Darren Johnson, Emilie Turunen MEP and Jean Lambert MEP in Deptford

Jean Lambert, Green MEP for London, and the European Parliament's youngest MEP, Emilie Turunen, met with the Young Mayor of Lewisham on Friday, before travelling to Westminster to discuss Emilie's draft report on Youth Unemployment in the EU with a group of experts on the issue.

Over 5.5 million young people in the EU under 25 were unemployed in December 2009, the equivalent to 21.4 percent of all young people. Emilie's draft report, which was produced for the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, calls for a promotion of youth access to the labour market and a strengthening of trainee, internship and apprenticeship status.

As a fellow member of the committee, and a longstanding campaigner for worker's rights, Jean was keen to pledge her support and joined Emilie, 25, in meeting the Young Mayor of Lewisham, Jacob Sakil, at the Civic Suite, Lewisham Town Hall. The pair then travelled to Deptford, where they were joined by Darren Johnson AM, to discuss youth unemployment with representatives from The Albany arts venue.

Jean said: "Youth unemployment is one of the most acute problems facing Europe today, while Lewisham has one of the highest rates of unemployed under 25s in inner London, so I welcome the opportunity to draw attention to this worrying trend by backing Emilie's comprehensive draft report.

"This chronic problem has far-reaching consequences, from the increase in welfare costs to the erosion of the tax system, with young victims of the recession more at risk of long-term social exclusion and health problems.

"In response to this challenge I strongly support Emilie's call for Member States to work together to produce a coherent strategy of educational, financial, and social policies."

Emilie, who represents the Danish Socialist People's Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti, SF) in the European Parliament, added: "Let's put youth at the top of the political agenda. Let's take up this challenge. Let's turn Generation Lost to Generation Hope."

Darren Johnson, Green parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford, unveiled his party's plans for dental health this week.

Darren said:
"Many people in Lewisham struggle to find an NHS dentist, and those that are lucky enough to be registered often struggle to afford the charges.

I believe in the founding principles of the NHS, and that includes free access to an NHS dentist for everyone who wants it.

The Greens would guarantee free basic dental care available to all, and would focus on proper education for parents and children on how to look after their teeth, rather than relying on fluoridation of tap water.

It's the right policy for Lewisham, especially for people with young families, and I'm proud to support it."

The Green Party's dental health policy, in summary:

1. Currently, only half the UK population is provided with free dental healthcare. NHS dentistry charges are a regressive tax: they hit the poor hardest and prevent many from accessing dental care.

2. Access to dentists should not depend on where you live. But getting access to an NHS dentist is difficult and there is wide variation across the country:

* Between 55% and 60% of NHS practices are not taking new NHS patients.
* Some Primary Care Trusts have no NHS dentists taking on new patients.

Most areas have around 55 dentists per 100,000 people. But some have as few as 25, while others have over 100.

3. Less than half of the UK adult population and only around two thirds of children are visiting NHS dentists. The percentage of children who have visited NHS dentists within the previous 24 months has fallen in recent years - a worrying sign.

4. Some areas have opted for the addition of fluoridation chemicals to tap water in a bid improve dental health. The Green Party says:

· The use of fluoridated water to improve dental health is not a viable solution - it's more like "sticking plaster with side effects".

· Any (slight) benefit from fluoride in drinking water has to be weighed against the increased risk of osteosarcoma and dental fluorosis.

· Mass medication may breach the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine - it's unethical to medicate people without their consent.

· The use of fluoridation demonstrates a failure to tackle the underlying problems of dental health provision.

5. The Green Party wants:

· Free basic dental care available to all.

· Everyone to have access to an NHS dentist if they want one.

· An end to fluoridation of our tap water.

· A comprehensive dental health strategy including proper education for children and their parents.

6. Assuming that some people will wish to remain private, to provide free dental care to 75% of the population would only cost the NHS an extra £1.8 billion a year.

The Brockley Assembly has submitted a formal ‘statement of community views' asking for Coulgate Street to be made pedestrian-friendly and allowed to host to a regular street market. 

At the same time, the Brockley Cross Action Group is gathering a petition in support of changes to the street, which provides access to Brockley station.

The Mayor will consider the recommendation at a meeting of Mayor & Cabinet on 3 March. 

Ward councillor Dean Walton, who has campaigned for the changes, said:

"Coulgate Street has so much potential, with lots of footfall from rail commuters, but pedestrians and cars currently compete for space and footpaths are in a poor state. With the right changes, taking into account the wishes of businesses, residents and commuters, it could become the community focal point that Brockley deserves.

We also need Transport for London to listen to the frustrations of local people and ensure that there is street level access out of Brockley station from platform 2. It is ridiculous to expect all passengers to cram through the tiny ticket hall during rush hour."

The Assembly's statement asks that the Mayor considers "supporting the people of Brockley to develop Coulgate Street as a pedestrian-friendly, shared-surface street where a regular street market can be held and the many commuters and shoppers that use it can do so in safety and pleasure".

