Beckenham MP Bob Stewart is among the Tory party members who have expressed scepticism over new measures ushered in by Boris Johnson to combat coronavirus, saying “I do not think another round of lockdown restrictions will work”.
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A controversial decision to sell Chislehurst Library is to be looked at again after concerns were raised by the opposition Labour Group. Labour leader Angela Wilkins confirmed the party had ‘called-in’ the decision to sell the library, in Red Hill, to development firm Prime PLC, hours before the deadline for referral, citing concerns over transparency and the value of the sale. The move now means the issue will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of Bromley council.
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The latest figures show that the council is facing a £50.3 million overspend and therefore needs to make immediate savings. With just £10.2 million in reserves the council has now decided to go to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to ask for help.
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Shopkeepers have urged road chiefs to have parking bays reinstated to stop the “destruction” of their high street. The 10 parking spaces between 436 and 470 Bromley Road, in Downham, provide much-needed access to local shops. But Transport for London (TfL) has suspended the bays for the next 18 months to widen pavements and allow pedestrians to better socially distance. Alex Klimcke, owner of Downham Autostores, said: “One customer had breakfast in the cafe and parked in the bay. His breakfast just cost him £135.”
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This winter 190,000 people across Croydon are being offered the free flu vaccine. Public Health England (PHE) research suggests that people infected with both flu and Covid-19 between January and April were more at risk of severe illness and death.
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has welcomed proposals for a new market for Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre traders that have not been offered new premises. The 55-year-old mall closed yesterday with several shop owners still looking for new premises to sustain their livelihoods. Mayor Khan said he “would welcome any solution” that would provide the space traders need.
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Kensington and Chelsea council has confirmed it is in talks with Network Rail on producing a feasibility study that could lead to the “Kensal Portobello Station” being built. Also called the Elizabeth Line, the 73-mile underground route will link Shenfield in Essex to Reading in Berkshire, with branches to Heathrow Airport and Abbey Wood in South-east London.
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By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter Teachers fear children from deprived families are already falling behind with their online learning
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London has been added to the national coronavirus watch list as an area of greatest concern, as infections rise in the capital. There will be no new restrictions at present, but the change in status reflects higher risks in the city. However a separate report claimed infections had in fact plateaued since the start of September.
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Emergency service call handlers must be clear that police helicopters are not able to rescue people, after residents trapped in Grenfell Tower thought they could. New recommendations call for clearer information after a man who lost family members in the tragedy complained that people thought six police helicopters which flew near the burning building had come to rescue them. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) looked into his concerns and warned call handlers to be clear after people thought the helicopter would be a lifeline out of the burning building in 2017.
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Greenwich’s senior councillor for housing has expressed concerns that residents will be made homeless in the face of an oncoming coronavirus wave, after the Government protections preventing tenants from being evicted during the pandemic expired.
Cllr Anthony Okereke, who was earlier this year named Greenwich’s cabinet member for housing, also said the Government had not gone far enough with supporting local authorities on the front line of providing housing for vulnerable members of the community. Commenting after the Government rolled back its eviction ban on Sunday, Cllr Okereke said “support for renters has been minimal” during the pandemic.
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George Balleine made his name as a historian but before that, he was a pioneering social reformer in South London – as vicar of St James’s Church, Bermondsey. The poverty he saw there inspired him to join the social reform campaigns of his friends Ada and Alfred Salter.
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An exhibition showcasing the winners of an astronomy photography award will open in October.
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We all know that people can get SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) – sometimes known as ‘winter depression’ – at this time of year and it might seem like our pets are under the weather too, but how much do the seasons really affect pets?
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Initiative between council and police one of the first of its kind – all paid for by outside developers. A new gangs unit which will cost almost £1m a year to run is to be set up to keep young people out of a life of crime. Youngsters at risk of getting groomed and ensnared in gangs will be offered a way out in the move – which will see police and Hammersmith and Fulham council working closely together.
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A new traffic control system will involve six modal filters and camera-enforced blocks with planters and signs. Lambeth council has published plans for its latest low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) – in Tulse Hill. The fifth to be put in place in Lambeth, the Tulse Hill LTN will involve six modal filters and camera-enforced barriers identified with planters and signs, which prevent motor vehicles getting through.
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An immersive, outdoor performance featuring a captivating 3D sound design has been given a six-week extension. C-o-n-t-a-c-t, created during the summer in a world where social distancing became the ‘new normal’, tells the story of a moving and unexpected encounter.
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By Lachlan Leeming, Local Democracy Reporter
Boris Johnson’s new 10pm closing time will further hobble pubs already on their knees, the head of an industry advocacy group has warned, saying new restrictions could see more businesses permanently close their doors.
By Owen Sheppard, Local Democracy Reporter
A Fulham man who lives beside a Tideway “super sewer” construction site says the project has made his life a “nightmare” for four years. David McGinty and his neighbours claim they have been routinely disturbed by the traffic of giant barges and tugboats carrying concrete and rubble to and from the tunnelling site.
