A poster designed by Sutton school pupil Amaasha Silva is to be used to promote energy conservation across the borough.

Amaasha, age 11, a Year 6 pupil at Stanley Park Junior School, was the overall winner of an art competition that saw entries from 264 pupils from across 10 Sutton borough schools.

The competition was organised by EcoLocal, a local charity, as part of a school energy project commissioned by Sutton Council in line with its One Planet Sutton aspiration to improve the quality of life of residents in a way that reduces our impact on the environment.

Last winter EcoLocal visited 10 borough schools to deliver assemblies and lessons about saving energy at school and at home. The schools were also advised on energy management to save energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and saved an average 7 per cent of energy through behaviour change alone.

The students took home an activity book that enabled them to carry out an energy audit of their home to see where they were wasting energy and record a week of energy-saving activities. The activity book also included a Home Energy Poster Competition.

A total of 264 borough pupils returned the activity book and entered the competition to design a poster to promote saving energy.

Amaasha’s winning poster design.

Amaasha Silva was the overall winner from across the 10 schools and has won an energy-saving kit for her home. She received her award from the Mayor of Sutton, Cllr Richard Clifton during a school assembly on Friday 15 July.

The Mayor said afterwards:

“I was delighted to present this award to Amaasha as her poster gets conveys the ecological message in a clear and direct manner. In Sutton we all have to play our part and do our bit in saving the planet. This poster will remind all borough residents and businesses of the part they have to play.”

Tansy Honey, of EcoLocal, said:

“It was great that so many Sutton students got involved in saving energy at home through this project. We hope Amaasha’s brilliant poster will help encourage more people to save money and cut carbon dioxide. Amassha’s poster was chosen as the winner because it is well designed and drawn, has the simple and clear message of ‘Save Our Planet’, and demonstrates that she had learned that saving energy will save money at home and help the planet by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere.”

Amaasha’s poster will be displayed across the borough in libraries and on noticeboards later this year.

One Planet Sutton is a vision for the borough where people lead happy, healthy lives with a fair share of the Earth’s resources. Sutton Council has committed to becoming a One Planet Borough by 2025. The council is working in partnership with a wide range of local voluntary and community groups to deliver this vision under the themes of cutting carbon emissions, cutting waste, valuing our natural environment, supporting healthy communities and supporting the local economy. Find out more about the One Planet Sutton initiative here.

Beddington Park is to be extensively restored to make it even more welcoming to residents and borough visitors alike after Sutton Council secured a grant of just over £3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund.

After four years of planning and development Sutton Council has successfully been granted £3,009,400 from the HLF and Big Lottery Fund Parks for People programme to restore, improve and interpret the 58-hectare park that stretches across Beddington, Hackbridge and Wallington. The works will total £3.7m.

Thanks to hard work from key stakeholders, local residents and the project team the plans will now become a reality. Work due to commence in late 2016 will see a number of visual improvements and new features created including:

• Enlarging the children’s playground and introducing more equipment to encourage children of all backgrounds to use the facilities.
• Dredging of the lake to create a sustainable solution to the ongoing build-up of silt.
• Restoring the Grange Gardens to include a new community orchard.
• Improve entrances and signage, including new interpretation boards and materials.
• Improve parking and access.
• Creating a new garden in the Churchyard Extension.
• Habitat improvement to wetlands, woodlands and the stock pond.

A three-year activities and events programme will begin later this year and include children’s activities, fitness opportunities, walks, talks, and a range of volunteering opportunities.

There will be an ambitious programme of repairs to existing footpaths, as well as replacement shrubs and herbaceous planting.

Beddington Park was originally a deer park in the 14th century for the noble Carew family, whose manor house still stands in today. The River Wandle runs through the park and culminates in the lake in the Grange Gardens.

The National Lottery grant will enable the improvement of the park’s lakes and waterways, and the Grange Gardens layout.

The project aims to restore and promote Beddington Park’s historic and nature conservation values, allowing visitors and surrounding communities to actively engage with this fantastic open space.

The improvements to Beddington Park will support the council’s One Planet Living targets around cutting carbon emissions and waste, value the natural environment and support healthy communities through active participation, and provide opportunities for the community to enjoy the park’s open space and heritage.

Mary Morrissey, Strategic Director of Environment, Housing and Regeneration at Sutton Council, said:

“We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this financial support. The redevelopment of Beddington Park through the HLF and Big Lottery Fund Parks for People programme is of major significance to the borough. To secure a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of just over £3m is a magnificent achievement for everyone involved in submitting the grant bid, particularly our residents. This will make Beddington Park more popular than ever with residents and borough visitors. It will showcase how Sutton is a great place for green open spaces.”

The funding for Beddington Park comes as part of an announcement of £30.7m for 16 parks across the UK.

