| Check the current COVID-19 rules: The whole of London is now in ‘Level 2’ restrictions, which means we must all follow extra rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The key new rule that affects us all is: You must not socialise with anybody other than members of your household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place The new rules also include: Social mixing between households is not allowed indoors, including in homes, pubs or restaurants. The ‘Rule of Six’ will continue to apply outdoors, including in private gardens. Restaurants, cafes and pubs can remain open but must close by 10pm, and will need to follow the ban on households mixing indoors Retail, schools, public transport and universities will remain open. You can also read the government guidance for more detail about the new restrictions. Continue to follow national guidance The new measures are in addition to the national rules and guidance so please continue to: 1. Keep your distance 2. Wash your hands 3. Wear a face covering 4. Self-isolate if you have symptoms while you arrange a test, or if you are advised to because you have been near to someone else who has tested positive If you are worried about the impact of the new restrictions, or about self-isolating, there is support available. Whether you have a practical concern like how you will get groceries, a mental health issue like being alone, or how it will affect your finances – the council can help. New adult learning courses We are running a range of adult education courses, including Covid-secure in-person courses and online courses ideal for those that are self-isolating or prefer distance learning. A number of courses are starting on 2 November including knitting and sewing, and there are still spaces available on courses that have started such as online hatha yoga, painting, maths and English. Is your child starting secondary school in September 2021? You must apply for your child’s secondary school place online by 31 October 2020. We have lots of useful information about the different types of secondary schools in Southwark, as well as tips to help you decide which school is right for your child. Read our Elephant magazine The Autumn issue of The Elephant Magazine is out now. It includes local artist, Sokari Douglas Camp talking steel, sculpture and Southwark; the Elephant’s Lockdown heroes and news on how the Community Fund is helping local charities. Pick up your copy in the neighbourhood or read online. Could you foster a child? If you have a spare room and have a flexible job, and if you’re energetic and a good listener, you could consider becoming a foster carer. Have you seen the giant mural on Old Kent Road? Proposition Studios at Surrey Wharf is transforming a corner of Old Kent Road with an amazing, temporary work of art, ahead of redevelopment. Get your free flu jab If you’re eligible, make sure you get your free flu vaccination to protect yourself and those around you from the flu virus. It’s more important than ever this year. Ask your pharmacist or GP today. Enjoy Halloween safely This Halloween, why not play Spot the Pumpkin and get school friends to put pictures in their windows: parents, give your kids a sweet for every one they spot. Help design services to support people experiencing abuse We want your help to design support services for residents experiencing any form of gender-based violence or abuse. This includes domestic abuse, stalking, rape, forced marriage and prostitution. If you’ve been directly or indirectly affected by such violence and abuse give your views before 23 November. If you smoke you’re more at risk from COVID-19 If you’re a smoker and become infected with COVID-19 you’re more likely to become seriously ill than a non-smoker. Get help to quit smoking now An update on the Bakerloo Line extension Southwark and Lewisham councils remain fully committed to the Bakerloo Line extension, following TfL’s announcement regarding funding. Read the joint statement. Job support for 16–25-year-olds We will shortly be launching a new campaign which will help link young people with jobs, training and educational opportunities. Sign up now to get jobs, training and education opportunities by email |
Southwark Creates newsletter
Southwark Presents / Southwark Creates / September 2020  |
| Welcome to the October edition of theSouthwark Creates newsletter Firstly, congratulations to South London Gallery for their success on being named joint winners of Art Fund Museum of the Year, and to the Guyana-born Southwark-based British artist Frank Bowling, choreographer Siobhan Davies and the chair of Mountview Vikki Heywood who have respectively been awarded a knighthood and damehood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020. The last week has also brought the welcome news that 55 organisations in Southwark have been awarded grants from the Culture Recovery Fund. We wish Southwark Park Galleries and the Drawing Room the best of luck as they reopen this month. As more cultural organisations start to re-open in Southwark we will be shining a spotlight on the amazing work taking place behind the scenes. If you would like to share your experiences of this process in the next newsletter please do let us know. In the meantime, Arts Council England have taken a look at the hugely positive contribution that the creative industries and the cultural sector make to the UK economy by commissioning three new research pieces by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) and Metrodynamics. Read the full story here. Black History Month 2020 provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the achievements, contributions and histories of Black people in the UK and around the world. This year we have supported 33 local organisations/artists to produce a wide range of events and activities from a digital patchwork quilt and poems by prize-winning poet Jenny Mitchell to interdisciplinary live-streamed concerts showcasing Black British musicians. Read more here. If you have a specific query or