Notes to editor
The 3 March Mayor and Cabinet agenda can be found here.

Brockley Ward councillor Darren Johnson, who is also the Green Party's MP candidate for Lewisham Deptford, has been joined by local trader Michele Henare in demanding proper controls on speeding traffic along Brockley Road.

The call was made after Cllr Johnson and residents showed council officers around the area to make sure their concerns were heard.

Darren Johnson said:

"Council officers have told us there is money available for road safety improvements on Brockley Road and it must be spent wisely. At the moment parts of Brockley Road is 20mph and parts are 30mph. It is totally confusing for drivers and we need a properly enforced and well-signposted 20mph zone along the whole stretch. We need this now, before more lives are lost."

Michele Henare, proprietor of the Toad's Mouth café, said:

"I've witnessed two pedestrian fatalities right outside the café and I can't bear the thought of another. Traffic goes too fast along Brockley Road and we need better enforcement and clearer signage to make drivers slow down."

From 1 March grounds maintenance workers in Lewisham's parks will be paid at least £7.60 an hour, lifting them out of the poverty pay trap.

It represents the first step in a fundamental shake-up of pay levels for those providing outsourced council services.

Lewisham Green Party councillors had waged a near two-year campaign for the fair-pay guarantee, beginning with a May 2008 motion which won cross-party support.

It called for companies providing out-sourced council services to pay employees at least the London Living Wage - higher than the national minimum wage, which is too low to make ends meet in the capital.

The resulting policy is unprecedented in London. It means companies competing for contracts are asked to provide two bids, with one priced to include fair pay for employees. The council can then, if it is prepared to fund the cost, choose the higher-cost, fair-pay deal.

Workers employed directly by the council already receive at least the London Living Wage, but contract workers have enjoyed no such guarantee.

Green Party Group leader Cllr Darren Johnson said:

"From now on when you are enjoying one of Lewisham's parks, you will know those working to maintain it for you are not paid poverty wages.

"Greens began this fight for fair pay almost two years ago. Now historically low-paid workers and their families will finally see the result in their pay slips.

"The current minimum to get by in London is £7.60 an hour, so this contract is a blow against the working poverty trap too many families find themselves in.

"This is a milestone, not an end to our campaign. We want the same fair deal for the caterers, cleaners and carers the council and community depend upon, and we will fight on for that investment."

The London Living Wage is the amount calculated by the GLA's Low Pay Unit as the minimum needed to escape poverty in London, and is periodically updated to reflect changing costs of living.

The unique fair-pay contract for grounds maintenance across the borough, awarded to Glendale, begins on 1 March and will last for 10 years.

As contracts for other outsourced services expire and have to be retendered, other low-paid workers will benefit from a living wage if the council decides to put the money in, meaning the grounds maintenance pay deal should not be a one-off.

The Green Party Group said council officers should be commended for working hard to make the policy work. They added that they wanted to see the policy extended to the council's local public sector partners such as Lewisham Hospital.

ENDS

Notes to editor

The Greens' May 2008 motion read:

This council:

• supports the establishment of the London Living Wage, set at a level calculated by the Living Wage Unit to avoid poverty wages being paid in the capital;
• abhors the fact that around 400,000 Londoners continue to fall into a ‘working poverty trap' because their families are paid less than required to fund the basic costs of living in London;
• calls on the Mayor of Lewisham to review Lewisham Council's procurement, contract and best value policies to ensure that, as far as possible within UK and EU law, the London Living Wage, at the level set by the GLA's Living Wage Unit, is the minimum paid by Lewisham Council and by its contractors; and
• calls on the Mayor to seek commitments from Lewisham's partners in the Local Strategic Partnership to pay no less than the London Living Wage

The footpaths on Hilly Fields have been used for the Brockley Fun Run for the last two years, but have become riddled with cracks and subsidence despite long-standing pleas for repairs.

Green Party councillors presented a petition to the council almost two years ago, in May 2008.

Now Green councillor Sue Luxton is demanding a progress update in a formal question at the next full council meeting on 1 March.

Cllr Luxton said:

"The Brockley Cross Action Group has done a brilliant job organising the fun run each year, with hundreds participating and still more cheering them on, and valuable funds raised for improvements to the neighbourhood.

"But they are rightly concerned that the route must be safe and not cause twisted ankles or worse. We need to know what progress is being made to find the cash for repairs so preparations for the 2010 event can go smoothly."

Cllr Luxton's question reads:

"For the past two years Brockley Cross Action Group have organised a popular and well-attended Fun Run on Hilly Fields. However this year they are so concerned about the state of the footpaths on Hilly Fields that they fear it will be unsafe to do so. Obviously, this is very disappointing for the many local residents who take part in this event. This is a long-standing concern, as you know, and Cllr Keogh presented a petition to you about this back in May 2008. Please could you provide an update on what progress has been made since then with identifying funding to resurface the footpaths on Hilly Fields?"

