Westmead Business Centre, 123 Westmead Road, Sutton

Alan, Jill and Hamish have asked the council if they know when the expected demolition works will start at the former Westmead Business Centre, 123 Westmead Road, prior to the permitted redevelopment works begin at the western end of the Poets’ Estate.

We have asked what time limits there are on any permitted demolition works which we anticipate will be during normal hours of operation on weekdays and on Saturday mornings only.

We will let residents know of any news on this matter via this web site and/or FOCUS newsletter.

Cllr. Jill Whitehead at the entrance to 123 Westmead Road

Cllr. Jill Whitehead at the entrance to 123 Westmead Road

Wall at junction of Milton Avenue and Westmead Road

The formerly potentially dangerous loose render on the wall at the junction of Milton Avenue and Westmead Road on the Poets’ Estate has recently been removed, at long last.

Jill, Alan and Hamish took up many local residents’ concerns about the loose and cracked areas of render that had been evident since the spring of 2013 and enforcement action by the council at last seems to have had an effect on getting the owners to remove the loose render.  For some months pedestrians had to walk around the barriers around the said wall.

The formerly infamous rendered wall now minus the render!

The formerly infamous rendered wall now minus the render complete with newly-planted street tree!

Inspection of Street Trees

The Council’s programme of street tree planting is continuing as we have previously reported on this web site.

Jill and Hamish undertook a tour of inspection today 11th January 2014 in the sunshine and here is one such example of a newly-planted specimen in the Poets’ Estate.002

Safer Sutton Trader Scheme

The Safer Sutton Trader Scheme has been running since 2007 following a re-launch of the Building Confidence Scheme and provides Sutton residents with a list of traders that have been vetted by Sutton Trading Standards to ensure that they are suitable to work in the homes of elderly and vulnerable people. The scheme is designed to give confidence to Sutton residents looking for a bone fide trader and its primary purpose is to help in the fight against doorstep crime. There are currently 62 traders on the list.

The scheme is jointly promoted by Sutton Trading Standards and the police in training seminars, talks to residents groups and colleagues and is mentioned in all relevant press releases. It is recognised and distributed by the Sutton CAB, Age UK, Social Services and Sutton Library.

A vinyl sticker is provided as part of the scheme for members to display on vehicles and premises to demonstrate a commitment to the scheme as well as promoting and raising the profile of the scheme.

Sutton Council

Sutton Council

The Safer Sutton Trader scheme is advertised on the council website and at events such as the St Helier Festival and various business events.

The list is also available as a paper version at the Civic Offices or by contacting the council where the latest edition can be posted out. It is also available as a searchable website attached to the main council website at www.sutton.gov.uk/SSTS. The website also contains information about partner organisations and an Awareness pack for general legal advice along with the full paper edition of the scheme. When available, the scheme is also promoted in Council Directories and distributed throughout the borough. We are always keen to promote the Scheme as widely as possible to attract new members and to encourage new services into the scheme. However we do have limited resources to devote to the Scheme.

Members of the Scheme have to renew every year and provide up to date documents, CRB checks, details and entries, thus maintaining the standard and commitment to the ethos of the scheme. An annual fee is also payable.

The Safer Sutton Trader Scheme website and booklet has the option for residents to log a complaint or comment about a trader. Any feedback is always followed up with the aim of resolving any concerns. Should the matter prove to be serious then the scheme has policies in place for the removal of membership. To date the Council have received a handful of complaints, all of which have been satisfactorily resolved.

Flooding in Westmead Road and Carshalton Grove, Sutton – Thames Water Reports back…‏

A update message was received by Jill, Alan and Hamish from Thames Water today following the widespread flooding concerns in recent weeks…. as reported on this web site

Dear all

I just wanted to provide you with a quick update on the works in this area. The recent work undertaken before Christmas was to remove a blockage in the sewer which was successfully completed. The work to remove the tree roots is still to take place and I have chased this up with our contractors. I will let you know when I have some further information on when this will be.

Kind regards

Clare Collard

Local & Regional Government Liaison Manager Thames Water Utilities Ltd, Clearwater Court, Floor 2 East, Vastern Road, Reading, RG1 8DB E: clare.collard@thameswater.co.uk M: 07747644164

Council Grant

Council Leader Ruth Dombey has described Government claims of a 3% cut in ‘spending power’ to local authorities as ‘disingenuous’ with almost a fifth of Sutton Council’s allocation being removed.

Sutton Council received £79.6m from Central Government in 2013/14. Under plans announced yesterday, the Government will only grant the council £74.1m in 2014/15 and £66.1m in 2015/16. Together, that equates to a cut of £13.5m or 17% over two years.

Central Government has claimed that it is only making a 3% cut to ‘average spending power’ in 2014/15, but did not make any reference to a further cut in 2015/16.

Sutton Council believes the 3% claim is also misleading as it looks at average spending power which combines the council settlement, known as the Settlement Funding Assessment, and money generated by local authorities through council tax – an approach which masks the true 17% cut to the settlement itself.

