Below is a video about the People’s Supermarket, that is being established in Lambeth, which I am a strong supporter of.  It will offer a new way of shopping that aims to change the way we buy food. In short, it is a supermarket that is run by the people, for the people, selling the best food at the lowest possible prices.

I think the People’s Supermarket is a good antidote to the dominance of the increasingly dominant big supermarket chains. From a political view point, if we are to break the grip of big business and the market over our lives, we need to explore different forms of ownership and organisations like this – the People’s Supermarket is a great model. For more information, watch the my video interview below and visit: www.peoplessupermarket.org.

The Orange RockCorps programme, a partnership between Orange and RockCorps, which inspires young people to volunteer in the local community has landed in Lambeth.

The Orange RockCorps programme, is a partnership between Orange and RockCorps, which inspires young people to volunteer within their local communities. Orange RockCorps incentivises volunteers by putting on concerts for which you can’t buy a ticket but do 4 hours of volunteer work to earn a pass.

This year’s London concert takes place on 25 September 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall. The performing acts are to be announced shortly but last year they included Busta Rhymes, Ludacris and John Legend.

All Orange RockCorps volunteer projects are completed in partnership and for the benefit of local partners. Throughout August and September volunteers have been set to work gardening in some of Lambeth’s green spaces. The gardening activities in Lambeth are co-ordinated by Progress Community Garden Projects which is run by Streatham resident, Simon Ghartey.

The Lambeth volunteer sites include the Blenheim Gardens Estate and
Glenbrook Primary School in the Streatham parliamentary constituency. Other sites are the Guinness Trust Estate and the former site of Lilian Baylis School on Lollard Street.

The Orange RockCorps progamme has been hugely successful in promoting volunteer work. According to Orange, research has shown that over 96% of the participants would volunteer with Orange RockCorps again, and 57% would volunteer in their local community without the incentive of a ticket.

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham and strong supporter of the programme, said on his visit (29 August 2009) to one of the Lambeth sites:

“This programme is an excellent way of getting young people to volunteer in a funky, positive, and innovative way – it has my 100% support.

“The volunteers are given cool T shirts to wear whilst they work and, on my visit, were being spun some of the best, upfront hip hop and R’n B tunes by a DJ with a first rate sound system to power them through the afternoon.

“The results are there for all to see, for example, at Blenheim Gardens
where 94 volunteers turned out to tender to the estate’s gardens which were in need of some attention.

“What better environment to do a spot of gardening and then get a free pass to a gig after.”

I would like to congratulate our A-level and GCSE students on their exceptional exam results.

Every year we are subjected to national headlines of alleged dumbing down and dropping standards when the results come out. This, frankly, is an insult to our young people who work very hard, to their families who support them through what is a stressful period and to our dedicated teachers and school staff.

Across Lambeth we have seen success. Dunraven’s Sixth Form Centre, for example, was opened in 2003 to address a lack of A-level places in the borough – this year 70% of its A level students received A-C grades.

Likewise, the percentage of Lambeth’s pupils obtaining 5 or more A* to C GCSE grades has soared from 62% last year to 71% this year – well above the national average. I am proud that La Retraite, in this constituency, achieved the highest 5+ A*-C grades with 93%.

None of this would have been possible without the extra sums the Labour government has put into our schools. In this constituency alone, a plethora of new school buildings has been built and there are 100 more secondary school teachers since 1997. It is essential this investment continues.

So, for once, lets cut the negativity and celebrate local pupils’ achievements. I will be shouting from the roof tops about it for weeks to come!

Chuka Umunna
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham

In December, world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen for a major summit on climate change. In this video, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband discusses the impact of global warming and the government’s five point plan for climate action.

The 2008 Climate Change Act made Britain the first country in the world to set legally binding carbon budgets, aiming to cut UK emissions by least 80% by 2050.

Last month, the government unveiled its energy white paper, which outlined the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy through investment in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies such as renewables, nuclear and carbon capture and storage.

Show your support for a global climate change deal by signing the Copenhagen pledge.

Recently, Chuka visited Brixton-based youth magazine Live to do a Q&A session with a group of young volunteers from the area.

The magazine is supported by Live Futures, a youth initiative led by the Livity Trust to provide opportunities for disadvantaged youngsters, from college students to former young offenders. Live magazine is created and edited entirely by 12 to 21 year old volunteers with the support of professional journalism, design and photography mentors, and over 150 young people contribute to each issue. Through the magazine, they are able to gain gaining valuable skills and experience. Live is distributed free to thousands of teenagers across the capital.

