Bad news on Cuts in Southwark, a mixed year for me and Hibs struggling again!!

I am off to Edinburgh for Christmas and New Year with dad and the family!!

I am coming back to deal with the consequences of the very bad news about the Southwark settlement from this revolting CON DEM Coalition!! We have been working through a worst case scenario of £20M cuts and have now learned that we have to find £33M of cuts over 11% and the worst financial cuts in London!! And we have to find another £17M cuts the year after so devastating news and Southwark residents will suffer because of this draconian right wing CON DEM Coalition who are doing this because they want to and not because they have to!!

It has been a mixed year for me starting with deselection and the death of my mother in March but followed by selection and election in Brunswick Park Ward and a fantastic victory in the Southwark Elections and now six months as Cabinet Member for Community Safety!!

The death of my dear friend Clare Cozens was also a terrible blow to all of us and I was honoured to attend and read at her Memorial Service at St.Giles last Saturday we all miss her!!!

A good year for Awards with the Tilley Award and the Noise Abatement Society Award for the Council and the Mayor's Green 500 Award at London Met, hope it continues next year!!

On the Hibs front 4th place last season was followed by a good pre-season and an early exit from the Europa Cup but our season was ruined by the last day snatch of Anthony Stokes by Celtic which effectively cost John Hughes his job so not with Colin Calderwood in charge the Jury is still out!! Some poor performances and the fantastic 3-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox so who knows!! Plan to go with dad to Easter Road over the break to judge for myself weather permitting!

Cabinet Member for Community Safety Monthly Report November 2010

My Monthly Report for November 2010:

1. Violent Crime Strategy - The final version is complete and will be going to Cabinet Agenda planning very soon and hopefully before Cabinet in December.

2. Dangerous Dogs Strategy - I agreed an IDM to consult on the Strategy which will include a borough-wide Dog Control order and is planned to go to Cabinet in March. It is very much supported by the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety and similar Government Legislation is also progressing.

3. Fireworks - We had a relatively quiet time over the 2 weeks of Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night with a 50% reduction in Police and fire Brigade calls in the 2 weeks leading up to 5th November and on the night a 32% reduction in Police calls and a 57% reduction in Fire Brigade calls so all in all a good result from a very successful 2 week campaign of communication, prevention and enforcement!

4. Home Office Tilley Award - Southwark Council won the London Region Tilley Awartd and came Third in the National Home Office Tilley Award for our work on gang disruption in Peckham. The Trophy is in the Tooley Street Reception Cabinet!

5. Noise Abatement Society John Connell Award - Southwark Council also won an Award for our work on noise control with the developers of the Shard and I had the pleasure of accepting the Award and giving another award to our very own Alan Blissett, a lifetime Achievement Award for 47 years...and counting!... with Southwark Council!!

6, GLA/MPA Community Safety Roadshow in Greenwich - I attended the Roadshow and spoke to Kit Malthouse about our violent crime and Dog control Strategies and about possibilities of securing additional police resources in Southwark in the future.

7. Snow and Frost Preparations - I attended an Emergency planning Meeting today to discuss the cold weather expected over the next week and the likelihood of severe frost and some snow. It looks like the gritting lorries will be out this weekend and we have our salt stocks up to 900 tonnes with another 500 tonnes on order so looks like we are well set up. We also discussed priority roads and pavements and what we could be on estates so a really useful meeting.

8. Damilola Taylor 10th Anniversary of his tragic death - There is considerable Press and Media interest over the past week culminating in the Anniversary of Damilola's death tomorrow.

I have been interviewed by the Independent on Sunday, South London press and the Guardian with radio interviews on LBC and BBC Radio London Drivetime this evening and possibly more over the weekend with hopefully a positive story about Peckham today as compared with 10 years ago and of Damilola's Legacy!!

9. Spirit of London Reception in 10 Downing Street - I attended the Prime Ministers Reception at No.10 with all of those Shortlisted for the Spirit of London Awards at the O2 tomorrow. I spoke to Patrons Alexandra Burke and Christine Ohuruogu and to the parents of Jimmy Mizzen.

10. Clichy Visit to Southwark - There was a strong Community Safety presence in the recent Clichy delegation visit to Southwark with the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety, the Head Officer for Community Safety and a Senior Police Officer so I spent a day with them taking them to our CCTV Control Room, the Shard and out with the Community Wardens which seemed to go down well and i have an invite to visit Clichy next year!

Tilley and John Connell Award Winners, Clichy Visit , Remembrance sunday in Southwark and Hibs back to winning ways!!!

It was an Awards week special with two dates at the House of Commons, firstly winning the Home Office Tilley Award for London and getting third place Nationally for our work disrupting Gangs in Peckham.

Secondly we won the Noise Abatement Society John Connell Award for our work with the builders of the Shard at London Bridge. I also presented my friend Alan Blissett with a Lifetime Achievement Award for 47years work at Southwark controlling noise!!

We had a delegation from our Twin Town of Clichy and they has a Community Safety focus so I spent an afternoon and evening with them showing them what we were doing in Southwark!!

This is me with my Clichy Counterpart in the Southwark Community Wardens control room Room. I was really envious of his nice sash!!!

On Sunday we had our Remembrance Sunday Ceremony at Walworth Road Town Hall and the Clichy Mayor was also present, always a moving and dignified event!

At last Hibs are winning with a good 2-1 win over Motherwell on the back of that fantastic 3-0 win at Ibrox on Wednesday!!!