Lewisham's Green councillors said the 3% January leap in Jobseekers Allowance claimants in the borough underlined the urgent need for a ‘fair deal' budget package for residents.

A crucial council budget-setting meeting on 1 March will vote on the Greens' proposal to:

• Pay workers including cleaners and carers at least £7.60 per hour to lift them and their families out of the ‘working poverty trap'

• Slash home fuel bills by £1.7m per year [3] and create dozens of jobs for plumbers, fitters and builders through free home insulation for more than 25,000 homes

• Expand the team which targets fraudsters who prey on vulnerable consumers, an increased threat during recessions

The Greens warned action was needed urgently because Labour and Tory plans to cut public services after the election will hit Lewisham workers particularly hard, as the public sector is the borough's biggest employer.

Green Party Group leader Cllr Darren Johnson said:

"The so-called recovery is not being felt in Lewisham, where more people are looking for work, many people's hourly pay is too little to get by on and household bills are rising.

"This hurts local residents doing their best to make ends meet, so we are putting forward a fair-deal budget package which targets these problems.

"Raising people's pay above poverty levels is fair full stop, and will free up money for spending in local high streets. Slashing home fuel bills through free insulation will do the same as well as creating jobs for trades people and keeping pensioners warm. I urge other parties and the Mayor to vote for this fair deal."

Green Group budget spokesperson Cllr Ute Michel added:

"Now is not the time to freeze investment and risk falling back into recession, it is the time to make smart investments in the fundamentals, namely jobs, homes and pay."

Green Group budget proposal details:

• More than £700k to pay low-paid contract workers at least the London Living Wage of £7.60 per hour, the amount calculated by City Hall's Low Pay Unit as the minimum necessary to live in London.
• £5m council contribution to a £10m project, in partnership with an energy company, to provide free loft insulation, cavity-wall insulation or boiler jackets to 25,000 private sector homes. The Energy Savings Trust estimated this would create at least 50 local jobs, save local people £1.7m per year and cause "massive improvement in fuel poverty" [3]. Plus £1.5m to insulate hard-to-treat solid-wall council homes.
• £1m interest-free loan fund for householders to fit renewable energy equipment.
• £500k fund for council to buy empty homes to bring them back into use.
• Funding for part-time senior enforcement officer in Trading Standards, to help the team fight rogue traders, counterfeiters and predatory lenders following repeated cuts to the unit in recent years (£22k).
• Maintain the Local Assemblies' guaranteed spending power at £35k per ward each year on an ongoing basis, giving them stability and greater potential with a predictable funding base. Funded by ending the ad hoc Mayor's Fund and putting the cash into the Assemblies' Locality Fund year after year (currently only £10k are guaranteed).

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. For latest Jobseekers Allowance claimant count published 17.2.10, go to http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15084. Shows 9,342 Lewisham claimants in January 2010, up from 9,066 in December 2009.
2. Job creation and savings figures given by the Energy Savings Trust in its presentation to the Sustainable Development overview and scrutiny committee review, 10.6.09, p28 - available on request

Local councillor Dean Walton has launched his bid to become the first Green Mayor of Lewisham.

Dean, who was elected as a councillor for Brockley in 2006, said:

"Many people in Lewisham are struggling with unemployment, low wages, inadequate housing and a council that doesn't do enough to help them live a greener lifestyle. As Mayor, I will push for policies that make Lewisham a better place to live by offering people the help they need.

Support for the Green Party in the borough has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years, with more councillors getting elected and now the very real prospect of a Green MP for Lewisham Deptford. There has never been a better time to vote Green in Lewisham."

Dean's campaign for the Mayoral election on May 6th is supported by London Green MEP Jean Lambert, who joined him today on the steps of Lewisham Town Hall.

Jean said:

"The dedication, diligence and attention to detail Dean has brought to his work as a councillor make him an excellent candidate for Mayor.

Greens on Lewisham council have successfully fought against cuts to essential services, they have secured a living wage for low-paid council workers, and they continue to push for a scheme to provide free home insulation for every household in Lewisham. If this is what can be achieved by half a dozen councillors, imagine what a Green Mayor could do for the people of Lewisham."

As Mayor of Lewisham, Dean's priorities will include:

• free insulation for every home to cut fuel bills and save energy
• ensuring 50% affordable housing in new developments
• borough-wide recycling of kitchen and garden waste
• no cuts to social care support for elderly and disabled people
• expansion of the operating hours of Safer Neighbourhoods teams to ensure more visible community policing
• an extensive programme of tree-planting across the borough
• working to keep new and existing schools in local authority control

NOTES TO EDITORS

The results of last year's European elections, in terms of votes across the borough, were as follows:

Labour - 26.26% (DOWN 6.43%)

Green - 17.79% (UP 5.18%)

Conservative - 15.91% (DOWN 0.37%)

Lib Dem - 13.57% (DOWN 1.93%)

An endorsement of the plan by a local disability group this month helped persuade councillors it would boost democracy if those who can't attend in person could watch their representatives online.

