Last Saturday Dunraven High School played host to Celebrating Streatham; an event organised by Chuka Umunna to mark the retirement of Keith Hill MP, who has represented the area for eighteen years, and to celebrate the vibrancy, talent and diversity of the people of Streatham.

Dozens of local businesses, artists and community groups set up stalls in the afternoon including Chili Chutney, SPIRES and Sustainable Streatham. The stalls sold food, paintings and provided workshops for interested residents.

In the video below, which was shot at the event, residents explain what they love about Streatham:

Later in the afternoon local schools, community and youth groups had the chance to showcase their talents in the ‘Streatham Presents…’ show, judged by Keith Hill MP, Mercury Music Prizewinner Speech Debelle and Leo Ihenacho, singer with the Streets.

The audience voted for their favourite act, and the winner of the chance to record a music video with Generation Next was dancer Jerayle of Urban Sport Life. Speech Debelle was so impressed with Jerayle’s performance that she also asked him to star in her next music video!

Chuka Umunna had a chance to catch up with Speech Debelle and Leo Ihenacho before Streatham Presents…:

Chuka Ummuna said that, if he is elected, he will organise a Celebrating Streatham event every year.

Click here to see more pictures from the day.

Recently, the government has launched an innovative new website: data.gov.uk, which provides access to information about public services, national statistics, and access to official data. Six months in the making, the new site will continue to grow and be added to, with plans to eventually include local government information and make data.gov.uk the most comprehensive online resource on UK facts and figures.

Following on from the Freedom of Information Act, data.gov.uk provides an extra level of accountability, adding to the Labour government’s record of increasing transparency and accessibility to the workings of government.

To find out more about what Labour has delivered locally, follow this link.

With the recent cold snap, many Streatham families felt that they faced a bitter choice: pay expensive heating bills or stay in the cold.

But today Chuka urged vulnerable local families not to worry about keeping warm as the government pays out millions in Cold Weather Payments.

Chuka said: “As the cold weather continues, I don’t want vulnerable people in Streatham left in the cold. I especially want the elderly to know that extra help is on the way.

“There are two ways we are helping this winter – with Winter Fuel payments of £250 or £400 for the over 80s, and thousands of people in our area getting the increased Cold Weather Payments of £25.

“The payments are automatic so everyone entitled will get them and should not have to worry about being able to keep warm.”

Around £200 million has been paid out so far this winter, with just over £70 million over the cold New Year weekend. The government spends around £2.7bn a year helping pensioners meet their fuel bills – compared to the £60m a year spent by the Tories in 1997.

Cold Weather Payments are paid out automatically to help people pay for heating during cold snaps. You may be eligible for the Cold Weather Payments if you are a pensioner or are receiving Income
Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance.

Last month marked the fifth anniversary of the hunting ban, passed in order to put an end to the cruel and degrading treatment inflicted upon foxes through hunting with dogs.

This act was passed through the commitment of campaigners, the League against Cruel Sports, the RSPCA and the support of the general public, and has proven its success, achieving 56 convictions thus far.

Although it was often suggested that individuals from rural communities would prefer to continue to allow hunting with dogs to take place, a recent IPSOS Mori poll has shown that 72% of those polled in rural areas would not be in favour of the ban being repealed.

David Cameron has stated that he would offer a free vote on the issue of repealing the act to MPs, and furthermore, that repealing it would be a priority if the Conservatives were to be successful at the next general election.

Nick Herbert, Tory Shadow Defra Secretary has suggested a future Tory Government would repeal the act. The fact that the Tories are keen to repeal an act that was shown by a recent IPSOS Mori poll to have the backing of 76% of UK citizens shows that they are more interested in pleasing the small few who, like David Cameron, have a history of participating in this cruel and degrading sport.

In a recent statement, Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs responded to Tory calls to repeal the hunting ban by stating that: “If you think the Tories have changed, this makes it absolutely clear that their priorities haven’t. They know the public doesn’t agree with them on this, but they are determined to go ahead if they are given the chance. That’s why we need to continue to campaign to stop this barbaric ’sport’ from returning to our land.

The Hunting Ban is a great Labour achievement and receives Chuka’s full support. Commenting, he said:

“The hunting ban is something which many people locally feel strongly about, and we must not allow a return of this cruel practice.

