Congratulations to Lambeth College on winning a prestigious Association of Colleges Beacon Award. Minister of State for Further Education Kevin Brennan MP presented Curriculum Manager Rachael Brown, Chair of Governors Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly and student Natalie Harris with the award at Westminster recently.

The College received the RNIB and Mencap Award for Students with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities for its hard work in placing these students in employment. Through workplace and personal skills training, practice work environments and partnerships with employment agencies the College has prepared its students well for the challenges that lie beyond their education.

Chuka Umunna, who attended the opening of the College’s new buildings last year, said:

“It is fantastic that Lambeth College’s work in the local community has been recognised nationally. It is important to equip our young people as best as we can for the challenges that they will face in the job market.

“With its recent expansion and continued development of new teaching methods, Lambeth College can certainly not be accused of resting on its laurels. It is an innovative and growing education centre which is an asset to local residents.”

Brixton’s brand new Windrush Square will open this weekend, with celebrations on Saturday and Sunday including live music and a lantern-lit procession by local children.

The development is a part of the wider Brixton Town Centre programme, which is enhancing the local urban environment alongside upgrading the area’s roads and pavements to improve access and safety.

Creating a new focal point in the heart of Lambeth, the new town square will also be a venue for community activities and events, joining together the old square with Tate Gardens to create a single pedestrianised open space.

The square’s name was chosen in 1998 with help from local residents and businesses to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush from Jamaica on 22 June 1948 which was a landmark event in the development of our modern multicultural society.

The rejuvenated square has been built with a new fountain, improved lighting, wider crossing points and improvements such as cycle stands to encourage more people to cycle. It also features 21 new trees. Added to this there will be high quality landscaping and surfacing and sculpted granite seating, creating what will be a thriving centre for our area.

Sustainable Streatham will be screening Food, Inc. at the Streatham Odeon this evening at 8pm. The documentary, which was directed by Robert Kenner, examines the food industry in the United States and its environmental impact. Entry to the screening is priced at £5.

To find out more about Sustainable Streatham and its work, follow this link.

The government has launched a new Cancer Strategy which, supported by an investment of £370 million by 2010, will majorly improve existing cancer care. The strategy will build a world-class cancer service, helping to save more lives and ensure patients in Streatham and across the country get the care they deserve.

The NHS has made significant progress on cancer treatment under Labour; from extending screening for breast and bowel cancer to reducing waiting times for referral and treatment for cancer patients.

Labour’s new cancer strategy will do more to prevent cancer, diagnose cancer more quickly and provide even better care. Measures will include further extending breast and bowel cancer screening, investing £200 million to increase radiotherapy capacity and a new HPV vaccine to help reduce cervical cancer. Under these plans those who have, or have had, cancer will be offered free one-to-one care in their homes by a specialist personal nurse.

Speaking about the plans Gordon Brown said: “Instead of arriving at a hospital and hoping to see the nurse or the doctor you had before, that nurse will stay with you. And that nurse would be able to help you at home as well as when you arrive at the hospital. This one-to-one care is how we plan to develop lots of other services in future.”

Chuka Umunna commented: “This new strategy means that patients will have their results in one week and could result in 10,000 lives a year being saved, including many right here in Streatham.”

Chuka Umunna has announced his support for the Robin Hood Tax proposing to take 0.05% from all speculative banking transactions. The several hundred billion pounds that it would raise would go towards safeguarding frontline services such as schools and the NHS. The speculative transactions which the tax targets were a major contributor to the global financial crisis.

Chuka has been active in campaigning in this area, calling in November for a windfall on bank profits and a High Pay Commission to curb excessive bank bonuses. In December he joined former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone in signing a letter calling for tougher action on banks including a windfall levy on bonuses, calling for London and Britain’s economy to be less reliant on financial services and advocating a tax on banks’ transactions.

Calls for a new banking tax come against a backdrop of a resurgent banking sector. The Centre for Economics and Business Research announced that banking bonuses rose by 50% in 2009 while Barclays and HSBC announced half-year profits of £3bn.

With Streatham benefiting from Labour investment in schools, colleges and Sure Start Centres, a tax on banking transactions would help continue the good work in the area. Chuka Umunna said:

“Given that the casino-banking was a cause of the global financial crisis, it is only right that the banks help the country out of it.

“A 0.05% tax on speculative banking transactions would help fund and maintain our schools, universities and hospitals, safeguarding and improving public services here in Streatham.”

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