Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, joined local residents in a protest outside the Tesco supermarket on Streatham High Road on Saturday 27 February.

The protest was held to put pressure on Tesco to keep its promises for the Streatham Hub development, maintaining continuity of ice provision while a new ice rink is built.

There was cross-party support for the protest against Tesco, which is due to put forward proposals to Lambeth council later this month on the future of the Streatham Hub project following a board meeting.

Commenting, Mr Umunna said: “The numbers present at the protest and its positive reception demonstrate the depth of feeling of local people on this issue.

“We got the message across on Tesco’s doorstep that the supermarket cannot take the local community and its customers for granted.

“It is crucial that there is a viable Plan B in place which must be implemented if Tesco come back with unacceptable proposals later this month.

“Equally, if Tesco do come forward with plans allowing for the continuity of ice provision, the council must ensure that they are legally bound into these commitments.”

On Saturday community groups, local residents and the cream of local performing arts talent gathered for Celebrating Streatham, an event which marked the retirement of Keith Hill MP by bringing together and celebrating the continued achievements of local organizations and the people of our area.

The event included the ‘Streatham Presents…’ talent contest, with a judging panel of Mercury Music Prize winner Speech Debelle, Leo Ihenanco, singer with The Streets, and Keith Hill.

After an audience vote, the competition was won by dancer Jerayle of Urban Sport Life, who impressed the audience with his moves. After his dance, Speech Debelle asked Jerayle if he would like to feature in her next video.

On top of this, he won the event’s top prize – the opportunity to record a music video with the Generation Next Foundation, which has experience in producing short films as a major area of its work with young people.

Also taking part in the contest were runners up Streetbreakers dance group, a Jackson Five tribute dance by students from St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls, a West Side Story performance from students of Dunraven School and rap duo 3DEM and D-Haz S.O.S. from the Palace Project youth
group.

Lambeth Asian Centre performed a traditional stick dance, while Gloria Bailey MBE’s Make a Difference Group performed songs and poetry.

Held at Dunraven School, the event featured stalls from dozens of local community groups, businesses and charities including homeless charity SPIRES, Sustainable Streatham, Trinity Hospice and Chilli Chutney restaurant.

Chuka Umunna, who organized the event and succeeds Keith Hill as Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has pledged to hold Celebrating Streatham every year if he gets elected.

Hayley Rea, who set up the Aimhigher Dance Academy which performed first at the Streatham Presents contest, said: “The girls have worked really hard and being able to perform at an event like this boosts their confidence – it’s a great opportunity.”

Charles Young, Chair of Clapham Youth Centre said: “Keith Hill has been very supportive of our work over the years. This event has been a great occasion and has brought everyone together.”

Local artist Conrad Armstrong, whose painting of Streatham Common was used on the promotional posters for the event said: “Streatham is really diverse, and I think this event is a really good idea – it should be built on and encouraged.”

Chuka Umunna, who organised the event and compered the talent contest, said: “It’s been fantastic to bring the community together and take pride in our area. The day reflected the vibrancy of Streatham and the fact we are blessed with so many talented performers.”

“If elected, I would run Celebrating Streatham every year to build on the success of this year’s event.”

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has pledged to build on the work of Keith Hill MP if he is elected by establishing a Constituency Office alongside other key commitments outlining how he would operate as MP for the area.

The office would be located at the heart of Streatham and would allow constituents to seek help and arrange to meet with their MP. Mr Umunna would also hold public People’s Question Times, enabling local people to regularly hold him to account and raise issues.

Prior to the election of Keith Hill in 1992, none of the previous MPs for Streatham, all of whom had been Conservatives, had held advice surgeries for local residents across the constituency. While surgeries currently operate in Streatham, Tulse Hill and Clapham Park, Mr Umunna has said he would add a new surgery location in the Brixton area.

While Mr Umunna currently practices as an employment law solicitor, if elected he would immediately give this up and work full time as Streatham’s MP.

To ensure full transparency and accountability, he would publish online his salary and allowances, subscribing to high standards of integrity and prudence with public money.

