From 2006 to 2010, I was a councillor for Lee Green ward in the London Borough of Lewisham. During that time, I blogged regularly and in 2009 I won the Tim Garden Award for the Best Blog by a Liberal Democrat Holding Public Office. My blog posts from my term of office are archived here in case they prove of use to former constituents, or to those who share my annoyance with faulty street furniture
… that make being a councillor frustrating and worthwhile – at the same time.
Residents of Kimberley Terrace approached me back in February. They’re a small terrace in the middle of Manor Lane, and didn’t have a street sign. This had led to all sorts of confusion regarding deliveries and visitors, and after over 15 years of paying taxes to Lewisham Council, they thought a street sign was a reasonable thing to ask for.
So did I – but predicatably, the first response from Lewisham was ‘no’. Kimberley Terrace was a private development, and therefore not the Council’s problem. Residents should apparently tell people they live at Kimberley Terrace, 228 1/2 Manor Lane. Naturally, neither I nor the residents thought this was good enough.
So I took this further, and after a few months waiting for the sign to be made up and installed, I’m pleased to say these residents now have a street sign. A small thing, perhaps, but it’ll make a big difference to them.