are looking for further support please contact the Culture Team via email culture@southwark.gov.uk. We’re here to help! #KeepSouthwarkSafe #HereForCulture Get involved Join the Centre for Cultural Value’s online festival of ideas 2-13 November. Ten days of free online events, probing and questioning the value of culture through a series of discussions, debates and hands-on workshops. Read more and sign up here. #HereForCulture campaign has launched to help support Britain’s globally renowned arts, culture and heritage industries. Please support and show you are #HereForCulture by sharing the assets in this toolkit across your social media channels. The Audience Agency – Digital Audience Survey. A new free survey to give you a comparative snapshot of your digital audiences as you adapt your online offer. Request a digital audience survey here. Networking Creative Network Southwark – A network of individuals and organisations working in the creative sector in Southwark, run by Community Southwark. Check out the website for details on the next meeting. Rye Here Rye Now – A Peckham-based meet up, for graphic designers, illustrators, design thinkers, photographers, filmmakers, artists and other creatives. Check out the website for details on the next meeting. Outdoor Arts UK provides an informal sector network weekly drop-in, plus one to ones with a member of the Outdoor Arts UK team are available. Read more. Visit Southwark Creates / Networking for more opportunities Funding Unlimited is an arts commissioning programme that enables new work by disabled artists to reach UK and international audiences. Deadline 27 October. Find out more here. The Culture Recovery Fund for Independent Cinemas is intended for independent cinemas across England whose businesses have been unavoidably interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Deadline 30 October 2020. Find out more here. Garfield Weston Foundation has announced a £25m one-off fund to support museums, performing and visual arts organisations across the UK. Deadline 9 November 2020. Find out more here. The Architectural Heritage Fund announces a new £1 million grant programme to support charities and social enterprises occupying historic buildings to develop new business plans and strategies in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Deadline 9 November 2020. Find out more here The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has reopened the Teacher Development Fund (TDF) for applications. Grants of up to £150K for primary schools working together with arts & cultural organisations. Deadline 20 November 2020. Find out more here. Arts Council England Developing your Creative Practice is for individuals who are cultural and creative practitioners and want to take time to focus on their creative development. If you’re thinking of taking your practice to the next stage, DYCP can help by supporting research, time to create new work, travel, training, developing ideas, networking or mentoring. Find out more here Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants reopened for applications, with a budget of £59.8 million available until April 2021. The fund will focus on the needs of smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners. Find out more here. Visit Southwark Creates / Funding for more opportunities Business support Southwark Council provides support and information for businesses and employers on the Council’s website. To contact the Council about support available or issues affecting your business, please email SouthwarkBusinessDesk@southwark.gov.uk Guidance on working safely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) for employers, workers and the self-employed Read more. Information on local COVID alert levels, including what they mean, why they are being introduced and what the different levels are. Read more. NHS app and test and trace Businesses and venues that are already required to collect visitor details for test and trace must also by law display NHS QR codes for visitors using the new NHS app. If your business collects test and trace data, please read the FAQs about what is required and use this tool to generate your QR code posters. Visit Southwark Creates / Business Support for more opportunities Training and short courses Visit the Council’s Stay-at-Home Library of Things To Do to discover a range of online learning activities. There are also lots of one-off short courses being delivered online and virtual courses via the Adult Learning Centre. Start-ups in London Libraries. Free workshops developing your business idea to marketing masterclasses, check out the courses running in October. Sign up here. UAL Creative Computing Institute. Learn new skills, pursue your interests or advance your career with short online courses. From constructing your own video games to designing a feminist chatbot. Check out the free courses and sign up here. Stride makes space for creativity and innovation to thrive in South London. They create opportunity, develop talent and support creative and tech enterprises. Be the first to know about Stride programmes and initiatives. Sign up here. Visit Southwark Creates / Talent Development for more opportunities Resources Southwark Stands Together. The report is now available to downlod here. The section on Culture begins on page 12 and the sectionon Reinventing and Renewing the Public Realm begins on page 18. You may also be interested in reading about the updated Council Plan, which is available online here. New Covid-19 planning guidance published for UK festivals. Includes contributions from across the festival industry working in collaboration with DCMS and Public Health England. Read more. Jobs and opportunities Engagement Curator (Maternity Cover). The Drawing Room is seeking an Engagement Curator, a position funded by the Bridget Riley Art Foundation, to lead their ground-breaking programme which aims to make both the practice of drawing and the appreciation of drawings accessible to a diverse audience. Deadline 20 October 2020. Read more and apply here. The Michael O’Pray Prize, is a Film and Video Umbrella initiative, in partnership with Art Monthly for new writing on innovation and experimentation in the moving image. The prize is open to all early-career writers based in the UK . Deadline 22 October 2020. Reed more and apply here. Interim Youth & Adult Learning Officer. South London Theatre is looking for someone to kick-start their adult learning programme and re-invigorate their youth group. 