“The Conservatives have made it clear that bringing back hunting is something they prioritise.

“I will campaign strongly against any attempt to overturn the hunting ban. People who support the ban should join me in signing the online petition at http://www.backtheban.com.”

For further details on the campaign to keep the hunting ban in place visit http://www/keepcrueltyhistory.com

Today senior Labour backbencher, Jon Cruddas MP, and Labour Parliamentary Candidate Chuka Umunna, launch a new website to scrutinize the activities of Conservatives who already hold power in the UK and to help voters make an informed choice in the 2010 General Election.

A General Election announcement could be less than 8 weeks away if the Prime Minister calls a March 2010 poll. Most think he will ask the Queen for dissolution in 3 months for a 6 May election date.

The campaign is already underway with multiple policy announcements expected from Conservative leader David Cameron MP and others from 4 January 2010.

Commenting on the election battle, senior backbencher and Labour MP for Dagenham, Jon Cruddas, said:

“In this campaign it is right to present the General Election as a choice between a Labour government that will act to support people through the recession and a Conservative administration ideologically opposed to intervention but, in so doing, it is crucial that we shine a light on what the Tories are already doing with power where they have it.

“We must look beyond Westminster to the Town Halls and regions where Conservatives presently hold power, as opposed to simply revisiting the actions of Tories in the ‘80s and ‘90s.”

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

“Over 9 million people under the age of 30 will be eligible to vote in 2010 – many for the first time – and most will have little memory of what the last period of Tory government from 1979 to 1997 looked and felt like.

“Many of the new generations of voter are already living under Tories locally – their local Conservatives provide important pointers as to what a national Cameron government would do when they consider how to cast their vote.”

Conservative leader David Cameron has sought to discard the “nasty party” image of his party and replace it with one that suggests his party is committed to social justice, environmentalism and the NHS, and describes itself as “the dominant progressive force in British politics.” In 2007 Mr Cameron said to Conservative councillors that they “demonstrate Conservative government”.

Messrs Cruddas and Umunna have set up a new website – Tory Stories – which aims to test these claims and scrutinize the activities of Conservatives currently in power.

The website, which already contains posts on various Conservative local government administrations, will act as a depository for well researched and evidence based articles on what Conservatives in local and regional government are doing. Messrs Cruddas and Umunna are inviting members of the public to send in stories of their experiences which will be posted up on the site.

The intention is that undecided and floating voters contemplating voting for the Conservatives at the General Election will easily be able to access information on the website relating to the Conservatives in action in a geographical region of the country and/or look at what they have been doing in a particular policy area.

Mr Cruddas used the services of Blue State Digital during the Labour deputy leadership contest of 2006/07, shortly before the same company was engaged by Barack Obama to run his presidential election campaign’s online operation. Mr Cruddas went on to win more first preference votes of any other candidate in the contest. Commenting on the launch of the site, Mr Cruddas said:

“Like in the US in 2008, the internet will play a far greater role here in 2010 than in any other previous General Election.

“With this project we are seeking to harness the power of the web to highlight what Conservatives in government do today – it is anything but progressive and we need to tell voters.”

To visit the Tory Stories website, log on to www.torystories.com.

I just wanted to quickly wish everyone a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Best,

Chuka

Last week, at the opening of the new session of parliament, the Queen’s speech outlined the government’s future legislative programme.

Below is a summary of the most important new bills announced and what they mean for Streatham residents:

Child poverty
The Child Poverty Bill will legally ensure that resources and effort are put towards meeting the target of eradicating child poverty in the UK by 2020. Labour has already lifted 500,000 children out of poverty – while under the previous Tory government the rate of child poverty doubled – and the bill would bind any future government to helping those children most in need in our community.

Schools and Young People
The government has pledged one-to-one tutoring for any primary school pupil falling behind in Maths and English. Parents will be given more power through new local authority annual surveys on parent views of secondary schools and children will be guaranteed the legal right to a good education for the first time, with new powers for authorities to intervene to remedy poorly performing schools. This will help pupils in Streatham make the most of their education and enable parents to give their children the best possible start in life.

