London Assembly rejects our 28 petition!

I've just heard that the Chair of the London Assembly - a Green party member, of all people - has refused to accept the petition sent in from over a hundred Wandsworth residents calling on the Mayor of London to halt his plans to axe the 28 bus route.

Remarkably, he did so because he didn't like the way the petition was phrased. We the people determine what our petitions say - not jobsworth politicians. The whole purpose of a petition is that it's asking the powers that be to do something they might not want to do! So the rejection of our petition isn't acceptable and cannot be allowed to stand.

The 28 bus service is an important local bus route. That's why I'm sending our 28 bus petition back to City Hall, this time direct to the Mayor of London himself.

28 Bus petition sent to Boris

In the picture above I'm handing in the 100 28 Bus petitions I've collected from the small corner of my constituency alone to the London Assembly. Labour London Assembly member Val Shawcross, who chairs the assembly's transport committee will submit the petition officially at the next assembly session so that Boris Johnson has to respond.

Given that only a tiny section of Putney would be directly affected by the loss of the 28, the response has been great. The thing that's become clear to me is just how important this bus is to the area: there are so many people, a lot of them elderly, who rely on this service to get them into Fulham, Notting Hill and Kensal Green.

I'll let you know what the Mayor of London, who according to today's Evening Standard thinks he has a "divine right" to be Prime Minister, says. With such lofty ambitions it must be tiresome for him to have to respond to ordinary people about bread-and-butter issues for them like their local bus service. But respond he'll now be obliged to.

The state of Edwyn House

This is a video one of my volunteers took a few days ago whilst delivering letters about my campaign to save the 28 bus. Edwyn House is the middle of the three Arndale estate blocks in Neville Gill Close. I've written regularly about my concerns about the condition the Conservative council keeps the Arndale, and this is just the latest example.

Litter-strewn stairwells, heaven-knows-what stuck to the ceiling, nazi graffiti, roof panels torn out and general neglect are all shown in the above film - and all things I report over and over and over again to the Conservative council - but who never act to sort out the problem long term.

As I've said before: the Conservative MP and Conservative councillors for the Arndale wouldn't dream of putting up with such disgusting conditions where they live - so why should residents of the Arndale have to?

It's one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else in Putney. And here's the difference a Labour vote makes: live-in caretakers for the Arndale who'll have a stake in keeping the area clean because they'll live there too.

Labour councillors who'll make regular inspections of the blocks - not just the Neville Gill Close blocks but Wentworth Court, Eliot Court and Sudbury House - so that they really are up to the standard residents should expect.

Far tougher action on those caught littering, defacing the buildings or vandalising the blocks - those responsible for this damage (or their parents) should get one warning, have the damage added to their rent, and if the problem persists face eviction.

And far more regular deep cleans of the blocks - simply because they house so many families that the amount of wear and tear each will experience is greater than other housing estates in the borough.

That's what electing me your local MP, and Matt Hay, Alex Lisinge and Tom Marsom as your local Labour councillors, will achieve.

Save the 28 bus

I reported in November about the threat to the 28 bus route from London Tory Mayor Boris Johnson. Not content with increasing public transport fares by the largest ever amount, the Conservatives are also slashing investment in London Transport and one of the casualties looks like it could be the 28 bus.

Not if I've got anything to do with it.

The 28 serves central Wandsworth, including Mantle Court OAP sheltered housing, the huge Arndale estate above Southside shopping centre and the new Argento Tower and Palladio Court housing in Mapleton Road. It's crazy to cut this service, which runs from Wandsworth through Fulham and on to High Street Ken and Portobello Road.

That's why today I launched my campaign to save the 28 - and I'd really appreciate you signing up, which you can do below, or by visiting www.stuartking.net/savethe28

I support Labour?s Stuart King in opposing the plans by Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson to end the 28 bus service. The 28 connects a growing part of Wandsworth with central London and should be kept, not cut.

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At the 2010 General Election, which party do you intend to vote for?

