops to close. Among those in the vanguard of the protest was Tea West at the Rosendale Road shopping parade and Kava in West Norwood but the protest then spread borough wide.
Within days of Clare making a strong set of representations to the council the proposed charges were withdrawn and the Labour Cabinet Member announced a “review” of the proposals.
At the November Council meeting Clare presented a petition against the “Pavement Tax” signed by hundreds of local people including customers of the Rosendale Road shops. She says: “Hopefully Lambeth Council will see sense and leave well alone. The irony is that the administration claims to support small businesses – the reverse is often the case.”
Your Councillors Bring Lambeth to Book Over Libraries
The continued closure of the West Norwood Library and Nettlefold Hall is raising serious concerns about the long term plans Labour has in mind for library provision in our area.
Clare is working with friends and users of the Library to urge Lambeth Council to come clan on whether the library is ever going to re-open especially as Labour councillors have published a woolly document about the future of the library service overall. She says: “Sadly, the Library Commission report does not answer the main questions I and local people have namely when the library will re-open? Nothing in this report reassures us that we will have a fully functioning, adequate library service in West Norwood for a long time to come, if ever.
“Labour needs either to give a firm date by which the Nettlefold Library will re-open or admit that it has no intention of doing so.”
Anti-Social Behaviour Plagues Chestnut Road Area
Anti-social behaviour associated with users of the West Norwood Snooker Club in Waylett Place has blighted the lives of many residents of the Chestnut Road area. But headed up by your councillors a fight back is underway. People leaving the club in the early hours of the morning who attend private parties there shout, urinate, and disturb local people, and local police are often called to the scene.
Lawyers acting for the club blocked an initial demand for a review of the licence by Lambeth’s Licensing Committee on technical grounds to buy time for the licence holders but it has now been re-submitted. As we went to press a meeting was pending between John and the lawyers acting for the club but the formal review is expected to go ahead and all residents will be kept informed.
Protecting Our War Memorials
Clare and John have been at the forefront of action to prevent the further desecration of our war memorials and other heritage from scrap metal theft. John tabled an all party motion to Lambeth Council urging officers to take action after serious metal thefts from Lambeth and West Norwood Cemeteries. Clare is seeking a solution for better regulation of scrap metal dealers through the Environment Board of the Local Government Association.