Sir Peter Luff, HLF’s Chair, said on behalf of HLF and Big lottery Fund:

“It’s clear that our parks are important to us in countless ways – from physical and mental wellbeing to a connection with nature and our heritage. It’s also clear, however, that public parks must work in new ways to respond to the funding challenges they face and this investment, thanks to National Lottery players, will help them to do this. We’re delighted to announce this funding today, especially in time for the tenth Love Parks Week, and look forward to a bright future for these parks. In 2014 the Beddington Park HLF and Big Lottery Fund Stage One bid successfully gained £251,000 of funding to develop the Parks for People project. The HLF and Big Lottery Fund grant covers £3,009,400 of the Phase Two project costs of £3,706,788″.

The Beddington Park project has five key themes to improve the environment:

• Access, safety and infrastructure. Work will be undertaken at various entrances to the park, including new gates, railings, planted areas, welcome and visitor information and direction signs. The park boundary will be enhanced, more trees will be planted and succession planning for historic trees, and new noticeboards will have information on the park’s history, wildlife and diversity. The park’s playground will also be made larger and have more play equipment installed.
• Activities and events. A project co-ordinator will be employed to support and develop volunteer activities in the park.
• Improvements to the large amount of wildlife, plant and animal life within the park, including improvements to the Carew Manor wetland. There will also be activities organised through the volunteer co-ordinator and with other stakeholder groups to improve and understand the park’s biodiversity.
• Repairs to existing footpaths, replacement shrubs and herbaceous planting, and changes to the Grange garden layout including an orchard with a meadow. The aim is to use some of the plants and schemes that would have been in the garden when it was created in the 1870s.
• Lakes and waterways. Silt will be removed from the stock pond and the main Grange Lake, and there will be river improvements in line with the River Wandle catchment plan, including a newly created separate river channel through the lake. This will ensure there will be no need to de-silt the lake again for many years and meets the sustainability requirements of Sutton Council, the HLF and the Environment Agency.

One Planet Sutton is a vision for the borough where people lead happy, healthy lives with a fair share of the Earth’s resources. Sutton Council has committed to becoming a One Planet Borough by 2025. The council is working in partnership with a wide range of local voluntary and community groups to deliver this vision under the themes of cutting carbon emissions, cutting waste, valuing our natural environment, supporting healthy communities and supporting the local economy. Find out more about the One Planet Sutton initiative here.

About the Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.

About the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk @heritagelottery

The Parks for People programme uses money raised by National Lottery players to support the regeneration, conservation and increased enjoyment of public parks and cemeteries. In England the two Lottery Funds have been working in partnership from 2006 to deliver a multi-million pound investment in public parks.  Find out more about how to apply at www.hlf.org.uk/parks.

In order to encourage increased recycling and help reduce the cost of waste collection, Sutton Council is introducing a policy to only empty non-recyclable waste from one brown bin per borough household.

​There are now fewer items that cannot be recycled from home as a result of Sutton’s green bin recycling service. However, around 4,500 of the borough’s 65,100 households have more than one brown bin for their non-recyclable waste and do not have any incentive to recycle.

Households with more than one brown waste bin will receive letters between 18 July and 30 September 2016 to tell them about the new policy. A Recycling Advisor will deliver the letters, answer questions and provide information about the council’s recycling service. Households will also be able to order larger or extra green recycling bins to help them recycle.

Collections of waste in the additional brown bins will stop at the property around three or four weeks after the letter has been received by the household. ​Households in Wallington North will be the first to receive the letters and the timing of the change will be staggered according to the area.

The council will remove from households any additional brown bins placed outside on any waste collection day that follows a specified date. However, residents can keep their additional brown bin for storage or to collect garden waste in before taking it to the Reuse and Recycling Centre at Kimpton Park Way. To ensure their additional brown bin is not removed, residents will need to keep it inside their property boundary.

Mary Morrissey, Strategic Director of Environment, Housing and Regeneration at Sutton Council, said:

“Collecting just one brown waste bin per property will save the council money and increase the amount of waste being recycled in Sutton. The additional brown bins that the council empties contain 100 tonnes of materials that could be recycled every year. Instead these materials are being disposed of in landfill. Emptying one bin per property will therefore help us save money, increase the borough’s recycling rate and support the council’s One Planet Sutton ambitions. A study by independent environmental experts indicates that council collection costs can be reduced by £10,000 a year by only collecting one bin per property.”

This new waste and recycling policy was agreed by Sutton Council in November 2015.

Sutton Council Environmental Enforcement Officers will be able to issue on the spot Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for a range of littering offences starting from Monday 11 July 2016.