To make matters worse, the Government has decided that local authorities in London will have to give 35% of their New Homes Bonus Grant to the Mayor of London from next year. The grant, which provides councils with funding based on how many new homes are built in their borough, was due to give Sutton Council £2.5m in 2014/15 and £3.2m in 2015/16.

Cllr Simon Wales, Lead Member for Finance on Sutton Council, said:

“Yet again the Government has failed to recognise the reality of delivering public services. It is simply disingenuous so say that it is only a 3% reduction in funding when the reality is that it is 17%.

“Local councils have shown that they can make more efficient use of public money when centrally held budgets are handed over to us. However, what we are seeing at the moment is even more power and funding being taken away.

“We have already made £32m of savings without frontline services being affected. There is no doubt that these further cuts will impact on the quality of life of our residents.

“We can only do so much with the money we have and, together with our residents, we are going to have to make some difficult decisions about the services they receive.”

Be part of the team that keeps Sutton clean!

You’ve told us that keeping the borough clean and tidy is a top priority for residents.

Cllr. Alan Salter says: “The ‘be part of the team that keeps Sutton clean’ campaign continues to urge people to take responsibility and help keep Sutton clean.”

It costs the council tax payers of Sutton £4m per year to clean litter off the streets and open spaces of the borough.

Clean streets help residents feel happy with their environment and neighbours, and to feel safer. But one nuisance can lead to another, with areas prone to graffiti also suffering from litter and fly-tipping.

A dedicated band of cleaners and inspectors are out every day cleaning up or catching those responsible in the act.

And now we are calling on you to join us and be part of the team that keeps Sutton clean by making sure you bin your litter, clear up after your dog or report graffiti or fly-tipping. We want everyone to take pride in their borough and take part in making it such a great place to live, work and go to school.

Sutton is great place to live and work

Bin it

Cllr. Hamish Pollock says: “In England, we spend £1 billion of taxpayers’ money on picking up the litter that 62 per cent of people drop on our streets, in our parks and on our beaches.”

The litter type that has blighted our country more than any other over the past decade is cigarette litter and that trend continues this year. Almost everywhere in England is now affected by discarded cigarette butts. Research shows that cigarette related litter is found in 82 per cent of litter collected from our streets.

The litter type that has seen the largest increase over the past 12 months is fast food, rising by 6 per cent from 2010/11 to 2011/12. There really is no excuse for dropping cigarette butts, chewing gum, crisp packets or fast food wrappers. If caught in the act you could be hit with an £80 ‘on the spot’ fixed penalty by one of our team of Enforcement Officers.

The message is simple: bin it or recycle it- that way we won’t have to use council tax money to do it.

Scoop it

Failing to clear up after your dog is disgusting and thankfully only the minority of pet owners do it. There’s no excuse, it poses a real health risk, particularly to young people playing in our parks, and there are conveniently placed dog mess bins.

If you are caught in the act, you could be hit with a £50 fixed penalty, or if the case goes to court, a fine of up to £1,000.

Report it

Cllr. Jill Whitehead says; “Fly-tippers are criminals. They charge to remove waste and then dump it in parks and alleys. Be part of the team that keeps Sutton clean by reporting any incidents you see.”

If you are using someone to remove waste it is your responsibility to make sure they are legitimate and taking your waste to a properly licensed site, call the Environment Agency on 03708 506 506 to check.

Graffiti is another issue where we need your help. Report it as soon as it appears so we can remove it. It’s hugely costly to remove; by reporting it you can help us catch the vandals in the act.

Report graffiti, fly-tipping, dog fouling or other issues at www.sutton.gov.uk and select ‘Report It’ in the Do It Online section. If you see one of these crimes being committed, please call the police.

PLEASE Be part of the team that keeps Sutton clean.

Ruth Shaw OBE – A Fine Citizen!

Ruth-Shaw

We are very pleased to hear that Ruth Shaw has been awarded an OBE. 

Ruth Shaw lives in the borough and has worked in local politics for over 60 years.  She represented Sutton & Cheam as a Liberal on the Greater London Council from 1973 – 77 and in the early 1960s she had been a Liberal councillor on Sutton & Cheam borough council (as it then was) and was a Liberal Democrat Councillor for London Borough of Sutton Council from 1986 – 2002 representing Worcester Park North ward.

Many of us have known Ruth for very many years  She is a committed community worker, with drive and determination.  It was Ruth who introduced the Hoppa Bus Service.  For many she is also something of a guru on local planning matters.

Jill, as a young Liberal, worked with Ruth on many local campaigns in the 1970s. Hamish worked closely with her for four years on the council’s highways and transportation committee which Ruth chaired in the 1990s as well as on the development control and environment committees.

The photo shows Ruth being made an honorary Alderman in 2011 and being handed her charter by then Mayor Gerry Jerome.  At the time  Cllr Sean Brennan who is now the current mayor said: “Ruth has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people in Sutton. The motion received cross party support and the vote was unanimous, which demonstrates just how well respected she is.  “We have not appointed an honorary alderman for over 30 years, so it is not a decision we make likely, however Ruth fully deserves the title and it was an honour to propose the motion.”