The motion called on the Mayor to set out a timetable for webcasts and podcasts if the costs are reasonable.

Green Party Group leader Cllr Darren Johnson said afterwards:

"I am very pleased with the cross-party endorsement of this Green Party idea. The council has a great deal of power but too few people see it taking and debating important decisions, even when they care deeply about the issues.

"Putting our meetings online will make us all more accessible to busy residents with work commitments, childcare and caring duties, as well as those with disabilities.

"We already have the technology in place to webcast and podcast our meetings, so I expect the costs will be reasonable and I hope to see a timetable in place soon."

The successful motion read:

This council:

• Believes webcasting or podcasting would strengthen equality, access and open democracy by making meetings more accessible for residents with disabilities, residents who are unwell and residents whose family, caring or work responsibilities make attendance impossible;
• Notes that webcasting or podcasting of council meetings is increasingly used by other local authorities and that Lewisham Council is developing a new web platform which has the capability for webcasting or podcasting;
• Calls for the webcasting or podcasting and archiving of full council meetings to be introduced in Lewisham, as well as of planning committee meetings and Mayor & Cabinet meetings where feasible; and
• Calls on the Mayor to commission a report setting out a comparison with other authorities experience, and the costs and, where these are reasonable, a timetable for implementation.

Notes to editor

Campaign for Independent Living in Lewisham endorsed the webcasting proposal in its January 2010 issue of Disability Review, in which it wrote:

"Many disabled people cannot get to meetings for many different reasons - the issue of transport is a real concern and restricts many, others can't sit in meetings or can't get out of their homes, some need to be accompanied (and can't arrange it) or are too fatigued by the evening. Likewise carers often cannot get to meetings because of their caring responsibilities.

"The right to active citizenship is something the Disability Movement has long argued for and government policy supports this yet many of us cannot get to council meetings - surely if we are ever to have equality of citizenship we must be able to access the democratic process and follow issues that are being debated and decisions that are being made that will affect our lives."

Green Party councillor Ute Michel had formally asked the deputy mayor whether the rule would be considered in Lewisham following concerns that 25% of Year 6 children in the borough are obese and 40% overweight.

Such a policy has been in place since last year in Waltham Forest in a bid to beat childhood obesity - but Lewisham has even more overweight young people than the east London borough.

Barking & Dagenham council is consulting on a similar plan.

Green Party councillor Ute Michel said:

"I am pleased with this sensible response. Next steps should look carefully at lessons from Waltham Forest, which already has health-focused rules on junk food takeaways at the school gate, and then at what is right for Lewisham.

"The Greens would insist on real consultation so local people can shape any new policy - or, of course, reject it.

"Lewisham has one of the worst child obesity problems in the capital, a problem causing lifelong chronic health problems and a toll on stretched NHS resources. It is right to consider new ways to tackle this, including the use of planning policies to meet the community's wider goals."

Deputy Mayor Heidi Alexander told the meeting of full council on 27 January that "if justified a new policy will be included in the forthcoming development plan".

She agreed with the principle that planning policies could be one tool for achieving wider social objectives, adding: "This policy could consider health issues in addition to the more conventional planning criteria."

Text of the question and reply at 27 January full council:

Question by Councillor Michel of the Deputy Mayor

Will measures be considered including exclusion zones around schools and leisure centres, and caps on numbers, to restrict hot food takeaway outlets in the interests of public health in Lewisham?

Reply

At present the planning policy to control hot food takeaway outlets is set out in the adopted Unitary Development Plan (UDP 2004). These policies are based on the size of the shopping area and provide criteria for considering the acceptability of a take away in the various shopping areas. The criteria are based on conventional land use planning considerations and related to matters such as harm to adjoining property, the harm to the character, attractiveness, vitality and viability of the shopping area. While these policies can be used to restrict take away outlets no mention is made of adverse health issues or location to schools or leisure centres.

The UDP is being replaced with the new local development framework and this provides the opportunity to revisit all our UDP policies including those relating to take away facilities. Some councils have provided supplementary planning guidance (SPG) to adopted policy, to elaborate on the implementation of established policy. While this would be possible, it is not recommended in Lewisham as the UDP policies will be replaced and it is better to include the new policies in new development plan documents.

While many councils have policies or SPG to restrict hot food take away establishments, the planning service is only aware of one Council, Waltham Forest, who have made specific reference in their SPG to health issues as part of the criteria to be considered. This is in addition to the more conventional planning criteria that looks at amenity issues including concentration of particular uses and clustering of particular uses and traffic and safety issues.