Click here to visit Live magazine’s site and find out more about the project.

This is a quick post to wish everyone (and their extremely supportive families), who will be collecting their A Level and GCSE results this Thursday and the next, the very best of luck!

No doubt there will be the usual so-called experts popping up in the media over the next fortnight claiming it is easier to hit the grade but I know – having spoken to many pupils, parents and staff in this constituency – just how hard our young people work. That hard work is reflected in the recent results here:

- the percentage of pupils achieving 5 A*-C grade GCSEs in this constituency’s schools has risen by 32.9% to 69% since 1997 (which is 7% above the English average); and,
- the numbers of young people from this constituency getting the grades and going into higher education has increased by 81.7% in the last decade.

I have absolutely no doubt that our GCSE and A Level students will continue to do us proud this fortnight.

Best wishes,

Chuka

Chuka’s letter on primary school places was published in the Streatham Guardian on 6 August 2009, in response to a previous article:

Parents understandably want their children to attend a good local school – I know because I am a governor of one. Increasing demand for school places is an issue across London, with population shifts, increases in the birth rate and pressure on sites for school buildings.

With reference to your article, “Lambeth school space crisis” (9 July 2009), the government is taking action to create more primary and secondary school places by expanding existing schools and building new ones. Nationally, Labour is investing £21.9 billion on school buildings between now and 2011. Locally we have already seen the fruits of this with the establishment of new secondary schools such as Lambeth Academy and new primaries such as the Jubilee School since 1997.

However, though all those who applied on time for a primary school place received an offer in a Lambeth school this year, it is true that the ability to meet parental preferences in each case is still a challenge and more places are needed in the future.

That is why Keith Hill MP and I are meeting with ministers and working hard to ensure central government provides further investment so we can provide more places for our children, for example by converting the Woodfield Centre in Streatham, an old Special School, to provide a new primary school in the area. We will keep residents posted on our progress.

Chuka Umunna
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham

Record funding for sixth forms, colleges, training and apprenticeship places to ensure every school leaver in Streatham can stay on in learning during the recession has been announced this week.

The extra funding this year will ensure that every school leaver has a guaranteed place in school, college, training or an apprenticeship this year and next year.

The new figures published this week show that sixth forms and colleges across Lambeth will receive a total of £17,412,000 funding in the coming year, boosting the number of planned sixth form and college places by 193 compared to last year.

Across London there will be a total of 4,115 extra planned places in education or training for 16-18 year olds – a total of 192,285 places. An extra £ £50.3 m of funding will mean a record investment in 16-18 education of £990m across London in 2009/10.

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, said:

“During the recession the extra investment in education and training places for young people in Streatham is more important than ever before.

“As a result of the funding announced in the Budget and now allocated to our area, every 16 and 17 year old in Streatham will have a guaranteed place in school, college, training or an apprenticeship this September and next September.

“This September Guarantee for school leavers means all young people will have the opportunity to get the skills and qualifications they need to get on in life and get a good job, whether their strengths are practical, academic or both.

“The Conservatives have refused to match Labour’s guarantee for school leavers and to match the extra funding to go with it. As well as pledging to cut the number of apprenticeships, they oppose the new Diploma qualifications which combine practical and theoretical learning.”

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, and Culture and Sports Secretary Ben Bradshaw MP today hailed more than 7000 free swims across Lambeth.

The popular scheme was started in April this year and has well exceeded expectations with over 250 councils, including Lambeth, offering free swimming for people over 60 and for those 16 and under.

Lambeth saw 4990 free swims for over 60s and 2494 swims for under 16s from April to June this year.

Umunna, a former competitive swimmer who in his youth swam for Lambeth in the London Youth Games, said:

“It is great that since the national launch of Free Swimming we have seen so many people using it in Streatham.

“I am proud to see that Lambeth Council is backing the scheme to offer free swimming to people over 60 and under 16.

“This provides a fun and now accessible means of keeping fit and active. Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise because it’s something people of all ages can do.”

Bradshaw said:

“Swimming is a wonderful way to stay healthy and can involve all the family so I am really pleased so many people in Lambeth have taken advantage of it.

“It also ensures that local pools are given a new lease of life in the heart of their communities.”

The £140 million Government initiative was announced last June, – delivering on a Labour Government promise to help get two million people more active by the time London hosts the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.