The attendees of the Meet and Greet session at St. Michael’s Church Hall, Wallington.

The Mosaic in Trinity Square, Sutton High Street

Sutton shoppers have Social Saturday surprises in store. Sutton High Street will become a social enterprise hub this Saturday, 10 October, to mark Social Saturday. 

Shoppers will have the chance to buy from a range of local businesses given a platform to promote, sell and launch their products. Social enterprises in Sutton include the Sutton Community Farm, the Vine Project, and Sutton Voice.

Local organisations including Sutton Council, Successful Sutton, and Social Enterprise Sutton have given their support to the event which hopes to attract people from across the borough and south-west London.

Cllr Simon Wales, Deputy Leader of the Council and social enterprise champion, said:

“Social Saturday is superb chance for residents of the borough to enjoy shopping from local social enterprises and to find great new retailers to support in their local area. We’re really looking forward to seeing a busy high street on Saturday and urge everyone who can make it to come along and help support local social enterprises.”

Social enterprises have a mission to reinvest or donate their profits to create a positive social impact. They may create opportunities for people marginalised from the job market, support development projects around the world, or strengthen local economies.

The annual Social Saturday event is a national celebration of social enterprises. 2015’s event aims to build on the success of last year’s inaugural event The government estimates there are more than 180,000 social enterprises in the UK, employing more than 2m people and contributing billions to the economy each year.

Amanda Edge, Chair of Social Enterprise Sutton, said:

“Social enterprises are extremely valuable for the national economy and for the planet as a whole.  They provide jobs and are environmentally sustainable – it’s really important that shoppers support them in the Sutton area and help them to thrive. Sutton is one of only two Social Enterprise Places in London and we’re really happy that shoppers and organisations are working together for a better borough.”

Tom Brake MP

I have previously been the bearer of good news about the future of St Helier Hospital.  As you may know, on the 17^th June, during Prime Minister’s Questions, I directly challenged the Chancellor, George Osborne, on whether the previously promised £219 million was still available to help re-build St. Helier Hospital.

I was delighted when the Chancellor replied, “We did commit to that hospital project, and provided that it continues to represent value for money, which I am pretty clear that it does, we will go on providing that support.”

I then wrote to the Chancellor to ask him about the support he was offering.

Now the bad news.  Unfortunately the next reply (which was from the Rt. Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, the senior health Minister) didn’t demonstrate the same degree of commitment.

It says, “neither the Department of Health nor the Treasury is currently considering any capital or financing applications for the Trust.”  Whatever happened to the undertaking given just a few months earlier that ‘we will go on providing that support’?

I have fought long and hard with local residents, patients, NHS staff and local Councillors to get the money for St Helier Hospital.  We will not let the Conservative Government’s u-turn derail the campaign to save our A+E and maternity.

You can help the campaign and find out more about it by visiting: http://www.saveoursthelier.co.uk/.

Please join thousands in the fight for our hospital.

Tom Brake MP

PS: You can find out more on the Conservative Government’s u-turn here.

Carshalton Central ward councillors Alan Salter and Hamish Pollock by The Ponds, Carshalton

Cllr. Hamish Pollock, Chair of Carshalton and Clockhouse Local Committee asks….

“Do you care about your local area and want to make a difference, please do come along and take part at 7.30pm on Tuesday 13th October 2015 ?”

•  Find out what decisions are being made by your local Councillors.
•  Learn about the historical ‘Past on Glass’ project.
•  Robins Way (the road leading to Carshalton Athletic Football Club off Colston Avenue) and minor parking proposals
•  Hear about Sutton’s New Local Plan (planning).
•  Discuss plans to improve your public areas.
•  Find out how to get involved with local decisions.

Carshalton Beeches Baptist Church, Banstead Road, SM5 3NL

Get in touch at:

E-mail: localcommittees@sutton.gov.uk; Tel: 020 8770 4391

Twitter: @LBSlocalcommittees

Sutton Council is ready to help with the refugee crisis.

We are working with partners including charities and volunteer groups, the London Mayor and the Government to offer support.  Sutton residents wanting to offer their support should contact The Refugee and Migrant Network Sutton which has agreed to coordinate offers of help and to signpost people to other organisations. Anyone interested in helping, should get in touch with RMNS straight away using their email office@rmns.org.uk or visit www.rmns.org.uk

From 5 October 2015 large businesses will charge shoppers 5p for each single-use plastic bag they use.

The change to the law aims to achieve a significant reduction in the use of plastic bags by as much as 80% in supermarkets and 50% in the high street. The changes affect only large businesses with over 250 employees. Smaller businesses can charge for plastic bags on a voluntary basis.

Retailers are expected to use the proceeds from the sale of plastic bags for good causes. They will need to report to government about what they do with the money, and the information will be published publicly each year.

Shoppers are asked to bring their own bags or containers when shopping. Many stores offer thicker reusable bags which can be returned and replaced for free when they wear out.

Cllr. Jill Whitehead

Carshalton Central ward councillor Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment & Neighbourhoods Committee, said:

“Sutton Council welcomes this change. It’s time to tackle the problem of single-use plastic bags, which all too often litter our streets and parks. The change to the law is our first step toward encouraging shoppers to resist the lure of plastic bags and bring their own containers when they come shopping. This will benefit our environment and our economy in equal measure.“

Estimated benefits over 10 years include:

– An expected overall benefit of over £780 million to the UK economy.
– Up to £730 million raised for good causes.
– £60 million saved in litter clean-up costs.
– Carbon savings of £13 million.