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At the last General Election in 2005, who did you vote for

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If you'd like to get involved with Stuart's election campaign tick this box

"The biggest fare increase in Transport for London history"

It's deja vu. A year ago almost to this day I flagged up the inflation-busting fare increases Conservative London Mayor Boris Johnson imposed on commuters.

Well, this year, the Tories are doing the same thing, except on an even bigger scale:

• A single bus journey by Oyster: 18 months ago 90p; now £1.20
• A weekly oyster bus pass UP 20% to £16.60
• Six-zone peak single Tube fare by Oyster UP 10.5% to £4.20
• A five-zone off-peak single Tube fare (outside zone 1) UP 18.2% to £1.30
• Most Oyster pay-as-you-go Tube fares UP by 20p per trip
• Overall tube fares will rise 3.9% and overall bus fares up by 12.7%

The Financial Times calls it "The biggest fare increase in Transport for London history". In just 18 months since they took over from Labour in City Hall the Conservatives have increased fares by one third. And they've done so by making sure those on the lowest incomes pay most.

Why is this happening? It's nothing to do with the recession: passenger numbers continue to rise. It's because the Tories have completely lost control of Transport for London budgets - which is why they're slashing services and massively increasing fares. Anyone want to claim the Tories are the party of good financial management?

And the difference with Labour is stark.

• With Labour, fares were frozen in real terms for four years.
• We simplified fares - introducing the 70p and £1 flat-rate fares.
• We reintroduced free bus journeys for children, and extended it to teenagers.
• We were able to scrap planned fare increases because revenue from the extra people using London Transport meant there was more in the budget than we anticipated.
• And whereas Labour increased fares only to invest in renewing transport infrastructure, the Tories have cut investment while raising fares.

We've got absolutely nothing from the Conservatives except a bigger hole in our wallets and worse services.

The Tories are also planning on ending the 28 bus service, serving the Southside shopping centre, Mantle Court OAP sheltered housing, the huge Arndale estate and the new housing at Argento Tower and Palladio Court. And we know London's Conservative councils want to wriggle free from their responsibility to fund the Freedom Pass that gives pensioners free London transport.

This is callamitous Conservative mismanagement of Transport for London, and it forewarns us what life will be like under a George Osborne-run Treasury if the Tories were to win this year's general election.

The Conservatives have - literally - shown they're unfit to run a bus service; they're certainly unfit for government.

Out and about in Southfields

There are plenty of opportunities to gain spectacular views of Putney, Wandsworth and much of the rest of London from around the consituency, but among the best are those the residents of the Wimbledon Park estate off Albert Drive enjoy. Here's an example of what I mean: it covers pretty much all of Southfields council ward - which runs from the edge of Wimbledon Park right the way up to the Arndale estate in central Wandsworth. You can click on it for a larger version.

The three Arndale estate tower blocks in Neville Gill Close - and to their right the new Argento Tower - are in the far left of the picture. The red block in the foreground of the picture is Wimbledon Park Court - behind it is Wimbledon Park Road and just to its left, though not visible, is Southfields tube.

Immediately behind Wimbledon Park Court is the Southfields "grid" the streets in between Replingham Road in the north and Revelstoke Road in the south. You may be able to see St Barnabas's Church on the corner of Lavenham Road and Merton Road with it's short green spire in the middle and about two thirds of the way to the right.

A nicer Neville Gill?

Plans to improve Neville Gill Close - the road that runs between King George's Park and the Southside Shopping Centre - are being put forward by the council.

Hundreds of residents live in Neville Gill Close - in Albon, Knowles and Edwyn Houses: three tower blocks that are part of the Arndale estate. Although they live opposite a park, Neville Gill Close itself is a very poor quality environment: a run-down, neglected, potholed road with the shopping centre car park at the end.

In the past couple of years the building of Argento Tower and Palladio Court at the end of Neville Gill Close in Mapleton Road along with the regeneration of the shopping centre and the building of some hidden homes here, have further put strain on this environment.

So this work is long overdue. You can read all about it here.

Wentworth Court arson attack

Twelve flats in Wentworth Court on Garratt Lane, part of the Arndale estate in Wandsworth town, were badly damaged by fire in the early hours of Saturday.