Commenting on the pledges, Mr Umunna said: “If local people give me the privilege of serving them as their MP, they are entitled to know how what kind of representative I would be and how I would address their problems, concerns and queries.

“Being part of a new political generation, I want to change the way we do politics. On a national level, I believe this requires a more proportional voting system, an elected House of Lords and a mechanism for ‘recalling’ MPs.

“It is unfair that minority parties such as the Lib Dems and Greens are denied representation proportional to the vote they receive, and I would work to redress this.

“Locally I am pledging that if elected I would open a constituency office, add an advice surgery location in Brixton and operate People’s Question Times to make it easier for people to communicate with their MP or seek help.”

If elected, Mr Umunna would be the first Member of Parliament for Streatham to have grown up in the area.

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has condemned the Award of Business of the Year to First Group at the 2009 Rail Business Awards.

At the awards, First Group scooped the Business of the Year 2009 prize, while First Capital Connect (FCC), the subsidiary of the company which runs the Thameslink franchise, won two other awards including for “Internal Communications Excellence.”

Passengers of FCC have experienced severe disruption since November 2009 including many delays and cancellations, following an industrial dispute over staff pay and technical problems arising from the recent snowfall.

Other passenger complaints have included poor and/or non-existent communication at stations and shortened and overcrowded trains.

Mr Umunna said: “This is a complete slap in the face to the passengers who have been let down by First Capital Connect.

“Given what passengers have experienced, to name First Group Business of the Year is a complete joke.
“What’s more, First Capital Connect won an award for ‘communication’ yet there has been a severe lack of proper communication with the people who actually use their service here – these awards beggar belief!”

Last month, Chuka Umunna and Tessa Jowell, MP for neighbouring Dulwich and West Norwood, met with FCC bosses to go through in detail the huge number of complaints they have received about the service and demand immediate improvements.

As a result of the meeting, company bosses held a “Meet the Managers” event at Tulse Hill station earlier this month to address Thameslink users’ concerns.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has told FCC that the disruption experienced by passengers is unacceptable, and warned the operator that it could lose its franchise if the situation continues.

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has called for the funfair to be dropped from this year’s summer Lambeth Country Show after it attracted gang violence at last year’s event.

Chuka attended the Lambeth Country Show last year and spoke at a Lambeth Community Police Consultative Group (CPCG) public meeting at the event on Saturday 18 July.

Immediately after the meeting, he and other participants witnessed confrontation between two large rival gangs in and around the funfair area of the festival, with a teenager being stabbed in the fracas.

The 16-year old’s arm was slashed with a knife. Hundreds of Police had to intervene and dozens of arrests were made. As the violence escalated, dozens of families fled from the funfair where the violence began.

On the Saturday evening, a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon, along with another boy of the same age who was accused of assaulting a police officer.

Lambeth Country Show, a free annual community event held in Brockwell Park, last year attracted more than 100,000 visitors over two days.

While during the day the event was a success, the funfair attracted gang violence, and Mr Umunna is calling for the funfair to be dropped from the event this year to help prevent trouble breaking out again.

After witnessing the incident last year, Mr Umunna has made his concerns known to the police and Lambeth council, which organises the Lambeth Country Show.

Mr Umunna has been prompted to call for the funfair to be pulled after hearing the concerns of many local parents’ who say they will not allow their teenage children to attend the Country Show because of their worries about security issues and the risk of further gang violence.

Mr Umunna said: “Last year’s Lambeth Country Show was a huge success but was unfortunately marred by gang violence and a teenager was stabbed.

“Trouble was also reported at other events similar to the Lambeth Country Show in Southwark and Lewisham.

“Getting rid of the funfair at our Country Show would reduce the risk of gangs congregating at it, help police maintain order and ensure the event continues to be one of the great highlights in our summer calendar.”

“Having heard the concerns of local parents, I feel we have to act to make sure this year’s event is safe for all concerned – the funfair has acted as a magnet for trouble and removing it makes sense in my view.”

