Sutton Council has launched an innovative online community and is calling on residents to sign up and help shape public campaigns.

Called MySutton, the website provides residents with a platform to discuss borough issues such as barriers to recycling, regular exercise or fostering and adoption, or what could help more parents access free childcare.

Their discussions will be monitored by the council to provide a unique insight into people’s views that can help to shape council policy and campaigns.

It is the first time the online tool has been used by a local authority in the UK. It is currently used by private sector companies such as British Airways to design aspects of their service including first class cabins.

MySutton is open to anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough. To sign up online visit: https://localsay.communispace.com/mysutton.

The council hopes to eventually gather a community of up to 800 citizens.

Those signing up will find a range of questions to complete. This information will be used to make sure we are asking a representative sample of borough residents on particular issues.

Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, said:

“I’m proud that Sutton is working to provide innovative solutions in the way we communicate with the people we serve. We’re committed to providing great service for our residents and we want to lead the way in digital engagement with those people who prefer to communicate with us online. The MySutton project is an extension of our work showing residents of all ages how to use digital technologies and get the best out of them in every aspect of their lives.”

Sutton’s Mayor Muhammad Sadiq

Sutton has become the second London borough recognised by Social Enterprise UK as a Social Enterprise Place – one of only fourteen boroughs or town areas nationwide to gain that honour.

Sutton Council, Successful Sutton and Sutton Social Enterprise worked together to bid for recognition from Social Enterprise UK and received confirmation that they had been successful in July 2015.
Social enterprises – valuable organisations which work to tackle social problems and improve people’s life chances or the environment – bring many benefits to their communities which include providing services, investment and support for local people. Social Enterprise Places are areas where social enterprise activity is thriving. These involve local councils, businesses, charities, consumers and budding social entrepreneurs working together to grow their social enterprise communities.
Sutton’s status as a Social Enterprise Place was confirmed with an official launch event attended by local dignitaries in Sutton town centre on Monday 24 August.

Cllr Simon Wales, Sutton Council’s Deputy Leader and social enterprise champion, said:
“The lively social enterprise activity in our borough again shows what a wonderful place Sutton is to live and work. I am delighted that Sutton has received this formal recognition, which will go towards ensuring social enterprises will continue to get the support they need and deserve to thrive now and in the future.”

Sutton Mayor Muhammad Sadiq was present for the event at the Midtown Hub alongside Social Enterprise UK CEO Peter Holbrook and Social Enterprise Sutton Chair Amanda Edge. Also in attendance were a range of Sutton businesses and organisations including Successful Sutton, The Vine Project, Sutton Community Farm, Sutton Voice CIC, Transitions UK, Sutton Sports Village, Sutton College and Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector.
Social Enterprise Sutton was established in 2011 and comprises of a number of local businesses and organisations who seek to identify all social enterprises across Sutton and their support individual needs. The network co-ordinates a steering group which includes the Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector, the London Borough of Sutton, SCOLA and the Sutton Business Chamber.

Amanda Edge, Chair of Social Enterprise Sutton, said:
“This is fantastic achievement for the borough. In developing a Social Enterprise Place here in Sutton we are national pioneers for a sector which is beginning to gain recognition and is poised to take its rightful place as a distinct and recognisable part of the business community. I look forward to taking the initiative and reaching out to social businesses in the borough and welcoming them to Sutton Social Enterprise Place.”

One of the organisations involved in securing Sutton’s bid to become a Social Enterprise Place is Sutton Community Farm. It is a community-owned farm with the purpose of providing access to fresh, sustainable food and advice on healthy eating to Sutton borough residents.

Samuel Smith, Managing Director of Sutton Community Farm, said:
“For us, social enterprise is about doing business with the purpose of creating a more healthy, collaborative and connected community. Social enterprises are not driven solely by profit. We feel that this is more important than ever as our communities face increasing inequality and our planet is under heavy stresses. Social enterprises play a unique and vital role in making the world a better place and therefore we are thrilled that Sutton has been named a Social Enterprise Place.” 

Hamish

I am sure that by now you will have heard of Aylan Kurdi, the 3-year-old boy refugee who drowned off the coast of Turkey. He is one of more than 2,500 people who have died so far this year trying to flee across the Mediterranean.

Yesterday I called for an urgent debate on Monday when Parliament resumes to discuss his fate, that of thousands of other refugees and our Government’s response to this crisis.