Fortunately, no one was killed in the attack, which fire investigators have now said was deliberate.

Anyone with information should call Wandsworth CID in confidence on 020 8247 8734.

I will be writing to the Council Housing Department for information about the state of the twelve flats that have been affected and to make sure that there was no structural damage done to the block - one of the largest in the constituency - by the fire.

Wentworth Court is the nearer half of the long, lower-rise yellow and grey blocks in the picture above.

PJ front page in Guardian

Further to my report yesterday on backing British Serviceman and Wandsworth resident PJ Williams get action from the Home Office so that he continue serving our country in the army, the Wandsworth Guardian have made this story their front page this week.

I'm delighted that this story - little short of a scandal, in fact - is getting the attention it deserves. If we continue the pressure on the Home Office, I'm confident that we'll get the breakthrough needed, and PJ will get the resolution to his two year nationality dispute he deserves.

Click here to read a full-size version of the front page.

How not to treat our servicemen

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my campaign session in the Arndale.

Following our work there a resident od Sudbury House, Mr Williams, got in touch to seek help with a problem he's having with the Border & Immigration Agency (BIA).

MrWilliams is a Jamaican national who serves in the British Army. He married an EU citizen and has a teenage daughter who was born in this country. He has always worked and saw active duty in Kosovo. He is entitled to permanent leave to remain in our country, which he has made his home.

Yet the BIA has so far failed to deal with his application ? despite having over two years to do so. On its own, this is a shoddy state of affairs and one wonders why exactly such a relatively straight forward matter should take so long.

However, it is compounded by the fact that in making his application Mr Williams was required to surrender his passport to the BIA. Consequently, he has been unable to travel abroad for either personal reasons or professional business. That means that he has been unable to join his unit in either Afghanisatan or Iraq, where his services as a mechanic would be of obvious use and benefit to service personnel serving in those theatres of war. Imagine for one minute how you would feel if your passport had been confiscated by the government for two years - unable to travel abroad on work or holiday.

I have written to both the Border & Immigration Agency and Liam Byrne MP, the Immigration Minister, to argue Mr Williams? case. I want his application determined as a matter of priority.

Mr Williams has served this country in Kosovo and is willing to serve it again in Afghanistan, Iraq and wherever else he may be needed. He has shown a degree of commitment to our country that deserves our gratitude, an entitlement to stay as long as he chooses, and his passport back.

The Wandsworth Guardian has now taken up this story after I got in touch with them.

More from the Arndale

This is the Arndale estate - or at least most of it: the photo was taken from Sudbury House, the big block right on Wandsworth High Street. The three tower blocks are Knowles House, Edwyn House and Albon House on Neville Gill Close, and below them the long block that comprises Eliot and Wentworth Courts.

And here are some more photos we took on Saturday of the neglect of the estate by the Council. One of the things people kept mentioning was that they never get the chance to raise these problems with their councillors (all Conservative), or MP (also Conservative). The Arndale estate lies in Southfields ward, but evidently for their elected representatives, Southfields comprises just the leafy streets around the station - they don't appear to venture north of Granville Road.



When Putney had a Labour MP, Tony Colman, residents of the Arndale and the other northern parts of Southfields could pop in and see him regularly because he held an advice surgery at the Penfold Centre, right at the foot of Albon House. When I'm MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, I'll hold advice sessions in this area too so that local residents are properly represented.

Out and about on the Arndale Estate

For far too many residents of council estates in Putney, this picture typifies the state of the housing the Tory Council believes they deserve to live in.

This is the entrance to Knowles House (or, as the Council's vandalised lettering would have it: "Koles Hous"), one of the three high-rise blocks overlooking King George's Park above the Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth Town.

What a disgraceful image to present to the world of our borough, and how unfortunate that the residents have to put up with such lack of respect for their homes.

My campaign team and I spoke to over 200 residents of Knowles House, its sister blocks Albon and Edwyn Houses, Sudbury Court - the really big blue and white block on the corner of Wandsworth High Street and Garratt Lane, and Eliot and Wentworth Courts: the long blocks in the middle of the Arndale development.