It has been reported by South London Press (‘Ditch Funfair at Top Show’, Feb 19 2010) that Mr Umunna witnessed the stabbing of a teenager at the event. By way of clarification, although Mr Umunna saw the violence at the funfair, he did did not witness the stabbing which took place.

The delays, cancellations and poor communication experienced by Thameslink users in recent months have been unacceptable. When myself and Tessa Jowell MP met with First Capital Connect (FCC) bosses last week, we made this clear and went through the deluge of complaints we have received on this issue.

We also told the company that passengers deserve to be properly informed of what is happening with their service. At our request, the operator agreed to run a ‘Meet the Manager’ event at Tulse Hill station, giving passengers the opportunity to discuss their concerns and problems directly. We also asked FCC to look into ways of improving its communication with passengers, including a daily email update service before passengers leave for work.

FCC acknowledged to us that their business model has failed to provide an acceptable level of service and informed us that they are in the process of overhauling their operations to improve reliability. We await to see whether passengers’ experiences improve, and are in regular contact with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis to monitor the situation and will not let up until a decent service is provided.

If the company fails to keep its promises we will press the government to take further action so I would be grateful if local residents could let me know if they notice any improvement by emailing me at chuka {at} streathamlabour.org(.)uk

Chuka Umunna
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham

Published in the Streatham Guardian, 4 February 2010

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has obtained confirmation from Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP on the British government’s understanding of the political crisis in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua is reportedly suffering from a heart condition and has been receiving medical attention in Saudi Arabia since 23 November 2009. His departure from Nigeria has led to concerns about a potential power vacuum and even prompted reports of his death.

The Streatham parliamentary constituency has one of the biggest West African populations in Britain. If elected, Mr Umunna would become the first male MP of Nigerian descent to sit in the British House of Commons and the first ethnic minority MP to represent one of the 3 constituencies covering the Brixton area in London.

Commenting on the situation in Nigeria, Mr Umunna said:

“I, like many other Britons with family in Nigeria, have been monitoring the situation there closely and I know that the Nigerian community here is gravely concerned about the apparent power vacuum and the health of the President.

“Not only will the Nigerian community here want to wish the President a speedy recovery but, above all, will want to see the return of political stability.

“The President has now been out of the country for 2 months and yet he has not handed over power to his deputy as one would expect”.

Mr Umunna has been in contact with the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband MP, about the situation. Mr Miliband has confirmed to Mr Umunna that he recently spoke with Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Mr Ojo Maduekwe, and urged adherence to the Nigerian constitution.

Commenting on the British government’s position, Mr Umunna said:

“I have been in contact with the Foreign Secretary on this issue and he recently spoke with his Nigerian counter part, Mr Ojo Maduekwe, about the political situation in Nigeria.”

“The Nigerian community here can rest assured that the British government shares their concerns and is urging adherence to the constitution in Nigeria at all times.

“It is important that the uncertainty and leadership vacuum does not reignite other tensions in Nigeria, such as those in the Niger Delta and in northern Nigeria.”

President Yar’Adua remains in a serious condition in Saudi Arabia. He gave a 3 minute telephone interview to BBC Hausa on 12 January 2010. Nigeria’s Senate and cabinet are currently in dispute over whether the President is fit to govern.

Housing Minister John Healey, who visited Streatham earlier this month, is today extending to Lambeth the government’s campaign to help homeowners avoid repossession.

Lambeth is one of 56 repossession hotspots where the government is running new mortgage help events to promote the assistance which is available to struggling homeowners.

The help events are being run in association with the Citizens Advice Bureau, and offer impartial face-to-face help and advice to homeowners on how to keep their home.

A dedicated helpline and website have also been set up to offer free impartial advice to people who are worried they could face repossession. This is available at www.direct.gov.uk/mortgagehelp.

Over the past year, more than 330,000 households have received help with their mortgages to avoid repossession, and the number of repossessions is currently half of what it was during the last recession.

Chuka Umunna said: “The government is taking action to help homeowners under pressure in our area.