Any LDF policy will need to be evidence based and be defended at a public enquiry. This matter will be further investigated and if justified a new policy will be included in the forthcoming development management development plan document. This policy could consider health issues in addition to the more conventional planning criteria. It is not thought appropriate just to rely on health criteria to limit the provision of take away units. If a 400 metre exclusion zone was thought appropriate (as included in Waltham forest SPG) around schools this would need to be mapped and the implications carefully considered.

The proposal was prompted by figures showing more than 40 per cent of local children are obese or overweight by the time they reach Year 6. Green Party councillor Ute Michel will press the Mayor for an answer on the proposal at the next council meeting on 27 January.

A similar policy was introduced in Waltham Forest last year and is being considered in Barking & Dagenham - both boroughs where the problem of overweight youngsters is less severe than in Lewisham.

In Lewisham, 10.6% of reception class children are obese - but this rises to 25.3% in Year 6 children. The Year 6 figure for England is 18.3%. [3]

Cllr Michel has tabled a question for the Mayor, which reads:

"Will you consider using measures including exclusion zones around schools and leisure centres, and caps on numbers, to restrict hot food takeaway outlets in the interests of public health in Lewisham?"

Putting the idea into action would mean writing a special town planning policy to create the new restrictions.

The Greens said it should be combined with a drive to help existing takeaways reduce the salt, fat and sugar content of their food.

Green Party councillor Ute Michel said:

"These figures show our children's health actually gets far worse, not better, during their school careers. During that time they are in the care of the council and schools, so we cannot pretend it is not our problem.

"Despite progress in making school meals healthier and teaching about healthy diets, takeaways are fuelling junk food culture just outside the school gate and undoing much of that good work.

"The cost to the NHS and our children's health is huge, so if the council has powers to help, we should consider using them, as well as helping takeaways offer healthy choices on their menus."

Barking & Dagenham is considering a new policy which would allow it to:

• Refuse planning permission for any hot food takeaway within 400m of a school.
• Prevent further concentration of hot food takeaways in town centres and retail parades.
• Seek a £1,000 levy from any new hot food takeaway outlet which requires planning permission. This money will be spent exclusively on initiatives to combat obesity.

Waltham Forest already restricts takeaways so they cannot open within 400m of schools, youth centres, after-school clubs or parks. It applies to chicken shops, fish and chip shops, pizza places, Chinese, Indian and other takeaways, kebab shops and drive-throughs.

Notes to editor

1. Waltham Forest's policy (page 14).

2. Barking & Dagenham's proposed policy.

3. See the London Health Observatory's report ‘Weighty Matters', pp2&3.

A call to broadcast Lewisham council meetings on the internet has won the backing of a disability group ahead of a vote on the issue.

Campaign for Independent Living in Lewisham praised the idea in the January 2010 edition of its magazine, after it was proposed by Green Party councillors.

CILL wrote in ‘Disability Review':

"Many disabled people cannot get to meetings for many different reasons - the issue of transport is a real concern and restricts many, others can't sit in meetings or can't get out of their homes, some need to be accompanied (and can't arrange it) or are too fatigued by the evening. Likewise carers often cannot get to meetings because of their caring responsibilities.

"The right to active citizenship is something the Disability Movement has long argued for and government policy supports this yet many of us cannot get to council meetings - surely if we are ever to have equality of citizenship we must be able to access the democratic process and follow issues that are being debated and decisions that are being made that will affect our lives."

CILL estimates there are around 30,000 disabled people in the borough, plus carers.

A Green Party motion has been tabled for the next full meeting of Lewisham Council on 27 January.

It says webcasting is an issue of ‘open democracy', making meetings more accessible to busy residents with work commitments, childcare and caring duties, as well as those with disabilities.

The motion calls on the Mayor to investigate costs and set out a timetable for putting meetings online.

The vote was originally scheduled to take place in November 2009, but Labour councillors voted to reorder the agenda, causing all non-Labour motions to run out of time.

Green Party Group leader Cllr Darren Johnson said:

"There is clearly support for this from people who want to take part in the democratic process and see politicians making the big decisions that affect their lives, but cannot because of disability, work or childcare duties.

"This is an important proposal which people want to see discussed and decided. I hope all councillors recognise this and do not block the debate a second time."

Greens argued that webcasting council meetings would not only open up local democracy to more people, but could improve politicians' standards of debate and behaviour. They suggested local newspapers could carry footage on their own websites.