5p charges for single-use bags are already in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wales saw a reduction in plastic bag consumption of 79% in three years since the charge was introduced.

In 2014, over 7.6 billion plastic bags were given to customers in the UK. That is the equivalent of about 140 bags per person.

Jill, Alan and Hamish received the following information from Sutton Centre for Voluntary Services…

Public Consultation

Grove House – A History of giving in Carshalton

Overview

Grove House is a Victorian mansion situated at the heart of the Carshalton Conservation Area. Built around 1840, the house is an important feature of the local landscape and is one of the only surviving Victorian country houses in the area. In recent years it has been occupied by Sutton Council, but in the past it was home to generous local philanthropists who positively contributed to the development and wellbeing of the community by supporting local charities and other organisations.

As the building is no longer required by the Council, Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector (SCVS), in partnership with Volunteer Centre Sutton and the Friends of the Grove, propose that the presence of community is maintained and the House becomes a hub for community, voluntary and heritage activities.

In March 2016, the partnership will be applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to support the project which aims to:

– Restore Grove House, discover and tell its story and ensure that it has a sustainable future as a key landmark at the centre of Carshalton Conservation Area

– Set up a Trust of local people to manage Grove House and provide them with the skills to look after their heritage and maintain it as a community asset

– Record and celebrate a 200 year story of giving (from philanthropy to voluntary action) in a building that has been an integral part of the story

– Deliver a heritage skills training and heritage volunteer programme to engage a wide range of local people in the history of Grove House and the voluntary sector.

The building, together with its residents, has always played an important part of Carshalton’s past and hopes to continue to be a significant part of its future.

What happens next?

In March 2016 Sutton CVS will submit a funding application to the Heritage Lottery Fund with detailed information about the project, which will include plans for future activities, exhibitions and the restoration of the house.

To inform our detailed planning, we need your help! We want to hear the views of the communities of Carshalton to ensure the work we are doing is right for local people. We want to encourage all those people who live or work in the area, and those who participate in local voluntary and community organisations, to attend one of our open days or complete our survey.

How can you participate?

We will be consulting throughout September and October in the following ways:

Drop-in open days

To find out more about the project and speak to those involved please come along to one of our open days. No booking is required, just drop in!

The next open day is on:

Wednesday 14th October 2015, 11am-2pm Honeywood Museum, SM5 3NX

Survey

You can complete the online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HZG95CT before 24th October. If you would prefer to complete this by hand a hard copy is available on request. Paper copies should be returned to Sutton CVS at Granfers Community Centre, Oakhill Road, SM1 3AA.

Other opportunities

Please send any additional comments or queries about the project to grovehouseproject@suttoncvs.org.uk

For further information about Sutton CVS visit www.suttoncvs.org.uk

Sutton Council is launching a public consultation on the future of the borough’s library service. The 12-week consultation will run from 23 September to 16 December 2015 through the council’s Sutton’s Future campaign – launched last year to involve residents in helping to make savings due to unprecedented government cuts.

It will include an online survey available at www.sutton.gov.uk/suttonsfuture, an independent telephone survey of 1,000 residents and a public meeting at Sutton Central Library on Saturday 14 November from 10am to 12 noon, where residents can discuss issues with councillors and find out more about the proposals.

The council is being forced to look at changes to the library service due to unprecedented government cuts to its annual budget. As a result, the council has to save £74m from its annual budget between 2011 and 2019. Our annual revenue budget is currently £148.4m (2015/16).

So far the council has saved £43m from its annual budget, with £11m of that through our Sutton’s Future campaign. There is a further £31m to go.  Sutton Council wants to achieve budget savings while ensuring that it maintains and, in some areas, potentially enhances library service provision. As part of the cost-cutting measures, the council has identified £1m of savings from the annual libraries, heritage and art budget which currently stands at £4.4m.

There are a number of options up for consultation, including the closure of Beddington Library and the discontinuation of the Mobile Library service. Other options include altering library opening hours, considering a community library model that increases the number of volunteers and volunteer roles, and sharing services with a neighbouring borough.

An enhanced housebound library service to cater for vulnerable residents is already being provided in partnership with Sutton’s Old People’s Welfare Committee, who provide Meals on Wheels services for the council.

Cllr. Jill Whitehead

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee at Sutton Council, said:

“We have to reshape our library service so we can maintain the quality and customer standards people expect while also meeting the significant cuts being forced upon us by the government. Over the past four years, we have been able to make £43m of savings to our annual budget without our libraries being affected. Now, with a further £31m of savings needed, we have no choice but to change our frontline services. We know our residents hold our library service in high regard and we want to hear their views on proposals for the service so we can help shape Sutton’s Future together.”

In January 2015 Sutton Council adopted a Library Strategy for the borough’s library service, setting out the strategic and operational direction for the service to 2019. It has four key aims:

Literacy: growing the readers of the future.

• Meeting the needs of an aging population.
• Narrowing the digital divide.
• Creating a viable, sustainable and quality service within available budgets.

This was received from Tom Brake, Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington…

Let’s keep the momentum going!

Published and promoted by Tom Brake MP and Sutton Liberal Democrats all at Room 2 Kennedy House, 5 Nightingale Road, Carshalton, SM5 2DN and by Tim Gordon on Behalf of the Liberal Democrats all at 8-10 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AE.The Liberal Democrats and their elected representatives may use the information you’ve given to contact you. Some contacts may be automated. You can opt out of communications at any time by contacting us.

Tom Brake MP