An investigation by structural engineers last November revealed widespread structural problems at Streatham Leisure Centre. Lambeth Council consequently decided to close the Centre on 25 November 2009 for the foreseeable future while further investigations took place to find out the extent of the work needed.

In the meantime alternative arrangements for users and all schools have been arranged during the period of the Leisure Centre’s closure at other locations including Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

Future of Streatham Leisure Centre

Many local residents have raised the issue of the future of the pool with me in person and in correspondence. I started using Streatham Swimming Pool as a child when my swimming club, Leander S.C., used to compete there against other local clubs such as Streatham S.C., Battersea Jacs S.C. and others. Until recently we used to hold Keith Hill MP’s constituency surgeries there too, where Keith and I dealt with hundreds of constituents problems. So, rest assured, I completely understand the strength of feeling on this issue – the current situation regarding leisure provision here is clearly unsatisfactory.

The closure of the pool has become somewhat of a local political football but all local residents want is for their pool to re-open – that is their priority.  The fact is that Council administrations of all different political persuasions have not invested enough in the pool for a long time and they should all be big enough to admit as much.

Streatham Hub Scheme

Why have Council administrations underinvested in the pool? Because they expected the Streatham Hub scheme – of which a brand new leisure centre and ice arena are a part – to be developed by Tesco in return for the retailer being allowed to build a big supermarket in the area. Both the current administration and the Lib Dem/Tory one before that spent much time negotiating with them and pinned their hopes on Tesco sticking to their promises.

Next week at a special public meeting organised by Streatham Action, the Council and Tesco will tell us the result of their negotiations on the future of the scheme. The meeting takes place at Hideaway at 7pm on Wednesday 10 February 2010.

Action

I have lobbied my Council colleagues to take a tough line with Tesco – I do not see why the community should put up with Tesco’s dithering and prevarication any longer. I have sought to put as much direct pressure on Tesco to live up to their promises in relation to the Streatham Hub scheme through the Keep Streatham Skating! campaign and in other ways.

In the short term, I think the Council should at least look into providing temporary arrangements for non-pool activities (e.g. Step classes, gym facilities) at other locations in Streatham area.  This is something I will be pressing the Council to do to the extent it is not already happening.  Please do not hesitate to contact my office for further information.

Chuka

Chuka Umunna, Labour parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has pledged to secure Streatham’s nine Sure Start centres, which are under threat from cuts by both opposition parties.

Sure Start children’s centres are ‘one stop shops’ for parents with children under five providing services including childcare, healthcare, parenting advice, family support and helping parents get back into work or training.

The Conservatives have identified the Sure Start programme as a key area for future cuts, and want to slash its national budget by £200m per year – the equivalent of closing one in every five Sure Start centres.
This week Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg caused controversy by speaking of the need for ’savage and bold’ cuts at his party’s annual conference in Bournemouth, sparking a debate about which areas of government spending should be protected.

The threat to Streatham’s Sure Start centres comes just as local families
need them most – it provides local free childcare for all three and four
year olds.

Last week was national Sure Start Children’s Centres week, celebrating the success of the programme and promoting the services which children’s centres offer.

Commenting on the threat to Sure Start, Chuka Umunna said:

“Although it is clear that the government needs to rein in spending where it can in the current economic climate, we must not undermine the achievements of the past decade, of which Sure Start is one of the proudest.

“Sure Start makes a huge difference to the lives of parents and children in Streatham every day. We must not put that in jeopardy with all this talk of ’savage’ cuts.”

This month, the government is for the first time topping-up the Child Trust Fund accounts of every seven-year-old in the country by £250, with a further £250 payment being made to children of low-income families and in care.

Child Trust Funds are initially set up with a total of £250 when a baby is born and are topped up again by the government at the age of seven. The funds were launched in 2005 and backdated to all children born from September 2002 onwards, so this month the oldest trust fund holders will reach the age of seven and receive the additional payment. In Streatham, 7,360 children hold Child Trust Funds and stand to benefit.

Child Trust Funds are designed to help families save for their children’s future, ensuring that every eighteen-year-old leaves education with a financial asset. Families are able to add to the fund, and given the growth the investment makes over eighteen years adding as little as £10 per month means the fund will be worth as much as £4,500 on maturity. If the maximum amount is added each month, it could eventually be worth as much as £37,000.

The funds also help young people get into the habit of saving and experience in running personal finances, being able to take control of investing the account at the age of sixteen but the money being locked away until they are eighteen.

Both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives oppose Child Trust Funds. Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman described them as “unnecessary” and has identified them as a possible cut.

Commenting on the trust fund boost, Chuka Umunna said:

“Child Trust Funds are a fantastic way of saving for our children’s future, giving families a nest egg for when their children reach adulthood.

“The funds allow children to invest in their aspirations, with the most help going to those from the poorest backgrounds. Without a Labour government we wouldn’t have this help for families. Child Trust Funds have been consistently opposed by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.”

David Cameron has refused to commit to maintaining child benefit and winter fuel allowances at the same level as the Labour Government. 23,900 children in 13,740 families in the Streatham parliamentary constituency have gained from Labour increasing Child Benefit this year. 12,230 local people in the Streatham constituency have received Winter Fuel Payments this year. Mr Cameron talks of an “age of austerity” but local people are asking the question: austerity for who?

Sure Start exists to ensure that every child is given the best possible start in life. The programme has been crucial in increasing the availability of childcare, improving health and early development and supporting parents and their aspirations.

Sure Start Centres provide early learning provision, activities for young children and family heath services such as postnatal support and advice on nutrition alongside help for parents in finding training and employment. Whilst ten years ago there were no Sure Start Centres locally or nationally, now more than 2.3 million children under five and their families have access to services through nearly 3,000 Centres across England, and by March 2010 every family will have access to a Sure Start Children’s Centre.

