Sutton businesses, schools and the local council are working together on a groundbreaking partnership to bring more jobs into the borough.

Sutton businesses, schools and the local council are working together on a groundbreaking partnership to bring more jobs into the borough. At a meeting on the 8th October, councillors agreed the Sutton Skills Match programme which aims to help residents acquire the right skills and training to compete for new jobs.

Cllr Jayne McCoy, Chair of Sutton’s Housing, Economy and Business Committee, said: “We are absolutely committed to securing the long-term prosperity of our borough and its residents. To do that we are focused on attracting business and part of that is learning what skills they need potential employees to have and then helping local people to get them. The programme is a response to the current mismatch between skills and requirements. For example in England last year 194,000 hairdressers were trained for 18,000 jobs while only 123,000 people were trained for 274,000 jobs.”

Other issues the programme will address are potential employees lack of skill in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths and even an inability in basic skills such as punctuality, drive, teamwork and numeracy. The programme is split into a nine-point action plan focusing on the needs of businesses and also targeting specific groups of residents

• Develop business-led skills provision
• Targeted intervention for lone parents in the most deprived wards in the borough
• Targeted intervention for over-50s
• Promote self-employment
• Investigate creating a STEAM centre
• Promote Green skills
• Develop capacity for social care
• Provide basic employability and soft skills
• Provide apprenticeship hub

The council has set aside £60,000 for the first year of the three-year programme and officers will now continue the work of forging even greater links between businesses and education-providers and start to get the scheme into place.

We have again asked council officers to sort out the important issue of the long-term missing sign saying “Wentworth Hall”  now that the building is seemingly “finished” plus landscaping works/entrance steps rebuilt.

A picture taken this weekend of the building which is at the junction of Woodstock Road with Ruskin Road is below. You can see the two new bollards that we asked to be installed at the junction to enhance pedestrian safety there, following concerns raised by local residents. More in a future posting…

Wentworth Hall – finished at last except its name sign!

Cllr. Hamish Pollock reports: “As Thames Water has just completed a dredge of drainage outlets in the Westmead Road area, we have asked them to do the same at the junction of Oxford Road and Harrow Road where flooding has occurred in the dip of the hill. Please let us know if you have been experiencing flooding or water incursion in the recent bad weather.”

The number of people claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) in Carshalton and Wallington has fallen for the seventh consecutive month and is now at its lowest in over three years.

The figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the number of JSA claimants locally has fallen by 423 since September 2012. The news coincides with the release of the latest GDP figures (released on Friday 25 October) showing that UK’s economy grew by 0.8% in the last quarter.

Commenting on the news, Tom Brake MP said: “Liberal Democrats in Government have helped to create a million jobs and over one million apprenticeships. I am delighted and proud to see that we are delivering a stronger economy and a fairer society. Fixing the economy was always going to take time, but these figures show that we are on the right path. It is clearly great news, but we must remain focused on creating jobs, ensuring that all hardworking people benefit from the recovery and are able to get on in life.”

A million more people across the UK are currently in work compared to early 2010, and the number of unemployed people nationally has dropped by 18,000 in the last three months.

Cllr. Alan Salter says: “As we reported earlier on 1st October, a planning application no: C2013/67895/FUL was received by Sutton Council for Oakhurst,  1 Parker Close, off Salisbury Road Carshalton SM5 3HF.”

The  Proposal is for… “A change of use of care home into one 4 bedroomed, one 3 bedroomed with raised terrace area and four 2 bedroomed self contained dwellings, alterations to existing elevations involving formation of three gable roofs and erection of a part one, part two storey two bedroomed self contained dwelling with raised terrace area, all with associated car parking and refuse and cycle storage.”

Local residents who may be affected will be those living in Salisbury Road, Carshalton Park Road and Blakehall Road.

You can see the details by clicking on:- http://5.150.92.212/FASTWEB/detail.asp?AltRef=C2013/67895

The main issues are likely to include:- 1) Possible impact on parking in Salisbury Road; 2) Possible impact on local traffic, both people and cars on the access road; 3) Possible overlooking back gardens of Carshalton Park Road and Salisbury Road residents; 4) Concerns over the sheer scale of the proposals.