6 month contract 21 hours/week £18/hour, includes Saturdays during term times. Deadline 21 October 2020. Read more and apply here. Siobhan Davies Studios are offering artist support to dance artists, choreographers and others working in the dance sector. Sessions for October have now been released. Find out more. Creative Bursaries for Southwark Students – Ten new Bursaries o£2,500 each for academic year 2020/21 for Southwark secondary students to study at Camberwell College of Arts, UAL and London College of Communication, UAL. In partnership with University of the Arts London (UAL), these Bursaries are provided by Southwark Council. To register your interest, please email scholarshipapplications@arts.ac.uk and UAL’s Student Funding Service will contact all students who have completed the enrolment process in October 2020. Help keep Southwark safe Southwark Council is monitoring the COVID-19 infection rates on a daily basis and our numbers are increasing. It is still a threat and we all need to do all we can to prevent the spread of this virus and protect our family, friends and communities. A high proportion of new cases are for people aged 18–34. We also know that most transmission is still amongst family and friends. If you’re visiting family or going out with friends you must: keep your distance from other people at all a face covering in shops and on public transport wash your hands regularly. Get a test as soon as possible if you have coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature, a new persistent cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste). You must also self-isolate, as should members of your household and anyone in your support bubble. #KeepSouthwarkSafe Southwark Presents…  Share the love! If you would like to share an offer with Southwark Presents card holders please email culture@southwark.gov.uk.Tell me more… To get the latest special offers and cultural news, sign up to the Southwark Presents newsletter. Next time you’re passing one of our libraries, why not pop in to register for your own Southwark Presents card? Visit Southwark Presents for the latest events in the borough |
| Contact us Southwark Council Culture and Events Team PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX |
COVID-19: Urgent information as London moves into Level 2 restrictions
 Dear resident COVID-19 numbers are rising rapidly in Southwark and across London. From midnight tomorrow (Friday) the whole of London will move to ‘Level 2’ restrictions, which means we must all follow extra rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19.Rates have been rising rapidly in Southwark and across London and are now classed as HIGH. We need to act now to help save lives and livelihoods. New rules for London New restrictions will be in place in Southwark and London. The key new rule that affects us all is: You must not socialise with anybody other than members of your household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place The attached leaflet sets out more information on the new rules, which include: Social mixing between households is not allowed indoors, including in homes, pubs or restaurants. The ‘Rule of Six’ will continue to apply outdoors, including in private gardens. Restaurants, cafes and pubs can remain open but must close by 10pm, and will need to follow the ban on households mixing indoors Retail, schools, public transport and universities will remain open. You can also read the government guidance for more detail about the new restrictions. Continue to follow national guidance The new measures are in addition to the national rules and guidance so please continue to: 1. Keep your distance 2. Wash your hands 3. Wear a face covering 4. Self-isolate if you have symptoms while you arrange a test, or if you are advised to because you have been near to someone else who has tested positive If you are worried about the impact of the new restrictions, or about self-isolating, there is support available. Whether you have a practical concern like how you will get groceries, a mental health issue like being alone, or how it will affect your finances – the council can help. Our Community Hub is still available to offer advice and support. Visit http://www.southwark.gov.uk/covidsupport for more information or contact the Community Hub at covidsupport@southwark.gov.uk or call 020 7525 5000. Alongside the support the council is providing, I will be continuing to urge Government to ensure that additional financial support is in place for individuals and local businesses who are affected by the restrictions.I know this is an unsettling time for residents and I want to say thank you for everything you are doing to help keep us all safe. The new restrictions will be very hard for us all, especially for those who have already sacrificed a great deal for the sake of their own health and that of others. However, it is so important that we act now, before the rates spiral out of control, and many more lives are needlessly lost. Thank you for helping to keep Southwark safe. Cllr Kieron Williams Leader of Southwark Council |
35% Campaign update – No room for social rent at Pocket Living on the Old Kent Road
