Dear Hamish Pollock

I am writing to you with some interesting news as you have previously expressed concern about the future of St Helier Hospital.

Last week, during Prime Minister’s Questions, I directly challenged the Chancellor, George Osborne (who was standing in for the Prime Minister), on whether the previously promised £219million was still available for St. Helier Hospital.

I am delighted that the Chancellor George Osborne promised that the Government would allocate £219 million to save St. Helier Hospital as long as the hospital “continues to represent value for money.” He said he thinks the hospital is performing well now.  I am very pleased that he recognises the good performance of the hospital.

I intend to hold the Chancellor to his promise. Our community deserves convenient access to essential healthcare services from a quality hospital like St. Helier. George Osborne and the Conservative government must now deliver it.

Regards

Tom Brake
Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington
0208 255 81550208 255 8155

PS. Have you signed the petition to Save St Helier Hospital? Thousands of local people have already signed – click here to sign the petition or visit www.saveoursthelier.co.uk for more information.

Sutton’s summer-long community  festival is back for another year.

Up until late September, the warmer months will be jam-packed with entertainment, much of which is ideal for the whole family. There are fairs and community events, activities at our libraries and the Ecology Centre, new stand-up comedy at the Charles Cryer Theatre, and much more.The Take Part, Take Pride festival, co-ordinated by Sutton Council, aims to bring local residents together through a diverse range of activities across the borough.

This very weekend, locals can enjoy the first ever Carshalton-on-Sea event, including seaside-inspired activities across four venues – Honeywood Museum, All Saint’s Church, Charles Cryer Theatre and Carshalton Village Market and Stage.From Friday afternoon to late Sunday, there will be a programme of performances ranging from jazz musicians to magicians, market stalls, street food, workshops and more.This is just one of hundreds of activities happening in the borough this summer.You can even host your own event and the council will help you to publicise it.

Cllr Ruth Dombey, Leader of Sutton Council said:“This summer-long festival always proves to be very popular with our residents, which explains why it gets better  every year.“The whole idea behind Take Part Take Pride is to bring people in Sutton together and provide plenty of things for the whole family to get involved in and enjoy.“There are some fantastic and diverse events going on over the coming months. I urge everyone to come along, have fun, and really take part and take pride in our borough.”

To view the whole programme of events or for more information on hosting your own event including applying for street closures, go to sutton.gov.uk/takeparttakepride

Tweet us your pictures or share them on Facebook using #TPTK – @SuttonCouncil, facebook.com/LoveSutton

For more information, please get in touch.

To view the story online, visit our news room: http://www.newsroomsutton.co.uk/?p=1698

Please help us to spread the word on social media! 

Today 18th June 2015 is the Bicentenary (200th Anniversary) of the Battle of Waterloo which had a huge impact on the destiny of European and British history. For those with an interest in this subject click on: https://www.waterloo2015.org/en and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33178525 and other good web sites.

Parliament is to vote on whether or not to uphold the ban on fox hunting, which was introduced ten years ago. The ban outlaws using dogs to hunt wild mammals, with some exemptions.

There are about 200 registered packs of hounds in England and Wales, which kill an estimated 21,000-25,000 foxes a year. Around 45,000 people regularly participate in legally exempted fox hunting, and 250,000 participants turned up to various hunts on the most recent Boxing Day.

For my latest e-poll, I would like to know your views on the fox hunting ban.

Some say we should repeal the ban because fox hunting is more than just a sport, it preserves an important cultural tradition for many people across the UK. Groups like the Country Alliance believe that this rural tradition is often misunderstood and that the ban is simply an unnecessary attack on rural communities across the country.

Those in favour of upholding the ban argue that fox hunting is an outdated and unnecessary cruel practice and that it should continue to be illegal to set a pack of dogs to chase and kill a wild animal for sport.

If you support the ban please reply to this email with ‘Ban’

If you want to repeal the ban please reply ‘Repeal’

To find out more about this issue you can visit http://www.countryside-alliance.org/ca/ which presents arguments against the ban or http://www.league.org.uk/ which presents arguments in support of the ban.

As always, your voice is important to me. Your comments will be taken into account and I will let you know the result of the poll in a few weeks.

Tom Brake
Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington

Green-fingered residents are being reminded that their green garden waste collection service is changing in the next few weeks.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm Tuesday 16 June 2015

The venue is: Hillcrest Halls, 42 Fryston Avenue, Coulsdon CR5 2PT

Come and Discuss:

 Pelican Crossing at West Street

 Robins Way concerns

 Dr Bike

 Christmas lights

 Area improvements

 Neighbourhood Grants

 Public question time

 Other local issues

In order to facilitate street gully cleaning, and any minor repair works that may arise from the cleaning, a Temporary Traffic Management Order will be made.

In a week that saw reports that London’s air pollution has already caused more than 1300 premature deaths the Mayor has been urged to take more action, including tougher action against diesel vehicles.