“Families should not have to experience the trauma of repossession, and the government is offering advice and financial assistance for those struggling to meet their mortgage payments.

“During the last recession in the early 1990s, thousands of families were forced to leave their homes and received little help, but the government is determined that this will not happen again.”

Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, spoke at an Operation Black Vote (OBV) event this week, encouraging young people to use their democratic rights and make their voices heard.

The ‘Express Yourself’ event promoted young people becoming active members of society and their communities, and also featured performances from young musicians and comedians.

Mr Umunna talked of the positive impact which voting and involvement in the political system can make, calling on young people, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, to “be the change that you want to see”.

He also spoke of the importance of issues such as climate change to the young generation of voters, which will have a disproportionate affect on many countries in Africa which have strong links with minority communities in the UK.

Recently, Chuka Umunna recruited Lionel Owusu-Afriyie to work as an Intern on his campaign.
Mr Owusu-Afriyie, a graduate of the University of York, joins having worked for the Windsor Fellowship which helps young people from ethnic minority backgrounds find career and educational pathways and become the leaders of tomorrow.

Simon Woolley, Founder and National Co-Ordinator of OBV, sits alongside Lionel on the ministerial board for the REACH National Role-Modelling programme, managed by the Windsor Fellowship.

Lionel Owusu-Afriyie was named as one of “Britain’s most outstanding black students” as part of the Future Leaders 2010 list, a companion to the Powerlist.

David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, was a member of the list’s judging panel. While Lionel hopes to gain valuable experience by becoming involved in Chuka’s campaign, Mr Umunna was himself an Intern for David Lammy in the past.

Chuka Umunna said: “I don’t accept the idea that young people are apathetic, but participation in the democratic process is the key to positive change. If we want to make a difference, we must make sure that our voices are heard.”

Mr Owusu-Afriyie said: “It is important that we as young people realise the immense power we hold and this should be constantly encouraged with events like ‘Express Yourself’.

“Many of us want to be heard and we deserve an influential platform because we are the future. The principles guiding Chuka’s campaign encapsulate this and I want to be part of it.”

Housing Minister John Healey MP pays a visit to the Clapham Park Estate at the invitation of Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for the area, to meet with local residents.

Following the election of the Labour Government in 1997, Clapham Park Estate was selected as a pilot site for the New Deal for Communities initiative. Consequently since 2001 the Labour government has invested £70million into the area through the Clapham Park Project, which has run various schemes and initiatives, and Clapham Park Homes (CPH).

CPH is the community led housing association set up to provide Estate residents with good quality, well managed and maintained homes at affordable rents, in an area revitalised with a network of new parks and open spaces, cleaner and safer streets, better transport, good schools, a wide range of community facilities, decent services and more local jobs.

The government has just announced that CPH has been shortlisted to receive a further £9.5million to help develop the Estate given the difficulties faced by CPH in securing financing during the Credit Crunch.

John Healey MP, the Minister for Housing and Planning, was invited to visit the Clapham Park Estate to see the government investment to date and meet with local residents and staff from Clapham Park Homes, at the invitation of Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for the area.

Commenting on his visit on 14 January 2010, Mr Healey said:

“I am delighted Chuka asked me to come and visit Clapham Park so I could see how the money we have ploughed into the area is being spent and so I could talk to local residents about what more we can do.

“The residents Chuka and I spoke to told us that they were pleased to see the government investing in the area, building homes and supporting jobs – that is what we have been doing since 1997 on the Clapham Park Estate and we will continue to do so.”

Mr Umunna said:

“Ensuring that residents get to speak to government ministers, tell decision makers of their experiences and what more they would like to see is an absolute priority for me.

“The Clapham Park Estate has improved massively from when I was growing up in the constituency and I will work tirelessly to ensure the investment and improvements continue.”

During his visit Mr Healey went on a walk about on the Estate with Mr Umunna, Keith Hill MP, local ward councillors, the Chair and Chief Executive of Clapham Park Homes and local residents.