Crime and Security Bill
In order to make our streets safer, Labour will provide new powers to police and local authorities to tackle violence committed by under-18s. Domestic violence victims will be helped through new ‘Go Orders’ against suspects, which will force them to stay away from their homes for a set amount of time. This will empower victims who may have been unprepared to lay charges.

To tackle unfair wheel champing, a new compulsory licensing scheme put into place for all clamping businesses. Alongside this, penalties will be limited and fair and effective processes for making appeals will be put into place. This will help rid Streatham’s streets of unnecessary wheel clamping and unduly high fines.

The Personal Care at Home Bill
Labour has pledged free personal care for those most in need. This will benefit up to 280,000 people and will allow elderly residents in Streatham to remain in their own homes for longer. Additionally, 130,000 people who have recently come out of hospital will now be entitled to free enablement care.

Equality Bill
Building on the great Labour success of implementing the national minimum wage, this bill will make it a legal duty for public bodies to make efforts to reduce socio-economic inequality.

The Financial Services Bill
The government will give the Financial Services Authority (FSA) powers to tear up any banker’s contracts which provide bonuses encouraging unnecessary risks.

A new Consumer Protection Agency will be set up to support individuals joining together to make US style ‘class action’ lawsuits against banks. This will empower individuals to take action against bigger organisations and institutions, being able to pool their resources.

All of these policies show that Labour is committed to making our society a safer and more equal one, placing people’s welfare at the top of its agenda.

Chuka has pledged to do his bit for our servicemen and women by signing up to the manifesto of The Royal British Legion, the nation’s leading Armed Forces charity.

He also recently met with members of the organisation, which runs the national Poppy Appeal to raise money for its work supporting the serving and ex-service community.

The manifesto outlines priorities for the next government to improve conditions for members of the British Armed Forces past and present.

It includes measures to help personnel and their families, veterans and dependants, such as improving standards of accomodation, tackling poverty among veterans and providing legal advice and counselling to bereaved Armed Forces families.

Chuka will be attending a cross-denominational memorial service and laying a wreath with veterans and community groups at the Streatham War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday.

Commenting on The Royal British Legion’s manifesto he said:

“Our armed forces deserve the best support possible. The Royal British Legion plays an important role in highlighting the needs of our armed forces and their families.”

“I am wholeheartedly behind their manifesto for helping the servicemen and women of both today and yesterday.”

Follow these links to find out more about the manifesto and the work of The Royal British Legion.

This week, I launched a campaign with local people to get Tesco to guarantee Streatham Ice Rink stays open whilst the Streatham Hub scheme is developed in the south of this parliamentary constituency. You can read about the scheme here: the Streatham Hub.

At a meeting held earlier this month to update local residents on the scheme, I was concerned when Tesco representatives refused to guarantee that our ice skating provision would continue without interruption.

Tesco owns the ice rink site and under deveopment proposals agreed with Lambeth Council two years ago the company promised that the current ice rink would stay open while a new one was built.

However, the retail giant is citing the credit crunch as a reason for submitting revised proposals a few weeks ago. It is currently in talks with the Council, with an announcement due in December.

It is essential that Streatham does not lose access to ice – the ice rink hosts the Streatham Redskins ice hockey team and numerous school groups. It is also currently being used by skaters aiming to compete in next year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Tesco has the financial resources to stick to its original pledge and ensure that Streatham keeps skating while the Hub site is developed. You may have seen that earlier this year the retailer announced record breaking sales of more than £1bn a week and annual profits of more than £3bn, despite the impact of the global downturn.

To put pressure on Tesco to keep to its promises on the continuity of our ice provision, please sign the petition calling on them to keep Streatham Ice Rink open – the petition can be signed online here: Keep Streatham Skating! petition

A related ‘Keep Streatham Skating!’ Facebook group has also been set up which you can join too: Keep Streatham Skating! on Facebook

Tesco say they take into account the interests of local communities, in addition to their desire to return a huge profit, when making decisions. If they genuinely care for this community as they claim, they must ensure the continuity of our ice rink provision here in Streatham.

We need lots of local residents to sign the petition to send a clear message to Tesco – they need to know how strongly we, the prospective customers of the new Tesco supermarket they want to build as part of the Hub scheme, feel about this issue.