We need to tackle this issue head on and look at how we can work with our European partners to create a long term and sustainable solution to the crisis.

I am also in regular contact with Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, who is already preparing at a local level so that if the government changes its stance on this humanitarian tragedy, Sutton is ready to help.

We have a long and proud history of helping people who have risked their lives to escape conflict and violence.

In 1572 we resettled 100,000 French Protestants fleeing persecution in France. In the 1930s we helped 20,000 Jews fleeing the Nazis. And in 1972 we welcomed 27,000 Ugandan Asians fleeing a tyrannical regime.

As I write this email, the UK has resettled just 216 vulnerable Syrian refugees. Germanyis taking 800,000 and Lebanon, twenty times smaller than the UK, has taken 1.2 million refugees.

This is a humanitarian crisis shames the world. We must step up to the plate and do more to help before it is too late.

If you would like to demonstrate your support for refugees, join me outside Wallington Old Town Hall (just up from Barclays) in Woodcote Road, Wallington at 11am on Saturday.  Bring your own sign saying #RefugeesWelcome.  Let’s make our views known.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Brake MP
Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton& Wallington

In response the refugee crisis affecting Europe Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council, said:

“The United Kingdom cannot sit by and watch the suffering and death of refugees fleeing violence.

“Local authorities across the country, including London, should respond by taking in refugees. We have a moral and humanitarian duty to do so and I am sure other councils share my views.

“Sutton Council is already doing preparatory work in the hope that the government changes its stance on the situation in Europe and increases the number of refugees accepted by the UK.

“Sutton stands ready to help.”

The summer of 2015 has been yet another successful one for the popular Sutton Ecology Centre, having hosted a wide range of exciting environmental-awareness-raising events for the borough.  The centre, which is located at The Old Rectory in Festival Walk, Carshalton and is funded by Sutton Council, attracted more than 360 borough children and their parents through its doors with a number of open days that gave them the opportunity to meet exotic snakes and reptiles up close, see rare and unusual stick insects, and enjoy playing a range of games based on Julia Donaldson’s classic children’s book The Gruffalo.

Ecology Centre Building

Cllr Jill Whitehead, Chair of the Environment & Neighbourhoods Committee, said:

“The Sutton Ecology Centre is a vital resource for residents and it embodies our green borough values. These events for children and their parents provide a valuable education for us all about the importance of enjoying and respecting nature and the environment. It’s pleasing to see so many attendees over the summer months, and we will be sure to build on our success and keep hosting a wide range of stimulating and fun ecological activities and events for area families.”

The Sutton Ecology Centre is located close to the popular local attractions Honeywood Museum and Carshalton Water Tower. Opened in 1989, the centre is owned by the London Borough of Sutton Council and run in association with the Friends of Sutton Ecology centre volunteer group.

Mary Buckton, Biodiversity Education Officer at Sutton Council, said:

“The Biodiversity Team believe that making that connection with nature at an early age is vital to ensuring the protection of our wild spaces in the future. Sutton Biodiversity Team offer a wide range of education about Sutton’s Nature, throughout the year, for people of all ages.  Sutton Ecology Centre is open to the public in daylight hours 7 days a week. We’d love to welcome you along to enjoy nature at this beautiful oasis in Carshalton.”

To find out more about the Sutton Ecology Centre, visit www.sutton.gov.uk/biodiversity

To be kept up to date with events and Sutton’s nature, sign up to our newsletter by emailing: biodiversity@sutton.gov.uk

Sutton Council is asking people to have their say on changes to the northern gateway of Sutton Town Centre after it secured a £500,000 grant to improve the area.

The money from the New Homes Bonus Scheme of the Central Government is to be spent on improving the look and feel of the gateway to the northern end of the pedestrianised High Street between Marshall’s Road and Benhill Avenue and around the Asda store.  Public consultations are to take place next month. Residents, visitors and businesses are invited to Sutton Council public consultation events on Wednesday 9 September between 12 noon and 2pm and from 4pm to 6pm, and on Saturday 12 September between 10am and 5pm. The consultations will be held opposite the Asda superstore at 229 Sutton High Street. This is the first opportunity for people to have their say on how best to spend the grant funding and regenerate the area, whether by improving seating and planting in the area, upgrading shopfronts and/or activating vacant units.

