Goose Green and Dulwich Hill Councillor Report - Spring 2020
At the beginning of the covid19 pandemic Goose Green and Dulwich Hill councillors produced a joint report to cover the council’s response. This is in place of the usual Goose Green newsletter whichare posted online and emailed out to Labour Party members and anyone who signs up here.
Southwark Council’s response to the COVID-19 crisis
All relevant information related to the work of the council on Covid-19 can be found here:
https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/for-the-public/coronavirus
Action taken by the council to support residents through this period:
Halting all evictions from council properties
Offered every rough sleeper a self contained home
Put an extra £1.5 million into our Emergency Support Scheme for local people
Created more capacity on our phones in our emergency support service for those in financial hardship
Extra support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence via the Solace Advocacy and Support Service (SASS) which supports victims of DV in Southwark
Set up an advice service for businesses. As of 27th March, the council had already distributed £15milion of grants to local businesses to help keep them afloat during this difficult time.
Mutual Aid groups
As ward councillors, we have been amazed by the efforts of local residents in creating mutual aid groups to distribute supplies to their neighbours and to provide other forms of support.
There is a fantastic Southwark Mutual Aid facebook group and both Dulwich Hill and Goose Green have Mutual Aid groups set up by local residents.
The Facebook group can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/833177740485170/
The Dulwich Hill Mutual Aid WhatsApp group can be joined using this link:
The Goose Green Mutual Aid group has a website with information about how to volunteer or to seek help:
http://goosegreenmutualaid.co.uk
Options to donate and volunteer
We know many Labour members in Dulwich Hill and Goose Green are already offering support to neighbours via the Mutual Aid groups. If you are able to, there are further opportunities for volunteering below:
Food banks in Southwark are facing a very high level of need at the moment. If you, or anyone you know, is able to make a donation to Pecan, the food bank on Peckham High Street, they can do this using this link: https://pecan.charitycheckout.co.uk/cf/pecan-covid-19-appeal.
Pecan is also asking for volunteers with a valid DBS to deliver food parcels in Southwark. If you are able to help, please email welcome@pecan.org.uk.
Tribute to Ted Knight by Cllr James McAsh
We learned on Monday that Ted Knight has passed away. Ted was an inspiring figure of the labour movement for more than forty years. As Leader of Lambeth Council in the 1980s, he fought hard for the people he represented, against attacks from Margaret Thatcher's government. More recently, he was an active member of our local Labour Party member, chairing Gypsy Hill branch and a keen activist within Dulwich and West Norwood CLP. He was friendly and welcoming to new members, and motivated and encouraged us. He was unwavering in his commitment to working people.
Rest in power, Ted, your legacy lives on.
Tribute to former Mayor Peter Cather by Cllr Charlie Smith
We learnt this week of the sad death of Mr Peter Cather, Mayor of Southwark 1978/9 and Freeperson of the Borough, awarded in the 1980s. Mr Cather was 95 years old and contributed greatly to the Council, the community and a wide range of other organisations during his long service to the borough. He was a union organiser in the print trade, and the election agent for Dulwich Labour Party in the 1980s. Mr Cather served as a Councillor for the Barset ward. He maintained his membership of the Goose Green and Dulwich Hill branch in recent years, and though he wasn’t able to attend branch meetings he looked forward to the monthly branch mailings, to follow our local activities.
Election for the leader of the council
This has been postponed for the time being and Cllr Peter John remains in post, leading the response to Covid-19 in Southwark and in his role as Chair of London Councils.
Contact with your councillors
All surgeries and meetings have been cancelled for the foreseeable. However, councillors are still dealing with ordinary casework and issues arising from COVID-19. Contact details here: https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-mps/your-councillors
Although we are not meeting in person, Southwark Labour councillors are having weekly catch ups via Zoom, to check we are up to date with events as they change rapidly and to raise queries with cabinet members.
If you have any questions or thoughts on the current crisis you would like to raise with us, please do get in touch.
Equally, if you have positive stories about how the community is supporting each other during this difficult time, we would love to hear about it, so that we can share with other residents.
Best wishes,
Jon Hartley, Dulwich Hill councillor
Maggie Browning, Dulwich Hill councillor
Charlie Smith, Goose Green councillor
James McAsh, Goose Green councillor
Victoria Olisa, Goose Green councillor