Other local authorities which already webcast council meetings include:

· Kirklees Metropolitan District Council

· Bristol City Council

· Essex County Council (www.essexcc.ukcouncil.net/site/)

· Waverley District Council (www.waverley.ukcouncil.net/site/webcasts.php)

· Whitehill Town Council (parish) (www.whitehilltowncouncil.gov.uk/council-information/council-meetings)

· Tendring District Council - sound only (www.tendringdc.gov.uk/TendringDC/Council/Council+Meetings/Full+Council+Recordings.htm)

· Brighton and Hove City Council (www.brighton-hove.public-i.tv/site/)

· Lancashire County Council (www.lancashire.ukcouncil.net/site/webcasts.php)

· Stroud District Council

· London Borough of Camden (www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/council-and-democracy/decision-making/webcasts-of-council-meetings.en)

· London Assembly

The Green Group motion, proposed by Cllr Ute Michel and seconded by Cllr Darren Johnson, reads:

This council:

· Believes webcasting would strengthen equality, access and open democracy by making meetings more accessible for residents with disabilities, residents who are unwell and residents whose family, caring or work responsibilities make attendance impossible;

· Notes that webcasting of council meetings is increasingly used by other local authorities and that Lewisham Council is developing a new web platform which has the capability for webcasting;

· Calls for the webcasting and archiving of full council meetings to be introduced in Lewisham, as well as of planning committee meetings and Mayor & Cabinet meetings where feasible; and

· Calls on the Mayor to commission a report setting out the costs and, where these are reasonable, a timetable for implementation.

The Green Party are the most likely contenders to challenge Labour in Lewisham Deptford at the upcoming general election, according to bookmakers.

Betting chain Ladbrokes are offering odds of 12/1 on Green candidate Darren Johnson snatching the seat from sitting MP and current favourite, Labour's Joan Ruddock.

At the last general election, the Greens were outsiders at 100/1. This time around, odds have been dramatically slashed, leaving the Greens second behind Labour, with the Liberal Democrats at just 33/1 and the Conservatives the outsiders at 100/1.

Darren Johnson AM, Brockley councillor and Green parliamentary candidate for Lewisham Deptford, said:

"The shortening of the odds on a Green win reflects the desire for change on the part of Lewisham's voters. Many people are fed up with Labour and see no good reason to back the other major parties. If you've had enough of Labour and you want Lewisham to have a fresh, positive and green voice in Westminster, the best thing you can do is vote Green."

The Green Party's popularity in Lewisham Deptford has been steadily increasing. In the 2006 local elections, 2008 London Assembly elections and the 2009 European elections Greens came second to Labour in the constituency, well ahead of both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

NOTES

1. Darren was elected to the London Assembly in May 2000 and is currently Chair of the Assembly as well as Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee. He was also the first Green member on Lewisham Council, representing Brockley Ward, and is now leader of the Council's six-strong Green Group.

2. For odds on all three Lewisham constituencies for the General Election, see http://www.oddschecker.com/specials/politics-and-election

3. More information at www.darrenforlewisham.org.uk,

Rail bosses from Southern will face Lewisham councillors this week to discuss controversial cuts to train services through the borough.

Green Party councillor for Brockley, Dean Walton, said he would be sure to use the meeting on 17 December to make angry residents concerns heard.

The meeting came about after councillors agreed to Cllr Walton's motion which called on the Mayor to demand the face-to-face discussion.

A request for a separate meeting with the rail minister has been refused, adding to the importance of the chance to meet rail bosses.

Cllr Walton rode on the very last early weekday morning train to Charing Cross as the service ended on Friday, and said further planned cuts were unacceptable.

Cllr Walton said:

I will use this meeting to make residents concerns crystal clear to rail bosses.

The loss of direct trains to Charing Cross and reduced services to and from London Bridge will make long-suffering commuters lives much harder. I will also be seeking assurances on train lengths because overcrowding and lack of seats is a continuing problem.

NOTES

1. Cllr Waltons successful motion at council on 24 September 2009 read:

This council calls on the Mayor to write to Southern rail, Transport for London and the Secretary of State for Transport to:

Express the council's grave concerns about Southern's plans to reduce off-peak and evening peaktime services to and from London Bridge on the Brockley/Sydenham line from six to four per hour, a reduction of one third, and to oppose these service cuts;

Ask for an explanation for Southern's refusal to attend a recent meeting with council officials and residents to explain the planned service cuts and invite them to a further meeting, to include the Mayor himself and ward councillors from affected areas;

Seek a full explanation of the planned service cuts and clarification on the maximum capacity of the rail line for both East London Line and London Bridge services; and

While wholeheartedly welcoming the new East London Line service, oppose any reduction in services to London Bridge that are carried out purely for financial reasons rather than capacity reasons and lobby instead for the maximum possible services to London Bridge.

Rogue trader investigations, product safety in second-hand shops and anti-counterfeiting operations could all suffer as a £27,000 cut is added to the £54,000 cuts made this year and last year.

The Mayor and Labour councillors voted through the cut at the council meeting on 25 November.

It will cause a staff cut, and the resulting burden of hundreds of complaints and enquiries will fall instead on remaining hard-pressed staff members. [5]

The cuts were agreed despite official advice from council officers which warned the result would be "Significant reduction in statutory enforcement capability and in rogue trader investigations." [1]

Staff added that they would be less able to offer mentoring to junior staff, meaning a loss of experience among the con-busting team, and that "reduction in anti-counterfeiting activity will need to be considered."