We came across problems that are sadly typical of those we pick up all around the constituency: damp problems, refuse collection problems, graffiti, dangerous dogs, lack of thorough cleaning, anti-social behaviour and - in this case the Housing Department is excelling itself - a flat that floods every time it rains.

Unfortunately, the Council seems much more interested in piling up new high-rise blocks in next door Hardwick's Way and further down Neville Gill Close rather than taking decent care of the ones it already has responsibility for. We're going to be keeping Council housing officers rather busy over the coming weeks, following up on the concerns residents asked for our help with.

Monitoring progress

Whenever I make progress on an issue I've covered on this site I add an update to the story. However, because posts are sorted chronoligically it's sometimes easy to lose track of where we've got to and how far we've come.

So over the next few weeks, as well as maintaining the daily news updates, I'll also be compiling issue threads, which you'll be able to access from the sidebar - so far I've added:

• The Newlands Hall campaign
• Dangerous dogs and
• Save Southside's local shops

I'll also eventually file stories by council ward, so you can read all about my work in your patch more easily. By building up these issue threads, I hope to demonstrate my track record of work on local problems.

Save Southside's local shops (part 3)

I'm pleased that the Wandsworth Guardian has today put the issue of local shops being driven from the Southside shopping centre on its front page, because the shape of our town centres is an issue close to my heart.

There is plenty wrong with Southside - if it wasn't there today no-one would, I suspect, suggest building something similar - it is very much a creation of the 1960s and 70s - but driving out the shops that make it different from any other shopping centre isn't going to fix what's wrong.

Millions have been invested into Southside in recent years - absolutely rightly - but it seems that the "bigger must be better" mentality that built the Arndale Centre in the first place still persists among managers and planners. They're wrong. The future of town centres, if we want them to retain any distinctiveness and what I call "soul" is through encouraging local businesses, not just pandering to the big brand names. We need a mix. Southside and the Council just don't seem to get this self-evident truth.

Here's the Guardian frontpage story in a larger version

Save Southside's local shops (part 2)

The Wandsworth Guardian has picked up on the campaign to save the local family shops that are being booted out of Wandsworth's Southside (Arndale) Shopping Centre in the New Year because for some reason they don't fit the management's idea of proper local shops.

I'm not happy about this: while no doubt the shopping centre can make a lot more money cramming in the big brandname stores, the damage this trend does to local businesses and community links is significant.

Apparently, the council - the major influence within the Southside management - is claiming it can help the evicted businesses "find new premises". I'd like to know where, locally? Southside has already been largely responsible for eradicating small shops in Wandsworth High Street, and you need to trek quite a long way down Garratt Lane before you get to the Earlsfield local shopping area. While there are plenty of available premises in places like Roehampton High Street - where they'd be very welcome, this is hardly keeping shops local to Wandsworth town.

If you agree with me, please sign my online petition to save Southside's local shops.

And here's the Wandsworth Guardian story.

The scrooge spirit spreads to Southside

I'm just getting news that shops in the Southside shopping centre in Wandsworth - including the RSPCA charity shop - have been served eviction notices by the centre's management and have to be out early in the new year.

Notices have been served on several of the small and family-run businesses in the shopping centre - some of which have been in the Arndale Centre for a generation - with no possibility of renewal or moving to different units.
As my mum worked for over thirty years in the Arndale and as I too had Summer jobs there when I was growing up, I want to see Southside improved and the variety of shops increased: but I don't believe that this needs to happen at the expense of outlets like the RSPCA charity shop. Having allowed Putney High Street to become one of the blandest "clone" shopping centres in the country* I hope the Tory Council won't let the same happen with Southside.

We should be encouraging local stores with roots in the community, and I'm fully behind the storeholders' campaign to stay put. They've already collected over 300 signatures in support in the short time since they were served notice - I urge everyone to join in this fight.

* A 2005 national shoppers survey rated Putney High Street as one of the five worst "clone" shopping centres - meaning areas with few independent retailers and with too many shops selling almost identical itemss - in the whole country.