| No room for social rent at Pocket Living on the Old Kent Road Oct 06, 2020 12:00 am 100% affordable housing, zero social rent, zero family housing -Southwark Council is set to approve a mixed-used residential scheme in the Old Kent Rd Opportunity Area with no social rented housing or family housing, at its planning committee meeting this evening.  The proposed development on Ossory Rd is for 105 units of housing, with light industrial space beneath this. All 105 units will be affordable housing, but of the most expensive type, sold at 80% market value. The applicant is Pocket Living, which specialises in maximising the amount of housing on small sites. All the homes will be one-bed, one person units, without family housing. This is the second such Pocket Living development in the area; the first, in Varcoe Rd had 57 units and a third, Credon House, also for 57 units is in the pipeline. Pocket Living make up their own rulesSouthwark Council requires 35% affordable housing, 70% of which should be social rented, on all developments of this size. This has been the case since 2007 and the requirement has been retained in a succession of local planning documents, up to the draft New Southwark Plan and the Old Kent Rd Area Action Plan. All major approved developments within the Old Kent Rd have pledged to deliver that amount.There should also be at least 20% family housing of 3, 4, 5-beds in major developments and 60% of should comprise 2-bed homes1.Pocket Living, however, want to make up their own rules. Their sites are small and it wishes to maximise the number of homes built, so they are all one -bed/one person units, though 10% of their occupants appear to be couples, with most units barely above the minimum size allowed (37 sq metres) 2.The amount of open and amenity space for occupants is also squeezed. In a development of this size there should be 1,050 sqm private amenity space, Pocket are providing a miniscule 42 sqm. Developers can compensate for a lack of private space with more communal space, but Pocket falls well short here, too, providing less than half the amount required (506 sqm instead of 1,058 sqm) 3 .Not that affordablePocket Living justify their radical departures from Southwark’s affordable housing requirements, by claiming they are serving the hard-pressed, young first-time buyer and supply their own statistics and census figures to back this up, dutifully reproduced by the officer’s report, which recommends approval of the scheme 4. The report also makes the confusing claim that the affordable housing offer is policy compliant: Buying a decent home in London is undoubtedly hard for the young professionals Pocket Living housing is squarely aimed at, but they are still relatively much better off than those excluded by the absence of social and family housing from Pocket Living developments. Pocket’s typical purchaser will have an average income of £44,000 (OR, Para 60), an income enjoyed by less than 4.5% of Southwark’s households. Pocket Living estimates that its homes will sell for approximately £300k each (with the 20% discount). Supplying homes at these prices to those who earn £44k per year, at the expense of those who earn barely half that is not what affordable housing should be about5. Density and un-exemplary designUnsurprisingly, given Pocket’s ambitions to maximise the number of units, they are proposing a scheme which is twice the density it should be, (at 2,333 habitable rooms per hectare against a maximum allowed of 1,100 hrph), justified on the basis of exemplary design. However, many of the measures for ‘exemplary’ design are not met – it does not have enough amenity space, there is no ‘predominance’ of dual aspect flats, it does not have any 2-bed or more flats, and the flats do not ‘significantly exceed minimum floor-space standards’ 6.Equality not a great considerationThe lack of social and family housing and the provision of all the homes as single bed units, targeted at middle income professionals, would also seem to have clear implications for the various social groups protected under equalities legislation. Southwark have a legal duty to consider this, but have not done so in any detail, content just to note of affordable housing, that there is ‘a high demand for such accommodation and a relatively high BAME population’ 7.Viability and the Bakerloo Line ExtensionThe officer’s report and recommendation for approval was written before press-reports that the Bakerloo Line extension has fallen down the list of priorities for Transport for London (TfL) and may not be built for many years. Pocket Living’s proposal is, according to themselves, technically non-viable and depends upon the delivery of the BLE to turn a profit (as do many other Old Kent Rd schemes) 8. There is no mention of a late stage review of the scheme’s viability, which removes the possibility of any improvement in the affordable housing offer, such as a greater discount in the selling price.The Mayor likes itWhile Pocket Living pretty much ignores Southwark’s own housing policy, so does the officer’s report to the planning committee, which notes the departures, but nonetheless recommends approval on other ‘material’ grounds. The report also cites the enthusiastic support of the Mayor (matching his enthusiasm for Build to Rent, another middle/upper income affordable housing tenure that sacrifices social rent)9.What we say…It is hard to see what this scheme brings to the Old Kent Rd, in housing terms. It has no social housing and no family housing. The affordable housing it does provide is of the most expensive kind. The scheme does not have the private and public space that it should have and it serves a very narrow demographic, while excluding broader sections of the community.Pocket Living would argue that the constraints of the site and the housing needs of a relatively well-off section of the community should outweigh these shortcomings, but Southwark’s local plan already addresses how much housing there should be for different income groups, with the overarching aim of building a mixed and cohesive community. Pocket Living simply ignores this, so the planning committee should reject this application.You can find the 35% Campaign objection to this development here. Footnotes:Southwark’s Core Strategy Strategic Policy 7 – Family homes, pg 86 ↩Officer Report Table pg 42 ↩Officer Report para 133,134,135 ↩Officer Report para 112 ↩New Southwark Plan Submission Version Jan 2020 Fig 2 ↩Officer Report para 118, 119 ↩Officer Report para 28 ↩Officer Report para 64, 65 ↩Officer Report para 229-237; 57 ↩Read in browser » Shopping Centre closes, but campaign for traders continuesSep 28, 2020 12:00 am Protesters mark the final day for Elephant shopping centre -The closure of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre last Thursday was marked by protest, impassioned speeches and widespread media coverage. The centre closed after 55 years’ service to the local community and is now set to be demolished, to make way for a new retail, leisure and residential complex. Shopping centre owner, Delancey, leads the development partnership behind the new scheme.  