They warned that "consumers may be more vulnerable to trading malpractice and less able to represent themselves".

On 2 December a report from Trading Standards said it could cope with current rogue trader levels, but if just two or three more started operating in Lewisham, staff would have to cope by considering a reduction in their monitoring of product safety in second-hand shops. [2]

Green councillors argued the planned budget cut would have the same effect.

Green Party Group councillor Ute Michel said:

"The Mayor wants us to believe such cuts don't have an impact on delivering services to residents. But his own staff have spelled out in black and white how this cut threatens a real reduction in consumer protection.

"This is not an efficiency saving. It means dodgy goods, rip-offs and con-tricks are more likely to go unhindered, and it is ordinary people who are the victims."

Other important work by Trading Standards includes:

• Combating illegal sales of knives and alcohol to children

• Pursuing rogue builders who prey on vulnerable residents, taking money for work they fail to carry out

• Monitoring building sites to ensure corner-cutting is not causing safety risks - and this activity has already seen a staff reduction [3]

• Enforcement actions against fly-tipping and graffiti

The service has estimated that in 2008/09, every £1 spent on Trading Standards pursuing customer complaints in Lewisham saved local consumers £5. In total this created a half-million-pound saving for local people. [4]

The cabinet member in charge of the service told Cllr Michel at the 25 November council meeting that the staff cut means the burden of hundreds of complaints and enquiries will have to fall on remaining staff members. [5]

Notes to editors

1. The Trading Standards saving and comments from officers about its effects can be found here (pdf file) under savings proposal CUS04 on p148.

2. See here (pdf file), page 3, para 5.1.7

3. See same report, page 6, para 5.4.2

4. See same report, page 4, para 5.1.15

5. See members' questions and replies from 25 November Council. Text available on request.

Catering staff in Lewisham are being paid poverty wages despite the council's new ‘Living Wage' policy.

The Greens have described the situation as "shaming" for Lewisham.

The failure to ensure that low-paid catering workers are paid at least the London Living Wage has prompted questioning from the Greens at next week's council meeting.

In June 2009, following a long campaign by Green Party councillors, the Mayor agreed to seek, wherever possible, to get council contractors to pay their staff above the breadline.

He said low-paid staff such as caterers and cleaners would be prioritised. Gardening and groundskeeping staff benefited earlier this month, when a new contract was signed which guaranteed them fairer pay.

But the new contract with Scolarest signed in the summer failed to raise caterers' wages to a decent level.

They continue to be paid an hourly wage below the London Living Wage, which is calculated by a special unit at the Greater London Authority as the minimum needed to stay out of poverty in London. It currently stands at £7.80 per hour.

Green Party group leader Cllr Darren Johnson has tabled a question asking why the Scolarest contract cannot be amended to pay catering staff decent wages right away - instead of having to wait years until the contract is reviewed.

Cllr Johnson said:

"Our campaign for a living wage for contract workers has won a fairer deal for many low-paid staff - yet dinner ladies and caterers have to scrape by below the breadline for years longer.

"This is not just unacceptable, it is shaming Lewisham. If the Mayor's commitment to reducing inequality and paying fair wages is sincere, he needs to be telling his aides to explore every legal avenue to get this poverty pay contract amended as soon as possible."

The introduction of Lewisham's London Living Wage in June 2009 was a first for a London borough. It was set in motion by a successful Green Party Group motion in May 2008, which persuaded the council that such a policy was legally sound, after which the Green councillors pressed repeatedly for its implementation.

Cllr Johnson's written question will be answered on 25 November at Lewisham's full council meeting, and reads:

‘What impediments are there to paying Scolarest catering staff the London Living Wage immediately and for the full remaining length of the contract instead of waiting until the contract is up for renewal in three years' time?'

A plan hatched in Lewisham to stop unwanted betting shops bringing down neighbourhoods is close to transforming high streets nationwide.

The government will formally be presented with the proposal next month after the Local Government Association gave it the green light on 17 November.

The plan would rewrite licensing laws so councils can set a local cap on the number of bookies allowed to open in a parade or high street. Bookmakers would also have to show local demand for a new betting shop - or they will be shown the door.

The plan to redraft the law to empower local people was written by Green Party councillor for Ladywell ward Ute Michel.

She and Ladywell residents were horrified to discover last year that there was no way for the council or community to say ‘no' to a new betting shop - even though there were already five in the area.

The council tried to turn the application down - but it lost on appeal in the courts because the Gambling Act 2005 had removed any need for bookmakers to show there was local demand for a new outlet.

Across Lewisham there was a 17% increase in betting licences in one year after the Gambling Act came into force in September 2007.

Cllr Michel examined the law to see what would need to change to return power to councils and communities - and rewrote it in a way that would do just that.