 Councillor Marlene Heron, Chair of Sutton Local Committee, said:

“We want to create a thriving town centre and the northern gateway is crucial in welcoming people to our main shopping district. It is fantastic that the council has secured £500,000 of funding and we want to work with residents and traders to make improvements that will boost footfall. That way we can reduce the amount of shop vacancies, improve the look of the area and attract new customers. The Northern Gateway is one of a number of projects Sutton Council is involved with in order to boost the town centre helping to secure the town’s status as an important sub-regional destination for shopping and leisure. Other projects include the redevelopment of the former gasworks site on the edge of the northern gateway, the establishment of an “entrepreneur’s market” in the High Street to support new entrepreneurs and start-up businesses by providing them with support and advice, and the Sutton Town Centre Masterplan which will provide an overall vision for the future of the area.

A planning application was submitted earlier in the summer for the expansion of St Philomena’s school (C2015/71900) to provide an additional one- form entry of 30 pupils totalling 200 extra pupils over seven years. As there are currently 1303 pupils this will take the overall total to 1503 pupils. The application will be decided upon at the Council’s Planning Committee meeting to be today Wednesday 2nd September 2015 at the Civic Offices, Sutton (usually in Meeting Room 1 on the ground floor).  The planning committee meeting is due to start at 7.30pm.

For our previous web site story on St. Philomena’s School, please click on: http://carshaltoncentral.mycouncillor.org.uk/2015/06/30/st-philomenas-school-expansion/

Jill will be addressing the planning committee tonight in her role as a ward councillor. Hamish will be in attendance as a member of the planning committee.

As previously advised on this web site, in 2015/16, the first year after expansion (if approved), the number of year 7 (first year) pupils will rise from 204 to 234 pupils. The school has undertaken that all the expansion will come from Sutton Borough children. The expansion will consist of eight new classrooms in a two storey building.

At present 60% of pupils come from outside the Sutton boundaries. The 2012 School Travel Plan shows that 27% of pupils were driven or drove to school, or shared cars or “parked and strode”.  A total of 41% caught the bus, 18% used rail and 15% walked or cycled. The 2013/14 school travel survey showed a slight increase in bus users at 44%.

However, no new car parking or vehicular access arrangements form part of the application. But a parking study has been conducted by the school in the Poets Estate area  – bounded by Shorts Rd/Alma Rd, Colston Avenue and stretching along Westmead Rd from Westmead Corner to Browning Avenue and Highfield Rd. This shows an existing capacity of 84% of parking spaces when max capacity is defined as 85%.

Many residents report parents parking across their drives and on double yellow lines, especially in Shorts Rd/Alma Road, and in the area around Westmead Corner. Jill and Alan recently met the Head Teacher to discuss options. They asked that the school stagger opening and closing times, encourage more pupils to use public transport or walk/cycle, older children in particular. They asked for proactive enactment of the School’s travel plan and greater enforcement of parental behaviour at school start and finish times.

To view the school plans please visit Sutton Council’s online planning register at: http://gis.sutton.gov.uk/FASTWEB/detail.asp?AltRef=C2015%2F71900 or visit the Planning Dept, 24 Denmark Rd, Carshalton SM5 2JG Tel 020 8770 5070.

The New Honeywood History by local historian John Phillips

The borough’s flagship historic house and museum reopened at the end of May 2012. It has been beautifully refurbished and renovated as a result of an investment of almost £1m which has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£635,000), the council (£260,000), and Sutton Arts Council (£15,000).

The Grade II listed building next to Carshalton Ponds dates from the 17th century, but was extended in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The house has beautifully restored to show how it would have looked when it was a family home. The Edwardian era billiards room, drawing room, bathroom and kitchen will let visitors step into the past and see for themselves how the residents of Honeywood would have lived.

There is a programme of changing interactive exhibitions. This gives visitors more opportunity to see a wider range of museum artifacts and learn about life in Sutton in the past.

There are lots of activities for families and children throughout the year as well as an extensive programme of workshops for schools.

There is a newly refurbished shop, and currently the tea room is open at weekends.

Museum opening hours
Monday and Tuesday: closed
Wednesday – Friday: 11am – 5pm
Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays: 10am – 5pm.

Honeywood Museum, Honeywood Walk, Carshalton, SM5 3NX
Tel: (020) 8770 4297(020) 8770 4297, email: honeywoodmuseum@sutton.gov.uk