This year marks the tenth anniversary of Labour passing the National Minimum Wage Act.  It is one of our proudest achievements, having benefited millions of people - in my work as an employment lawyer I see the affect it has every working week.

Almost everyone who works in the UK is legally entitled to be paid the National Minimum Wage – that includes people employed permanently, by an agency, part-time workers, casual workers, or people on a short-term contract.

On Wednesday the national minimum wage will be increasing:

• for adults (which means people aged 22 and over), from £5.52 to £5.73 an hour;
• for workers aged 18-21 (the “development rate”), from £4.60 to £4.77 an hour;
• for young people (those older than school leaving age and younger than 18; you’re under school leaving age until the end of summer term of the school year in which you turn 16), from £3.40 to £3.53 an hour.

To find out more, click here: The National Minimum Wage

A noticeable rise in the number of prostitutes working in the Tulse Hill and Brixton Hill areas has followed the disbandment of Brixton Police’s dedicated Vice-Squad.  I am very concerned about this and residents are questioning what the Police and the Council are doing about it.

Myself and local Labour Cllrs Toren Smith, Ade Aminu and Marcia Cameron have worked with local residents to come up with some suggestions.  We are proposing the following:

• More Police resources devoted to assist the local Safer Neighbourhood Police team with an early review of the impact of the loss of the vice-squad;
• The Council should put pressure on London Mayor Boris Johnson to speed up the delivery of the new gate at the Brixton Hill end of Josephine Avenue;
• The Council should begin working up an area wide traffic management plan to stop kerb crawling, so that any displacement from the closure of Josephine Avenue can be dealt with swiftly;
• The Council should limit the 3am opening hours of the off-licences on Brixton Hill to discourage pimps and prostitutes from the area; and,
• The Council needs to address the derelict site at 85 Brixton Hill.

I have met with both Council my colleagues and the Police to let them know of residents concerns.  If you have any further comments to make, please let us know your suggestions using the Contact page here.

Chuka appeared on Richard Bacon’s show on BBC Radio 5 Live last night. Chuka was discussing Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s big speech to the Labour Conference and, amongst other things, how Labour has delivered for the people of Streatham. To listen to the show, click here: Richard Bacon - BBC Radio 5 Live.

As of last week, everyone in Streatham (a parliamentary constituency overing Streatham, parts of Clapham, Balham, Tulse Hill and Brixton) will be eligible for at least 50% off loft and cavity wall insulation, with everyone on low incomes and all pensioners able to get these for free.  Cold weather payments for the most vulnerable will be increased from £8.50 to £25 a week.

Improving the insulation in your property could save you £350 a year on energy bills. Call 0800 512 012 to find out what help is available to you.

Chuka has been concerned about rising energy costs for some time, calling for the Government to help those hit hardest by recent price rises immediately and also invest more resources in schemes to reduce energy use in the long term.

On hearing about the new measures, Chuka said: “These measures will help local people to reduce the impact their energy use has on the environment – and on their wallets.”

Gareth Williams

Streatham Hill is host to ASC studios, home to more than 40 artists and a hot bed of talent. I had the pleasure of meeting many of the artists there and enjoying what they have to offer on Friday. Never one to miss the opportunity to promote what Streatham, Balham, Brixton, Clapham and Tulse Hill have to offer, I have posted a selection of photos from the Open Studios event held there over the weekend below.

The works of Ann Pownall, the photographer - www.annpownall.com.

Chatting with Urban Art top honcho, Tim Sutton in his studio, surrounded by his paintings of the patrons and staff of the Streatham Bingo Hall - www.timothysutton.com.

Admiring the work of Shiroma Ratne - www.shiromaratne.com.

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Last Sunday Chuka spoke at Love Difference, a festival that took place at the Cargo music venue in East London that involved discussions, film and live music, aimed at promoting relations between, in particular, recent migrants to London from those states which joined the European Union in 2004 (including Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, and others) and the more settled populations.  The Festival also explored the political and artistic issues surrounding immigration and cultural exchange. 

The London leg of the festival is part of a one-off series of exceptional and unique all day long mini-festivals in London, Northampton and Bristol, organised with European Alternatives to mark the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.

Chuka was asked to speak in part because Streatham is one of the most multicultural constituencies in the country, but also because of his own diverse background. In Streatham, 35.7% of the population is non white and 22.6% of the population is African and/or Caribbean. There are also long established Polish, Portuguese and Hispanic communities, in addition to newer, growing East African communities.  You can view photos of the London festival event here: Love Difference, Cargo.

You can  watch the accompanying video for the Festival below.

The Streatham Artists Summer Open Studios 2008 gives you the rare opportunity to buy work direct from the best of local up-and-coming contemporary artists.  Work on show at 47c Streatham Hill will include paintings, photographs, print making and sculpture.

Streatham Artists Open Studios are always eagerly anticipated, and this summer there is a whole weekend of opportunity to see this diverse range of contemporary creativity.

Chuka Umunna is proud to support this exciting local event and will be attending the preview, to which everyone is welcome, on Friday evening between 6 and 8:30pm.  If you can’t make it then, don’t worry - the studios are also open this Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

With all kinds of artwork included, from the pretty to the provocative and from landscapes to strange shapes, there is definitely something for everyone in the heart of Streatham Hill.  For more information visit the Streatham Artists website.  So see you there!

Gareth Williams

I never fail to be impressed by the sheer resilience of the people of our wonderful community in the face of the dreadful British weather!  This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Streatham Vale Park Fun Day organised by the Friends of Streatham Vale Park.  Despite the grey and the rain, local people turned out to celebrate this communal local area profiled here: Streatham Vale Park. I am pictured talking to local residents at the Fun Day below.  Whatever the weather, Streatham Vale Park brings a ray of light to the local residents of Streatham South!

Streatham Vale Park is a charming piece of green space in the south-west corner of the Streatham constituency. Originally built in 1930/31, following campaigning by the Streatham Vale Property Owners Association, the park is wooded in areas and contains a selection of trees, flowerbeds and shrubs. The park is home to tennis courts a disused bowling green and pavilion, a playground, an adventure playground and the One O’ Clock Club, which offers activities for children under 5 and their parents.

Unfortunately, the park is hardly visible from the outside - many people in Streatham are unaware that it exists, but that is changing thanks to local residents.  It is accessed by two very small, almost hidden entrances on Abercairn Road and an even smaller one on Lonesome Way (the access road into the park). It is a real gem.

The Friends of Streatham Vale Park was formed in 2003 by local residents interested in maintaining this wonderful communal area. The organisation aims to promote the park, campaign for its development, provide community views on it and organise events there. The Friends’ main event of the year is the Fun Day held in the park each summer.

Chuka is pictured (right) in the the Park with Streatham South ward Cllrs Dave Malley and John Kazantzis.

On Tuesday the government announced that homebuyers will not have to pay stamp duty on properties costing £175,000 or less for the next 12 months.  Tonight Chuka will be discussing Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s big speech this evening to the Scottish CBI and what else the government is doing to help ordinary working people in Streatham and beyond with writer and broacaster, Lance Price, and others at 10pm on BBC Radio 4.  To listen to the programme, click here: BBC Radio 4 - The World Tonight (4 Sep ‘08)