Theatre re-opening is just a breath of fresh air
Our city’s theatre lovers breathed a sigh of relief this week when PM Boris Johnson confirmed they could reopen, writes Christopher Walker.
Read More
Author: News Reporter
Residents of Grenfell Tower ‘did not know’ about the stay-put policy
Residents of Grenfell Tower did not know about the stay put policy or where to gather if there was an emergency. Maria Jafari who lived on the 11th floor of the tower and lost her father Ali in the 2017 fire recalled:” Nobody ever spoke to us about what to do in the event of a fire.
Read More
Veteran holds concert to raise money for arts centre in memory of New Cross Fire victims
A virtual fundraising concert is being thrown in honour of the victims of the New Cross Fire – forty years to the day after a 1981 benefit. The concert will be streamed live from Goldsmiths University from 2pm on Sunday, May 23 and will feature Eddie Capone and Jimmy Lindsay who performed at the concert in 1981.
Read More
The Archdiocese of Southwark must pay own costs for an inquiry amid school planning failure
The Archdiocese of Southwark must pay its own costs for an inquiry after its application to force Lewisham Council to cover them was refused. Last week, following a planning inquiry, the Archdiocese was told it would have to rebuild a school it runs in Sydenham after it failed to comply with planning consent when building it.
Read More
Former council leader denies Grenfell survivor’s claims that the council had a “facist decant policy”
There were no plans for “social cleansing” in North Kensington, the former leader of Kensington and Chelsea council said, despite residents’ concerns. Nicholas Paget-Brown, the Conservative councillor in charge in the years leading up to the Grenfell Tower fire, told the Grenfell Inquiry if council homes were renovated “the residents would have the right to return, that was my clear policy”.
Read More
Welcome to this weeks latest bumper edition South London Press
Your latest bumper South London Press! – Sky high housing costs in South London are pushing children into poverty and an MP has accused the Met of “racial profiling” after immigration enforcement officers stopped almost 50 fast food delivery riders. We have 11 pages of sport, including seven on football. Darren Pratley talks about his departure from Charlton Athletic. All that plus much more…
Read More
London vaccine uptake rate lowest in the country at 46.8 per cent due to youthful population
London has the lowest rate of vaccine uptake in England according to data published by Public Health England. Despite more than six million total jabs being administered in the capital, only 46.8 per cent of people aged 18 or over have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 24.6 per cent have received a second dose.
Read More
Croydon council has breached housing standards at “uninhabitable and unsafe” flats in Regina Road
Council flats in South Norwood were “uninhabitable and unsafe” according to the Regulator of Social Housing. The body published a damning assessment of Croydon Council today concluding that the authority had breached housing standards regulations.
Read More
Pimlico Academy parents ‘apprehensive’ after replacement principal announced
Parents at the troubled Pimlico Academy are “apprehensive” following the news that its principal Daniel Smith has resigned and will leave the school on May 31. Future Academies, which runs the school, and is chaired by former schools minister Lord John Nash, announced on May 18 that Anthony Oulton will take over as acting principal.
Read More
Homelessness in London is expected to reach its highest ever levels by Christmas
London Councils said the capital faces the “most severe homelessness crisis” in the country and a “triple whammy” of the government ending the eviction ban, Covid emergency funding and the furlough scheme over the coming months could see thousands more families pushed into temporary local authority-funded accommodation.
Read More
Croydon tram crash driver could have ‘lost awareness’ inquest hears
The driver of the tram that came off the rails at Sandilands junction, could have become disorientated or temporarily lost awareness an inquest heard today. Describing the ‘causal factors’ of the incident in 2016, Simon French chief inspector for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) laid out three reasons on the third day of the inquest into the lives of seven passengers.
Read More
Sadiq Khan visits Yorkshire to ‘build bridges’ between London and the rest of the country
Sadiq Khan today visited Yorkshire as he doubled down on his pledge to “build bridges” between London and the rest of the country. The Mayor of London visited electric bus manufacturer Switch Mobility with the newly elected Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin as he made the case for how London can lead the national recovery.
Read More
West Dulwich children form a walking bus to celebrate Walk To School Week
Local children in West Dulwich formed a walking bus this week to celebrate Walk To School Week. Cars were left at home as the children, many from Rosendale Primary School in Herne Hill, walked, scooted and cycled to school.
Read More
Environmental community group gives out wildflower seeds to Lewisham residents
Everything is coming up roses for environmental community group Downham Matters. The group is distributing hundreds of free packets of seeds to mark its second anniversary and give local wildlife a beautiful boost.
Read More
Nine-year-old from Lewisham passes second GCSE exam in two years
A nine-year-old student from Lewisham has achieved Grade 8 iGCSE Physics during lockdown, taking the exam an incredible six years early. Seojin Park, known as Ipin, who is in Year 5 at Blackheath High School, was inspired by her science lessons at school and started studying physics during her summer holidays.
Read More
Southwark ten-year-old crowned ‘top mathlete’ in global maths competition
A student from Southwark has been crowned ‘top mathlete’ in a global competition. Ten-year-old Mosolade from Michael Faraday School bagged the gold medal in the UK and Global Year 6 category of the World Maths Day challenge.
Read More
Sixth form student named covid champion after putting pen to paper
“I was determined to keep helping care home residents as I knew they would be feeling more lonely than ever given the circumstances,” said Hammersmith student Nina who has been named as a Covid champion. “A letter is never ill-timed, it never interrupts,” said author Lois Wyse.
Read More
Shocking reconstruction of Croydon tram crash shown at inquest
The inquest into the death of seven locals in the Croydon tram crash today (Wednesday, May 19) was shown a shocking reconstruction of the incident by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). Chief inspector for RAIB, Simon French, outlined the events of November 9, 2016 where a tram derailed just after 6am on the Sandilands bend after coming out of a tunnel.
Read More
Campaigners celebrate after a High Court judge rejects new housing planning permission
Campaigners are celebrating after a High Court judge ordered that planning permission for new homes on their estate should be quashed. Friends of Mais House has been fighting City of London’s plans for Sydenham Hill Estate since they were approved by a Lewisham planning committee last August.
Read More