A motion, proposed by Lib Dem GLA Member Stephen Knight, received support from other London Assembly Members, with the exception of just four Conservative Members. Full details of the motion can be seen here.

The high value Sutton places on its unpaid carers is being highlighted during this year’s National Carers’ Week. The Week, which runs until 14 June, has the theme of Building Carer-friendly Communities – communities that support carers to look after their loved ones well, while recognising they are individuals with needs of their own.

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.

In Sutton an estimated 19,000 people of all ages juggle their jobs, education and other responsibilities to care for family and friends. They may be a child or young person helping to care for his mother who has bipolar disorder, parents looking after a child with spina bifida, a working-age adult whose partner has Multiple Sclerosis, or an older person looking after a spouse with dementia.

Such carers make up around 10 per cent of the borough’s population yet to all intents and purposes are almost invisible as the work they do goes largely unseen and unnoticed.

Cllr Marlene Heron, Sutton Council’s Adult Carers Champion, said:

“I want to pay tribute to these dedicated unpaid carers who often make tremendous sacrifices to look after some of the most vulnerable people in our community. These dedicated people are not care workers, but work as unpaid carers in our community to look after some of our most vulnerable citizens. With the recent changes to provision since the introduction of the Care Act around the care and support of adults, we are working to ensure that the wellbeing of the carers and those they care for is at the heart of what we do with and for them. To help us achieve this, we are working with Sutton Carers’ Centre to reach out to the carers in our community and discuss with them what the new provision under the Care Act means for them.”

Rachael MacLeod, Chief Executive of Sutton Carers Centre, which is part-funded by Sutton Council, said:

“Carers around the country provide more unpaid care than the social services and NHS combined, an estimated £100bn-worth of labour each year to keep people healthy and well.There is no off-the-peg, one-size-fits-all when it comes to who carers are. A young carer may be at school and having to juggle their education, homework and leisure time around looking after a parent with a disability or long-term illness. A parent carer may have had to give up work to care full-time for their child with special needs. Or an adult carer may be supporting his wife who is near the end of her life with cancer. The list is endless. Such people deserve the recognition, respect and support of the entire community, and we welcome the support of Sutton Council in helping achieve this.”

The Mayor of Sutton, Cllr Muhammad Sadiq, held a lunchtime reception in Sutton Civic Centre for the launch of Carers’ Week, where he honoured Sutton’s carers and welcomed staff from Sutton Carers Centre and other prominent supporters of carers’ issues in the borough.

Sutton’s Mayor Muhammad Sadiq

Cllr Sadiq said: 

“I want to say thank you to all of you caring for someone or another and those who work behind the scenes supporting these carers. Whether your care is just helping someone who has just been discharged from hospital to get back on their feet or a lifelong commitment, your efforts are priceless and commendable.”

Sutton Council has become one of the first local authorities in the country to put together an innovative toolkit aimed at promoting community-led town regeneration.

The Local Centres Regeneration Toolkit provides residents with practical advice on how to set up a group, properly plan, manage, publicise and gain funds for projects, contact the right team in the council and get appropriate licensing in place.

From festivals and events to pop-up stores and creative ways to revamp shop fronts, the interactive online resource encourages activity that will help revitalise the borough’s high streets.

It is also a source of inspiration, citing case studies from across the country. In Willesden Green, for instance, shop owners put together quirky temporary shopfronts which popped up to the advent calandar over the festive season. Meanwhile, inWhitaker, a group of local volunteers gained access to a disused animal enclosure and raised funds to create a wonderful family picnic and fruit and vegetable growing area, managed by the general public and registered helpers.

Such examples, it is hoped, will encourage the residents of Sutton, and indeed anyone anywhere in the country, to get creative with their borough.

In addition, the kit doubles as a social networking tool where users can share their ideas and experiences with others, giving it an innovative edge to other similar materials.

The toolkit has been put together by the council’s economic development team in partnership with Clear Village Charitable Trust. The input of many local residents and traders was used to inform the content and design.

Maybe a picnic space is your cup of tea?

Cllr Jayne McCoy, chair of Sutton Council’s Housing, Economy and Business Committee, said:

“We are determined to work together with the community to cement Sutton’s growing reputation as a creative, vibrant and innovative corner of London and one of the most popular places to live and work.

“That’s why we have created this innovative toolkit which is not only a comprehensive local guide, but provides inspiration for local people to begin developing and sharing ideas about how we can revitalise our borough.

“By working with our residents, those who care most about Sutton, we can start to shape the future of our town centres together. We look forward to seeing your ideas put into effect.”

Robin Houterman, Project Impact Manager at Clear Village Charitable Trust, said:

“We believe that instruments like this toolkit are a great way to help local communities build on their assets and improve their neighbourhood. We would like to thank Sutton Council, local councillors, residents and business owners for giving us the opportunity to develop this toolkit with them.”

Find the Local Centres Regeneration Toolkit at http://toolkit.opportunitysutton.org/