While the centre’s major stores had gradually left over the previous months, many of the independent businesses were trading up to the final day. The closure also brought the end for the market which occupied the centre’s ‘moat’, which numbered around 60 stalls just under 2 years ago when Southwark’s planning committee first considered developer Delancey’s proposals for the centre’s redevelopment.Only 40 traders have been relocated to three sites – Castle Square, Perronet House and Elephant Park – ‘leaving about 40 traders who have been trading at least since January 2019 (as per the s106 agreement) without alternative premises’. A major aim now of the traders and their supporters is to secure space that could double the number of relocated traders, with a proposal to the Mayor for new market stalls at the Elephant.Up the Elephant solidarityA large protest organised by the Up the Elephant campaign (which includes the 35% Campaign) marked the centre’s closure and commemorated the people who had worked there, many from for black and ethnic minorities, and its role as a social hub for the Latin American community in particular. The campaign has long fought against the demolition and Delancey’s redevelopment plans and while the centre’s fate was lamented, speakers also noted the gains that the campaign had made – more social housing, affordable retail space as well as new premises for some displaced traders, along with transition and relocation funding. What the Papers say…There was extensive press and media coverage of the closure and protest, including articles on the SE1 website, Southwark News, South London Press, South West Londoner, Morning Star, The Guardian (and here), the Justice Gap, Vice and the Spanish language Express News UK (and here) and the BBC’s Drivetime with Eddie Nestor. Amongst the comments from protest speakers highlighted in SE1 website were those from Patria Roman of Latin Elephant, a mainstay of the campaign, and trader Emad Megahed.Patria expressed her sadness at the closure of the shopping centre but noted that campaigning efforts had yielded improvements in the support provided by developers and the council to local traders.‘I am incredibly proud of all we achieved,’ she said.‘If today we can say that some traders have been relocated, it is because the campaigners fought fiercely. Everything they have is because campaigners fought for it. Nothing came for free.’Emad said – ‘I am so proud of my community. I am proud that my community stuck together – whatever nationality … we all speak the same language, the language of love, and sticking together as one. That’s the lesson we want to teach our kids.’The Guardian noted ‘the shadow of decades of underinvestment’and commented-‘rarely has a managed decline been so obvious, or so long-winded’adding-‘you don’t need to love the shopping centre as it is right now (or at all), or worry about what happens after its demolition to the meeting places, public spaces and social bonds it offers, …. to raise questions about who must leave and who can stay, when the developers arrive in town’. Southwark News also covers the rebuttal of Southwark Council and Delancey claims that nearly all traders have been satisfactorily relocated. It quotes Latin Elephant, which has profiled those turned down for new premises or unable to find appropriate space, and who say-‘Our research has been widely documented, and it was carried out independently with an effort to enforce transparency and accountability. This has been discussed several times with Southwark Council and Delancey. It is unacceptable to see the closure of the Shopping Centre with many traders still without relocation, so we will continue our advocacy work in a constructive way to support the local community.’The Mayor responds to traders’ proposalA day before the centre’s closure Mayor Sadiq Khan responded to the traders’ proposal for new market stalls to accommodate traders who have not been allocated new premises.Southwark News and The South London Press highlighted the response. The Mayor, quoted in the SLP, says ‘It is disappointing that a number of small businesses still don’t have the certainty they need….in general I would welcome any workable solution that would provide these businesses with the space they need to trade’ while cautioning that the traders’ proposal ‘would be subject to various planning and licensing consents’ making it ‘not appropriate’ to comment on the specific plans being presented.The traders’ proposal is supported by Florence Eshalomi MP, London Assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark, local councillor Maria Linforth-Hall and London Assembly members Caroline Pidgeon and Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate for Mayor. The Camberwell and Peckham Labour Party Constituency Party also passed a motion in support of the traders’ Proposal at their meeting last week.The traders and their supporters will now be building on this support to get new market stalls and kiosks for those traders without new premises and repair some of the damage done to their businesses and livelihoods, by the centre closure.Read in browser » Recent Articles:The Elephant traders who face the end without new homes Shopping Centre traders propose new stalls for the Elephant Southwark responds to shopping centre campaignersfollow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend 35% Campaign |
