The Lib Dem campaign to improve access at Hither Green station was ‘ramped up’ last week. We gathered hundreds of signatures in support of our demand to open up the closed ramps to platforms 1, 2/3 and 6. Currently anyone in a wheelchair, with a pram, or simply with heavy luggage really struggles to get beyond platforms 4 & 5.

We think opening up the closed ramps to platforms 1, 2/3 and 6 would help, but in the long term we need works to ensure access for all at this busy station (2.9 million people use Hither Green each year!).

If you back our campaign, please sign the petition HERE.

The photo on the right shows Pete Pattisson and local campaigner Jim Caple, who edits our FOCUS newsletter, collecting signatures at the station.

The decent homes programme is a government scheme aimed at bringing social housing (council and housing association properties) up to a pretty minimal standard by the year 2010. Most councils have just got on and done this.  There’s government money available to do it, and there are several ways to achieve it – by transferring stock to a housing association (like at Leybridge Court), by a PFI (like in Brockley) or via what’s called an ‘Arms Length Management Organisation’ or ALMO.

Lewisham have gone for all three approaches – with different solutions in different areas.  I’ve been supportive of the Leybridge Court transfer, so I don’t at all come at this from a ‘let’s oppose everything the Council does’ angle.

However, the ALMO route has been fraught with difficulty.  The Council were late setting up Lewisham Homes, and it had an appalling start with a dreadful Audit Commission report on the set-up it inherited from the Council (something the Cabinet Member responsible has told me she’ll never forgive me for demanding a copy of!).  The Government won’t give Lewisham a penny for decent homes until they’re confident the organisation is in a fit state to spend it, and they define that standard as a ‘2 star’ award from the Audit Commission.

So far, that critical inspection has been delayed and delayed again, and far from all homes meeting the standard (as the Mayor promised tenants back in 2006), seven out of ten Lewisham Homes won’t meet the standard by 2010.  In fact, the number of non-decent council homes has increased since 2006 as kitchens and bathrooms have become life-expired.

The latest piece of bad news comes from Government.  Having got sick of waiting for Lewisham to get their act together, the Government has decided to spend the money allocated for our decent homes on something else.  So there’s now no money in the kitty to deliver decent homes, even if Lewisham did pull a rabbit out of the hat and get two stars.   The housing minister has said that money might be found in the next round of government spending – due in 2011 – but as we all know, there’ll be a general election by then, and he’s not in a position to promise that.

The Lib Dem group are really worried by this state of affairs, particularly as the Council has been very slow off the mark in waking up to this and doing something about it.  Their initial reaction was to deny there was a problem and say the money had been ‘delayed’ by six months.  Other Councils affected have launched a judicial  review, but Lewisham’s chosen not to take part in that.  So we tabled a motion for the last council  meeting on 24th September - noting our concerns and asking the Chair of Council to write to the Minister concerned, and for the Mayor to apologise to tenants through Lewisham Homes’ ‘Home’ magazine for their tenants.

Now, Council meetings in Lewisham begin at 7.30pm and end at 10pm, unless Council decides to continue.  As you can see from the agenda, the motion was the last item on the agenda of the September meeting.   So, when 10pm came round, we asked for the Council meeting to be extended so we could ensure we covered all the business.  Predictably, Labour councillors voted against, rather than have the motion discussed (I should add that they filibustered throughout the meeting to ensure that time ran out – one councillor listing the platforms at London Bridge station ‘Platform 1, platform 2, etc…)

So, we ensured our motion was the first one to be debated at last night’s council meeting.  What could go wrong?  Well, the Chair of the Labour Group decided to ask for the order of business to be changed, so that once again, our motion was last.  As a couple of opposition councillors weren’t present, the Labour group got their way, and the motion was once again relegated to the end of the agenda, and once again, they voted to close the meeting at 10pm.  That’s democracy, Lewisham Council style.

This is a really important issue that affects thousands of tenants across the borough. It needs to be discussed by their representatives, and not ignored because it’s politcally embarassing for the ruling clique.  Fortunately, there are now enough opposition councillors that we can call an emergency council meeting – so that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Why are Lewisham Labour so afraid of a debate?  I think their record on housing speaks for itself.

In early December, world leaders will gather in Denmark for a crucial conference on climate change. Their challenge will be to agree radical measures to tackle global warming. Our challenge is to demand they do so.

That’s why my colleague (and the next MP for Lewisham East!) Pete Pattisson, and thousands of other concerned citizens, will be joining The Wave on December 5th in central London. The Wave is a mass demonstration to show our support for a safe climate future for all. Those taking part will march through London in a wave of blue, and finish by circling Parliament.

Pete’s organising a group of local cyclists to cycle to The Wave, leaving from the Clock Tower in Lewisham Town Centre at 11am on December 5th. It will be a fun, safe and meaningful way to take part. Everyone is welcome, so if you would like to come along, just tell Pete you’re coming by filling in the form at his website.

I posted in August about Network Arts, a wonderful arts group for people with mental health needs which meets at the Lee Centre on Aislibie Road.  Back then the members of Network Arts were campaigning with the support of the Liberal Democrats against South London and Maudsley NHS Trust’s plans to close the group down to save cash.

I’m really pleased to say the campaign was successful, and the group will continue.   My colleagues Pete Pattisson and Chris Maines are pictured celebrating with group members.

Pete said, “Network Arts Lewisham provides a lifeline for dozens of local people and it seemed outrageous and self-defeating to shut it down due to so-called savings. I was at the opening last month of a beautiful exhibition of art produced by the group – anyone who attended would realise just how important groups like Network Arts are.”

Not in our ward, but no doubt of interest to people who live near Lee High Road and use Blackheath Station to get into town.  My colleague Cllr Chris Maines, who represents Blackheath Ward, tells me that from the 13th December, Southeastern are planning to make major cuts to services from Blackheath Station.  In particular, peak time services between 8.00am and 9.01am will see a 50% cut in Cannon Street services, with three Cannon Street trains and one Charing Cross train being withdrawn.

Chris and the Blackheath Village Residents Group have been campaigning against these changes.    You can sign the petition against the cuts here, join the Facebook group here.  The campaigners are also planning to organise a mass lobby at Southeastern ‘meet the managers’ events.  There’s one at Cannon Street on Thursday 12th November – details here- and also one at Blackeath itself on Tuesday 10th November – details here.

And I’m dead chuffed to find out (via a text from Will ) that I’ve won the Tim Garden Award for the Best Blog by a Lib Dem Holding Public Office.  

I just got back from Burlington today, and haven’t made it to Bournemouth yet  so couldn’t pick up the award in person – though Will tells me he made an erudite speech on my behalf… 

James has made me feel old by pointing out it’s nine years almost to the day since he recruited me to the Lib Dems at a freshers’ fair in Leeds.  He won best blog post for his post on Parliament, The Telegraph and Jo Swinson.  I seem to remember going to Sheffield with James a few weeks after I joined the party to help out with an action day in what was then Richard Allan’s Sheffield Hallam constituency – of course, now Nick Clegg’s home turf.  The person who trained us to canvass there was Jo, and she’s now MP for East Dunbartonshire, so a good few changes there over the course of nine years!

The other winners can be found here.

Update: Have added a photo of me picking up my statuette from LibDemVoice’s Helen Duffett.  Thanks to Alex Foster for taking the pic.