TfL listens to Streatham on St Leonard's Junction

Transport for London wants to hear your views on its latest proposals to improve safety for pedestrians and other road users at St Leonard's Junction.

Its is proposing to remove the pedestrian crossing located between St Leonard's churchyard and the north side of Gleneldon Road, which is not currently heavily used.

Instead a modern, count-down crossing with a 'green man' will be created on the southern arm of the junction - where there is very high demand from pedestrians, but currently no actual pedestrian crossing. 

A new bus lane is also proposed to ease the flow of buses approaching the junction from Tooting Bec Gardens.

Its consultation on these proposals can be viewed here and runs until 29 October.

New community garden gets the go-ahead

Residents meet Network Rail

Land next to the railway between Gleneldon Road and Wellfield Rd that has lain derelict for more than a decade is to be turned into a community garden, thanks to the determination of local residents.

A group of local people have got the go-ahead to lease the land from Network Rail and will form a trust to manage the land for the community.

Site that has been a long time vacant

They plan to transform what is currently a windswept eyesore that attracts fly-tipping into a beautiful oasis, growing organic fruit and vegatables, and encouraging participation from local schools, youth groups and the wider community.

Initially Network Rail had earmarked the land for commercial development, but negotations over the last two years have paid off. 

With two weeks to save our police base, campaign reaches ITV News

With only two weeks until the end of Mayor Sadiq Khan's consultation on plans to close Streatham's police base, Green councillor Scott Ainslie met Lambeth's borough commander Richard Wood and other senior police chiefs this week.

Metropolitan Police Force budgets face cuts of around £1billion since 2010 - and savings are being sought across the capital.

But the mayor's proposals to make cuts by closing almost all the police bases in Lambeth - leaving just Brixton open - are facing strong opposition, especially in Streatham, where the new police base opened less than three years ago at a cost of £500,000.

Campaigners meet police over threat to Streatham police base

Jonathan, left, campaigns Sian Berry and Cllr Scott Ainslie

By Jonathan Bartley

Along with local Green councillor Scott Ainslie and London Assembly member Sian Berry I met with police yesterday at Streatham Police base to discuss its proposed closure by the Mayor. 

Greens are opposed to the police base closure and removal of Streatham's police to Brixton. 

The Mayor of London is proposing to close police stations across London as a result of Government budget cuts. We think that closing Streatham police base is entirely counter productive and an inefficient use of resources. 

Have your say on threatened closure of Streatham's police base

Jonathan Bartley and Cllr Scott Ainslie: keeping police in Streatham

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is consulting on plans to close all Lambeth's police stations, except Brixton and Gipsy Hill. The police base in Streatham, opened only two years ago at the cost of £500,00 would be lost, under the mayor's plans.

See the plans and have your say here.

 Local dad and Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley has launched a petition to save Streatham's police base.

Sign the petition here.

'Make public fire risk reports’ says Cllr Ainslie

Confidence in council home safety will only be restored if all fire risk safety assessments are published, said Green Cllr Scott Ainslie in a motion to Lambeth Council in July.

Labour-led Lambeth has refused to publish fire risk reports online, following the Grenfell Fire tragedy.

In March, it was revealed that disciplinary action was underway against Lambeth housing officers accused of giving misleading information about fire and electrical safety risk assessments in Lambeth.

 
“More than 30,000 Lambeth council tenants need to know corners have not been cut with their safety” said Cllr Ainslie.

'Extensive financial mismanagement' at Lambeth council condemned

Lambeth's financial claims questioned by report

Green Party councillor Scott Ainslie has called for a fundamental change in the culture of Lambeth Council after a year-long investigation by Lambeth Peoples’ Audit revealed “extensive financial mismanagement and failings in financial governance potentially costing millions of pounds.”

The full report, which can be seen here, reveals details of mismanagement across the borough including:

• Lambeth selling Streatham council estate plot to developer for £335,000 below market value
• Over-paying building contractors for work on council estates
• Appearance of price-fixing in building contracts
• Doubling of costs of ‘Your New Town Hall’ development
• Behind-the-scenes deal over library closures
• Huge numbers of invoices and records missing
• ‘Industrial scale’ ignoring of rules on competitive tendering