Covid-19: an update for Southwark residents
 Covid-19: what you need to knowCovid-19 numbers are rising rapidly in Southwark and across London. Sadly, the number of hospital admissions and deaths is also rising. It’s as important as ever that we all do everything we can to reduce the spread of the virus. Self-isolate and get tested if you have symptomsIf you have coronavirus symptoms you must self-isolate and get a free test.You are now legally required to self-isolate, if you’ve tested positive or been told to by the test and trace service. People who don’t self-isolate when required could now be fined. Keep washing your hands, social distancing and wear a face coveringIn addition to the new rules we must keep washing our hands regularly, keep our distance from others (and not meet with more than six people), and wear a face covering in shops and on transport.Businesses must display a contact tracing posterBusinesses and some other organisations must download and display a QR code poster for customers and visitors to support contract tracing.Download the Test and Trace appYou can now download the national test and trace app. The app has a number of features including alerting users if they have been near other app users who have tested positive for coronavirus. Find out more about the app.Most children are now back in schoolMost children in Southwark are now back at school and we want to say a big thank you to our schools, teachers and families who for working together to keep everyone safe. Where there have been some Covid-19 cases in schools, the bubble arrangements have worked well, and although we know having to isolate can be inconvenient for families, we are hugely grateful to everyone in helping to keep Southwark safe and stop the spread of Covid-19.Other updatesCheck out what’s on for Black History MonthThere’s a variety of online and Covid-secure offline activities happening for Black History Month.Hear four poems by award-winning poet Jenny Mitchell from her lost language collectionJoin borough archivist Dr Patricia Dark, in an exploration of the history of Southwark’s pre-Windrush Black community on 13 October (in a virtual event on Zoom)Celebrate Black history and submit a digital image for our Southwark Stands Together digital patchwork quiltSee all our Black History Month listings.Have your say on our prioritiesWe’ve drafted an updated council plan which sets out our priorities until May 2022. Have we got our priorities right? Give your views on our draft council plan by 20 October.Get your free flu jabIf you’re eligible, make sure you get your free flu vaccination to protect yourself and those around you from the flu virus. It’s more important than ever this year. Ask your pharmacist or GP today.Get help to quit smokingIf you’re trying to stop smoking this October, you can get free online and telephone support to help you quit smoking for good.Have you seen the giant mural on Old Kent Road?Proposition Studios at Surrey Wharf is transforming a corner of Old Kent Road with an amazing, temporary work of art, ahead of redevelopment.Could you foster a child?If you have a spare room and have a flexible job, and if you’re energetic and a good listener, you could consider becoming a foster carer. Give your views on Victory ParkGive your views on three designs for Victory Park, near the Elephant and Castle. If you’d like play areas, an outdoor gym, table tennis, picnic benches and more, complete our survey by 23 October.An update on the Bakerloo Line extensionSouthwark and Lewisham councils remain fully committed to the Bakerloo Line extension, following TfL’s announcement regarding funding. Read the joint statement.Housing updates:Work with us on our Great Estates programmeGreat Estates is about celebrating our council estates, encouraging integration, making them clean, safe and cared for, and a great place to live. Let us know your views on our commitments and the ones we’d like you to make at by 18 October.Nominate yourself to become your local housing forum chairIf you live in a council home you can nominate yourself to be chair of your local housing forum. This will help make sure meetings are relevant and shaped by residents. Experience in chairing meetings is not necessary as training and support will be given. Nominate yourself to represent your housing forum in the tenants’ or homeowners’ forum You can now also nominate yourself to represent your local forum at the new tenants’ or homeowners’ forum. This might be for you, if you are able to commit to attend about nine evening meetings a year. You don’t need to have previous experience as we will offer free training and support. |
VAWG (violence against women and girls Consultation
The Safer Communities Team is seeking the views and experiences of service users/survivors of all forms of VAWG (violence against women and girls). This will help them shape future services from April 2022.
As part of this process, an online survey is now live on the consultation hub via the following link:
https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/violence-against-women-and-girls-services
I ask that you complete if you can. The closing date is Monday 5 October, 20.
Judy Wills
Empowering Communities Programme Officer
North West Area (Borough & Bankside, Chaucer, London Bridge & West Bermondsey and St George’s)
Communities Division| Environment & Leisure Department
160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH
Black History Month 2020
In Southwark, Black History Month has been celebrated for over 25 years with a programme of inspirational events and workshops throughout October. Every year schools, libraries, groups and organisations host events, many of which are funded by our grants programme.
The theme for this year is Celebrating Black Voices, Celebrating Black History.
This year all BHM event details will be uploaded directly to the council’s Southwark Presents listings website.
There will be no printed or downloadable PDF brochures.