In Lambeth there are 25 Sure Start Centres, including 9 across the Streatham constituency:

• Effra Children’s Centre
• Jubilee Children’s Centre
• Maytree Children’s Centre
• Streatham United Reformed Church Children’s Centre
• Streatham Wells Children’s Centre
• Sunnyhill Children’s Centre
• The Weir Link Children’s Centre
• Tree House Children’s Centre at Holmewood Nursery School
• Woodmansterne Children’s Centre

Opposition politicians in Westminster recently announced plans to slash £200m from the Sure Start budget, a cut of almost 20%.  In Lambeth, this would be the equivalent of closing 5 children’s centres, just at a time when families need affordable childcare more than ever. The first years of a child’s life are of crucial importance. The proposed cuts risk leaving families without the support they need and would damage a programme which has made a real difference for so many parents and children, which is why Labour will continue to support and fund our centres.

In the video below, you can watch Childrens Minister, Bev Hughes MP, and Children’s Secretary, Ed Balls MP’s visit to a Sure Start centre in Stockwell in May last year.

Gabriel Huntley

Myself and Keith Hill MP, MP for Streatham, had the honour of being invited as special guests to the Palace Project’s Christmas Pantomime over the festive period. The Palace is a community centre and youth group on the Palace Road Estate in Streatham Hill. It offers a range of activities for local residents of all ages, as well as a space for the community to relax and interact. We are pictured with Mr Francis Jnr!, Glen Neil, the Project manager, Heather Francis, and Bev Morrison, Chair of the Palace Road Estate’s Tenants and Residents Association.  There are two activities which I was asked to draw residents attention to, which take place at the Project:

Street Dance Classes – every Tuesday, 6.30-7.30pm

These classes are run by the Elite School of Dance and Drama. Street dance is a fusion of different styles including, breakdance, hip hop and locking & popping. It is performed to R&B, Hip Hop and dance music. It encourages confidence, positive attitude, flexibility, strength, suppleness, rhythm and co-ordination. Classes are open to all abilities and ages. The cost is just £1.50 per person per session. For more info email Heather Francis – funkyfeetuk {at} hotmail(.)com – or visit: Elite Dance and Drama.

Boogie Babes – every Tuesday 9.30-11.30am

Boogie Babes is a mother and baby group with a dance class for mums. It gives mothers the opportunity to meet other mums and “get fit and funky whilst your baby plays”. It is also part of the Elite School of Dance and Drama and is run by fully qualified dance teachers. It is drop in group, so you should just feel free to just turn up. Dance starts at 10am (approx.) with tea and coffee before and after. It costs £5 per person per week. For more info email Heather Francis – funkyfeetuk {at} hotmail(.)com.

I think all of the activities the Palace puts on are fantastic and a huge asset to the community in Streatham – I would highly recommend local people take advantage of what it has to offer!  The Palace Project has an excellent website here: The Palace.

The Labour government gives out cold weather payments to the old and vulnerable in Streatham, Clapham, Balham, Tulse Hill and Brixton to help them cope with the recent cold spell.

Cold weather payments for the most vulnerable have been increased from £8.50 to £25 a week by the Labour government and the annual Winter Fuel Payment has been increased by £100 to £400 for over 80s households and by £50 to £250 for over-60s households.

The cold weather payments kick in every seven consecutive days that temperatures fall – or are forecast to fall – below 0 degrees. As a result of the cold snap this fortnight, thousands of older and vulnerable residents in Streatham, Clapham, Balham, Tulse Hill and Brixton will get the payment to help them through this cold spell.

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, said,
“It is absolutely essential in these tough economic times, in the face of high energy prices and bitterly cold temperatures, that we have a responsive government taking action to help the most vulnerable in society, which is precisely what the Labour government is doing here”

The measures have attracted support from groups campaigning for older people. Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern, said,
“Many older people are worried about making ends meet this winter, but finding out they can get more money in their pockets can really make a difference.
“Tripling the Cold Weather Payment has made it a useful amount that will give an extra boost when the weather is cold.”

Rosie Winterton, the Pensions Minister (left), said, “We know that older people are facing tough times and that’s why we are acting now to make this real help available.”

To find out whether you are eligible to receive cold weather payments, Call Job Centre Plus on 0800 055 6688 or, if you are a pensioner, the Winter Fuel Payment helpline on 08459 15 15 15. For more info click here: Cold Weather Payments.

Last week the government annoucned it would expand the right to request flexible working, providing a boost for busy, hard-working families.

Currently, those with children under the age of six and parents of disabled children can request flexible working, but this right is now being extended to all parents with children under 16, covering an extra 4.5 million people.

Flexible working includes working from home, part-time work, compressed hours, flexi-time or other arrangements agreed with employers. It is designed to help families balance work and family life more easily, such as helping parents manage the school run and to spend more time with their kids.

The legislation is meant to benefit businesses as well as parents. Employers find they get the best out of employees when they allow them to work flexibly, being happier, more engaged and more productive. Evidence shows that over 90% of employers believe people are likely to work best when they can strike a good balance between work and family, and over 90% of workplaces who received requests for flexible working in the last year approved them all. Arrangements for flexible working are discussed and negotiated between the employee and employer, allowing both parties to appreciate eachother’s needs.

Chuka said: “This decision highlights the government’s desire to strengthen family life and support parents. I believe the dividends of this approach will help reduce crime and help forge stronger communities, by allowing parents the flexibility to give their children the best possible start in life.”

Gabriel Huntley