The Enforcement Officers will focus on particularly busy areas such as Sutton High Street and other district centres. They will be able to issue FPNs for offences including dropping litter, fly-tipping, and failing to clean up dog mess. In 2015, Sutton Council’s cleaning teams picked up 1,267 tonnes of litter, and dealt with 1,390 separate fly-tipping incidents and 323 dog-fouling incidents. The total cost of all street cleaning services was £3,138,100. Working together we can bring these costs down, which will give us the opportunity to invest in vital frontline services for the benefit of borough residents.

Mary Morrissey, Strategic Director of Environment, Housing and Regeneration at Sutton Council, said:

“Nearly 20 per cent of Sutton residents answered ‘clean streets’ as the most important issue in making somewhere a good place to live. Our environmental enforcement officers will be highly visible as they patrol the borough to help combat litter at its source.”

The full details about the new FPNs can be found on the Sutton Council website here. Discounts are available for early payment of some Penalty Notices. The Environmental Enforcement Officers will be easy to recognise as they will be in uniform and patrol in pairs.  The service will operate each day of the week, including some evenings and weekends.

Hamish, Jill and Chris by the new Welcome to Carshalton sign in West Street

Hamish says: “Chris is an energetic local man who gets things done. As a ward councillor I have been working alongside Chris for some time on local community issues in Carshalton Central. We have worked very well together on a number of projects affecting our local area.  Chris sees tasks through and concerns himself with detail. I’ve seen Chris work well as a team member showing an independent mind, important in representative politics.  Enthusiastic, friendly, helpful and organised, Chris if elected on 28th July 2016 will become a valued local councillor.”

The defendant, TLK Properties and Investments Ltd, received fines totalling £4,450 for offences under the Housing Act 2004, along with a contribution to prosecution costs of £3,500, and a Victim Surcharge of £120, making a total of £8,070.

In November 2014 the council’s Environmental Health team visited the premises at 234-236 High Street following complaints about the amount of rubbish at the rear of the building. An inspection inside the premises revealed that the original offices had been converted into residential accommodation as a house in multiple occupation and rented out to 21 people.

Further investigation identified a leaking roof that had caused the kitchen ceiling to collapse damaging a tenant’s belongings and a broken shower in one of the bathrooms left five tenants without hot water for more than two months.

The main front-door lock was broken and had not been repaired, which meant anyone could gain access into the property, as one tenant discovered when coming home late one night to find a rough sleeper in the entrance hallway. The tenants’ security and safety were further compromised as the stairway lights did not work.

The electrical supply was not fit for purpose as it was designed for use in an office not living accommodation.

Council officers were also very concerned by the lack of appropriate smoke alarms to give warning of fire. The fire-fighting equipment that had been supplied had not been serviced for more than four years.

It is a legal requirement that anyone owning or managing a house in multiple occupation that is three or more storeys high and occupied by five or more people living as more than one household must apply for a mandatory licence under the Housing Act 2004. TLK Properties and Investments Ltd had not applied for a licence and on conviction were fined £2,500.

The disrepair and management issues were also offences under the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation Regulations 2006 and TLK Properties and Investments Ltd were found guilty of six of the seven offences they were charged with, receiving fines of £1,950. They were also ordered to pay the council’s costs and a Victim Surcharge of £120. It is also possible for the tenants to reclaim from the landlord some of their rent paid during the time they lived at the property.

Cllr Jayne McCoy, Chair of the Housing, Environment and Business Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“Sutton Council encourages borough landlords to provide a good standard of affordable accommodation to their tenants. We will take steps to protect residents’ health and safety where necessary, especially where legislation is ignored. TLK Property and Investments Ltd has appealed against the conviction and the case will be referred to the High Court.

Following last week’s EU referendum result Sutton’s leaders want to reassure residents that they live in a safe, tolerant and inclusive borough.

Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, Niall Bolger, Chief Executive of Sutton Council, Cllr Tim Crowley, Leader of the Opposition at Sutton Council, and Sutton Borough Police Commander Dave Stringer said in a joint statement:

“Since the EU referendum result there have been media reports of hate crimes against people living in this country. However, there has been no increase in hate crime incidents reported to the police in Sutton and across London.

“We are grateful that Sutton has not seen an increase in such intolerant and antisocial behaviour. The vote is not a licence for racist and xenophobic behaviour. We would urge residents to be vigilant to ensure that all borough citizens continue to live together in a peaceful, harmonious and responsible way.

“We are aware that certain events can spur intolerance, hate or extremism. Anyone who witnesses or suffers any hate incident of any type should report it immediately to the Police so that they can take action and deal with any incidents quickly.

“Sutton is a popular place to live, in part because we are a tolerant, open society that values people of all cultures, nationalities and religions. At this time it is more important than ever that we show solidarity with our neighbours of all different faith and cultural groups to ensure that extremist views and behaviour have no part of our community.”