Centre closes, but campaign continues
| Dear Friend Many thanks to all of you who joined us on our great protest to mark the closure of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre last Thursday. The large crowd marched round the shopping centre and heard impassioned and heart-felt speeches from Latin Elephant’s Patria Roman and shopping centre trader Emad Megahed, both mainstays of the Up the Elephant campaign. The protest and closure drew widespread media coverage, with articles in the SE1 website, Southwark News, South London Press, South West Londoner, Morning Star, The Guardian (and an opinion piece), the Justice Gap, Vice and the Spanish language Express News UK (and here) and the BBC’s Drivetime with Eddie Nestor. See More photos of the protest here  Thank’s to Emile for photo What next….. While the centre has closed the campaign in support of the traders continues. The day before the centre’s closure Mayor Sadiq Khan responded to the traders proposal to the Mayor for new market stalls at the Elephant to accommodate traders who have not been allocated new premises. The Mayor has said ‘It is disappointing that a number of small businesses still don’t have the certainty they need….in general I would welcome any workable solution that would provide these businesses with the space they need to trade’. The traders’ proposal is supported by Florence Eshalomi MP, London Assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark, local councillor Maria Linforth Hall and London Assembly members Caroline Pidgeon and Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate for Mayor. The Camberwell and Peckham Constituency Labour Party also passed a motion in support of the traders’ Proposal at their meeting last week. The traders and their supporters will now be building on this support to get new market stalls and kiosks for those traders without new premise and repair some of the damage done to their businesses and livelihoods, by the centre closure. You can read more here. Regards Jerry Copyright © 2020 Elephant Amenity Network, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Elephant Amenity Network 18 Market Place Blue Anchor Lane London, Southwark SE16 3UQ United Kingdom |
message from Cllr Kieron Williams, the new Leader of Southwark Council
| Dear resident It is an honour to be elected as Leader of Southwark Council. As Leader, I want to work with everyone in Southwark to keep building a better future and unlocking the amazing potential I see in every part of our community. Never has that potential been clearer than during this pandemic. Seeing volunteers, frontline workers, public services, charities, faith groups and businesses all step up together has been truly inspiring. I want to thank you all for the part you have played. Your actions have shown incredible strength and resilience. Sadly the pandemic is far from over and our continued response to COVID-19 remains our top priority. Cases and hospital admissions are rising across London and much of the UK. If action isn’t taken quickly, we risk seeing another dramatic rise in hospitalizations and, tragically, deaths. I welcome the additional restrictions that have been introduced this week – further information about these is below – and I have joined the Mayor of London in calling for further targeted restrictions in London to help keep us all safe.Although COVID-19 is the most pressing and urgent issue we face, it is not our only challenge. The unequal impact of the pandemic on different communities has shone a light on wider inequalities and injustice in our society. My ambition as Leader is to unite communities in Southwark so we can break down that inequality, and not just rebuild from the crisis, but build something better. A Southwark where everyone has a home, where everyone can get a decent job, where we end our carbon emissions and where everyone is empowered to make the best of their life. I look forward to working with you to continue to build a better future for the people of Southwark. Thank you and stay safe. Kieron Update on new Covid-19 rules This week the government announced a tightening of Covid restrictions in a number of areas and also launched its new Test and Trace app. Self-isolating is a legal requirement from 28 September From 28 September you are legally required to self-isolate, if you’ve tested positive or been told to by the test and trace service. People who don’t self-isolate when required could now be fined. If you need to self-isolate and you’re on a low income and can’t work from home, you may be eligible for £500 hardship payment. We are waiting for further details from the government about how this will work. New rules for pubs, restaurants and shops Some businesses need to follow updated rules where appropriate. This includes shop staff wearing face coverings, and pubs and restaurants closing by 10pm and implementing table service only. Businesses must display a contact tracing poster Businesses and some other organisations must download and display a QR code poster for customers and visitors to support contract tracing. Download the Test and Trace app You can now download the national test and trace app. The app has a number of features including alerting users if they have been near other app users who have tested positive for coronavirus. Find out more about the app. Changes for indoor sports and weddings Indoor team sports can now only be played by a maximum of six people. Weddings can now only have a maximum of 15 guests. Keep washing your hands, social distancing and wear a face covering In addition to the new rules we must keep washing our hands regularly, keep our distance from others (and not meet with more than six people), and wear a face covering in shops and on transport. Self-isolate and get tested if you have symptoms If you have coronavirus symptoms you must self-isolate and get a free test. |
35% Campaign update – The Elephant traders who face the end without new homes