Local councillors agree with local residents who acknowledge that it would be unrealistic for this building to remain empty in perpetuity. It seems that the scale of of the proposal for many local residents is unacceptable. We will try hard to ensure that local residents’ concerns are taken into account when any decisions on this proposal are made at the Council’s Development Control Committee. The relevant meeting for this application may be the one due to be held on 20th November 2013 from 730pm in Meeting Room 1 at the Civic Offices, Sutton. More in a future posting.

Cllr. Alan Salter reports: “Sutton Council has just received a planning application No: C2013/68319/O2R for Allen House 1 Westmead Road, Sutton SM1 4LA quite near Westmead Corner and Rossdale which are already heavily-parked areas. The proposal is to allow the conversion of existing offices into two 2-bed and eight 1-bed self contained flats with provision of four car parking spaces on existing forecourt. Details can be viewed on the attached link Web Address: http://5.150.92.212/FASTWEB/detail.asp? AltRef=C2013/68319. Residents may wish to comment on the application and whilst doing so, consider whether there is sufficient room for 2 x 2 bed flats and 8 x 1 bed flats on this quite small site next to the railway and zebra crossing with only four car parking spaces”.  More in a future posting…

Bandon Hill Primary School Wood Field and Oak Field celebrated its official opening, with Tom Brake and the Mayor of Sutton, on Friday 18^th October.

Tom joined staff, parents and Isabel Ramsay, the Executive Head Teacher of Bandon Hill for the official launch of Wood Field and Oak Field in Beddington Gardens, in south Carshalton. Both opened for Reception students in September 2013 and are housed on the former Stanley Park High School site.

During the event, Tom had a chance to learn about the school which now includes a new Autistic department known as Oak Field. This class of 6 children will focus on the needs of autistic children, providing them with a supportive environment.

Commenting on the opening Tom said, “It was a real pleasure to attend the official opening of the new Bandon Hill Primary school where the Gruffalo was definitely the star of the show!”

“I know the new schools will help support children in their development of knowledge and skills and help them reach their full potential.”

The original Bandon Hill has been re-named Bandon Hill Primary – Meadow Field and the new school on the old Stanley Park High School site is called Bandon Hill Primary – Wood Field and the autistic department – Oak Field. The new expansion programme saw the opening of Wood Field which has 4 forms of entry. This, along with the two forms of entry at Meadow Field means that Bandon Hill has become a 6 form entry school.

To find out more about the new expansion go to http://www.bandonhill.sutton.sch.uk/about-bandonhill.php

The vision of Community Service Volunteers is to build strong and inclusive communities through various local and national campaigns. CSV encourages people to take an active role in their communities and supports them to engage in activities which improve, and benefit, their neighborhoods.

Councillors Alan Salter (pictured second from left) and Jill Whitehead (pictured centre) joined Tom Brake MP, his team and local constituents of Carshalton and Wallington took part in the CSV’s campaign to make a difference on Saturday 12th October. After listening to constituents’ advice on what area to clean, Tom decided to pick up litter along the River Wandle.

Meeting at the bridge in Papermill Close, off Mill Lane in Carshalton, volunteers helped pick up litter during the afternoon.

Wellies and garden gloves were worn by our kind helpers who helped made the day fun and enjoyable, as well as environmentally helpful!

Tom, said, “I was pleased to be able to do something about the litter, found in and around the River Wandle, local residents have been worried about.”

“I want to extend my thanks to everyone who volunteered and helped in our CSV Action Day. Sometimes it’s fun to get stuck in and your hands dirty.”

The River Wandle in Carshalton is now cleaner due to the efforts of Tom, his team and local people.

Alongside many residents and other local councillors, your local Focus team of Jill, Alan and Hamish planted some bulbs (daffodils and crocuses) in Benhill Recreation Ground this morning, 27th October 2013.

We worked in the area near the east-west footpath that goes between the Harold Road gate right on our Carshalton Central ward boundary (!) and the steps up to the Benhill Road gate almost directly opposite.  Hopefully next Spring will see a blaze of extra colour in this recreation ground…

Sutton Council have also recently planted a lot of bulbs in a large triangular area immediately north of the east-west footpath.

Alan and Jill planting bulbs (picture taken by Hamish)