Her proposal won support from local people at the Ladywell Assembly, and then from a ‘citizens' panel' set up by Lewisham Council.

This week it passed a crucial hurdle when the Local Government Association shortlisted it among hundreds of proposals submitted under the Sustainable Communities Act, which invites grassroots ideas from around the country for making communities more sustainable.

The Lewisham plan has also been copied by Greens and their local authorities in Islington and Hackney, giving it a better chance of becoming law.

Green Party councillor Ute Michel said:

"There was so much anger in my ward when local people found there was no way to stop a new betting shop opening even though there were already five lining the street.

"We found the same story repeated across the country of communities losing the power to say ‘enough is enough' just so bookmakers could turn a bigger profit.

"Our proposal is not anti-gambling or a ban but it tackles the devastating economic effect on neighbourhoods when bookie after bookie lines a street, crowding out other goods and services and eroding the sense of place and community.

"We have jumped through all the hoops needed to show there is grassroots support and now national support for our idea. Now the ball is in the government's court."

The Green Party's national Leader, Caroline Lucas MEP, visited Deptford today to launch Darren Johnson's campaign to be MP for Lewisham Deptford. One of the Green party's key pledges for the coming general election will be the creation of a million new jobs. The proposed jobs will be in areas such as public transport, green energy, affordable housing and care for elderly people.

Darren Johnson, Lewisham councillor and London Assembly Member, said, "The Government is planning to waste billions on renewing Trident, introducing ID cards and building new roads. I want to see that money spent properly on creating vital new jobs. Greens have plans for new jobs in public transport, green energy, affordable housing and care for elderly people. We are offering a fresh approach and its time for a Green MP for Lewisham."

Caroline Lucas added, "Lewisham Deptford is one of the Green Party's top three seats in the coming General Election. Darren Johnson has turned one of the safest Labour seats in the country into a key battleground. As an experienced London politician I really want to see him make that breakthrough into the House of Commons."

NOTES

1. Darren was elected to the London Assembly in May 2000 and is currently Chair of the Assembly as well as Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee. He was also the first Green member on Lewisham Council, representing Brockley Ward, and is now leader of the Council's six-strong Green Group.

2. In the 2006 local elections, 2008 London Assembly elections and the 2009 European elections Greens came second to Labour in Lewisham Deptford, well ahead of both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

More information at www.darrenforlewisham.org.uk

Darren Johnson said:

"Local community groups were dismayed to hear that Brockley Station would not be receiving accessibility improvements at the same time as other local stations that have come under the control of TfL. I hope that the Mayor of London and the Department for Transport can work together to ensure Brockley is not left behind."

Answer obtained from a formal question tabled by Darren Johnson at the November 2009, London Assembly's, Mayor's Question Time.

Brockley Station

Question No: 3197 / 2009 by Darren Johnson

TfL's Access for All programme has put Brockley Station in Tranche 3 for improvements by 2015, whereas Forest Hill, New Cross and New Cross Gate are all in Tranche 2 for improvements by 2011. Can you explain this kick in the teeth for Brockley commuters?

Answer from the Mayor, Boris Johnson:

Brockley is one of 10 former Southern stations for which LOROL became Station Facilities Operator in September 2009. TfL London Rail have made a tranche of bids for Access for All Small Schemes funding for 8 of these stations. These are relatively small scale measures to make the station DDA compliant and would complement the DfT ‘step free' scheme. I will ask the DfT to consider raising Brockley's priority to Tranche 2.

The Mayor of Lewisham has agreed to demand answers from recycling company Veolia over allegations of human rights violations in Palestine.

After pressure from local residents and the Green Party Group, Sir Steve Bullock said he would write to the French multinational - and, in a move that could embarrass the firm, publish his letter and its reply.

He announced the move on 18 November after hearing a local member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) describing how Veolia was supporting illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

The company is building a light rail system linking Israel with settlements on occupied land, which breaks human rights rules in the Geneva Convention.

Veolia also runs bus services along roads which divide Palestinian communities and which Palestinians are banned from using - and risk being shot or arrested if they do.

Green Party councillor Romayne Phoenix said:

"Lewisham Council is a major public sector customer, so Veolia should be alarmed that it will have to account for its actions in public.

"This is the result of local residents saying they do not want their council to associate with - and pay millions to - a company that supports the illegal occupation of Palestine.

"But we totally disagree with the Mayor's team that in two years' time he could not ban Veolia from bidding for a new contract. Our own legal advice totally contradicts this and we will keep this on the agenda for the next two years."

The Mayor's legal team said at the meeting that the law prevents the location of a business's activities being used to ban it from bidding for a contract.

But the PSC's spokesperson told him the issue was not the location of Veolia's work in Jerusalem but the fact that its work was enabling Israel to break international human rights laws - something that is not listed as an ‘irrelevant consideration' in contract decisions.