| Latest blog update on regeneration in Southwark The Elephant traders who face the end without new homes Sep 22, 2020 12:00 am Only 40 traders ‘found new premises’ as centre closure looms -Shopping centre developer Delancey and Southwark Council have mounted a desperate defence of their failed trader’ relocation strategy, with a joint statement claiming that all qualifying businesses have been relocated or offered relocation options ‘without question’. The centre is due to close on Thursday. The very same joint statement reveals, however, that only 40 traders have actually been found new premises through the relocation process, a fraction of the approximately 130 independent businesses identified in January 2018 by Southwark, as operating at the Elephant 1. Much of the rest of the joint statement is a lengthy account of how this much larger figure has been was reduced to just forty traders through the relocation process. The statement also outlines ‘options’ available to the unfortunate traders who have nowhere to go and makes self-justifying excuses for this miserable outcome.  The joint statement also attacks what it calls ‘uncorroborated statistics’, which show that at least 40 traders will have nowhere to go when the centre closes, and online ‘misinformation’. This is clearly aimed at the Up the Elephant campaign, including the 35% Campaign and, in particular, Latin Elephant, who have worked tirelessly to support the traders. Latin Elephant has issued its own rebuttal, noting that Delancey and Southwark have now themselves admitted in the joint statement that only 40 traders have been found new premises, ‘leaving about 40 traders who have been trading at least since January 2019 (as per the s106 agreement) without alternative premises’. Latin Elephant’s rebuttal also includes links to all the supporting research evidence on the fate of traders, through the regeneration process. This research names the independent businesses, maps their location and gives relevant dates. Who gets to be eligible? As Latin Elephant explains, while 130 independent businesses were recognised by Southwark as operating within the red-line of the development in January 2018 (the date of the first hearing for the shopping centre planning application), Delancey and Southwark take only 79 ‘eligible’ businesses as the base-line in their account of the relocation process, excluding many long-standing businesses. Delancey and Southwark then whittle the 79 ‘eligible’ businesses down to forty businesses, in successive stages– 64 applications received, 61 valid, 40 found new premises. (Southwark has acknowledged on its website that there are 33 eligible traders remaining without a relocation offer, but that is not mentioned in the joint statement). The ‘options’ for those not awarded premises are to search for somewhere else themselves, through a commercial premises database. If they do not find anywhere, they will receive payments of around £8000. The inadequacy of these ‘options’ hardly needs stating. The database has been a constant source of frustration to traders, who have criticised it for being out of date and listing premises that are simply too expensive and too far away. An £8000 payment is also very little compensation for the loss of a livelihood, built up over many years and a long way short of what is needed to re-establish a business; one of our previous blogposts has the stories of traders of up to 20 years standing who are in this situation.  No commitments Delancey and Southwark’s joint statement also takes pains to say that there was never a commitment to relocate all the traders. This is shamefully true – it is to Southwark’s great discredit that it ignored evidence from Latin Elephant that this situation was bound to arise, because there was only half the space required for a proper trader relocation in Delancey’s redevelopment plans, but Southwark went ahead and approved the plans nonetheless. Notwithstanding the lack of a formal commitment, Southwark still created the impression that all traders would be accommodated; when asked directly by councillors at the planning meeting for Castle Sq, one of the relocation sites, whether ‘given all of the different site…does that cover…enough sites for all of the current number of traders…..How many short would we be roughly?’ council officers replied ‘…across the piste there should be sufficient’. By their own testimonies traders also confirm that they have been strung along with false hopes of relocation space throughout the relocation process. Stall-holders do it for themselves Faced with the loss of their businesses the market stallholders who occupy the ‘moat’ that surrounds the shopping centre have banded together to draft a Proposal for more market stalls at the Elephant, after the centre’s closure. The Proposal was received by Florence Eshalomi, London Assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark, who met the traders at City Hall, gave strong support and undertook to take up the matter with Mayor Sadiq Khan. Local councillor Cllr Maria Linforth-Hall also met the traders and is giving her support, as are Assembly members Caroline Pidgeon and Sian Berry, Assembly Member and the Green Party candidate for Mayor.  The Camberwell and Peckham Labour Party Constituency Party also passed a motion in support of the traders’ Proposal at their meeting last week. …while UAL looks after itself Sadly, the University of the Arts London (UAL) has not felt able to help the traders, nearly all of whom come from black and ethnic minority backgrounds and despite its professed commitment to Black Lives Matter. In letters received by Southwark Law Centre UAL declines to either withdraw from the shopping centre redevelopment which will supply it with a new campus for the London College of Communication on the very spot traders now occupy, nor to offer support for the traders’ Proposals for additional market stalls. UAL is instead happy to take Southwark and Delancey’s assurances that all traders are being properly treated at face value. Division and attrition Southwark and Delancey’s treatment of the people who actually work at the Elephant now can be summed up as ‘division and attrition’. The relocation strategy and traders’ participation in decisions on their future were only put in place after Delancey had gained planning committee approval for their scheme. Latin Elephant’s advocacy on behalf of all the BAME traders was also resisted. The s106 legal agreement (negotiated between Southwark, Delancey and UAL), which determines who was ‘eligible’ and who was ineligible for relocation support uses formal criteria around leases and licences that do not reflect the way the community has developed over the years. Alongside this, the decline in footfall and in the physical fabric of the centre led to a decline in trade that unsurprisingly meant that traders left before the centre’s closure, wearied beyond hope by the whole ‘regeneration’ process. For Southwark and Delancey this is all part of the natural process of regeneration and relocating just 40 out of 130 traders is a triumph to be proud of. For the traders and the campaigners who support them it is deplorable outcome which exposes the hollow promise that the Elephant and Castle regeneration is providing a ‘fairer future’ for the local community.  Southwark Council’s Planning Framework for E&C regeneration.Going, but not forgotten… You can see a short valedictory film, by Emile Scott Burgoyne, celebrating the Elephant community here. See joint statement, heading ‘Who is being relocated?’, first bullet point. ↩ Read in browser » Recent Articles: Shopping Centre traders propose new stalls for the Elephant Southwark responds to shopping centre campaigners The shopping centre traders expelled by regeneration Campaigners demand that UAL withdraws from shopping centre development. follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend 35% Campaign |
