Intouch V OLUME 1, ISSUE 2 T HIRD Q UARTER 2015 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Council unveils proposals based on Boris’ Local MP Clive 2 Efford backs Jeremy £3m investment in Eltham Corbyn Things are looking up for - Expansion of the Eltham Church clock 2 Eltham High Street after pedestrianisation of loses Council years of pressure from local Passey Place up to the funding Councillors and other Community Hospital, residents, with Mayor of including new trees and Weeds run wild 3 London Boris Johnson a digital sign to allow across Greenwich investing millions of displays of Council pounds; a government-built propaganda at regular new Community Hospital; intervals. Lack of engagement 3 the Coalition sponsored with Leegate - Changing the development. refurbishment of Eltham Footscray Road junction Church of England School and Greenwich Council - Widening the Friends of 3 investing in a new cinema. pavements to give more Queenscroft Park set space to pedestrians up. - Reducing the number Selecting a 4 This summer the of parking spaces (see Conservative Mayor consultants employed by below) of London Greenwich Council unveiled their plans for improvements to the High The multi-million Proposed layouts for the Footscray Road Street using the £3m pound cinema junction. COUNCIL LEADER provided by the Mayor of development is IN PRIVATE EYE London. Residents have expected to make a profit Eltham High Street are Labour Council Leader been invited to comment for Greenwich Council. extremely positive and will Denise Hyland made her on the proposals by the According to the adverts add other proposed th debut in Private Eye in 11 September. Key aiming to attract shops, the improvements which have August as it was revealed elements to the proposals largest unit will cost over already happened. The that the Council had include: £100,000 to rent and the Council's proposals for the allowed the developer on cinema will open in 2017. High Street generally are a more mixed bag with the Greenwich Peninsula to reduce the amount of Adding a diagonal positives like the extended affordable housing in the crossing at the Well Eltham North Councillor pedestrianisation of Passey Hall Road junction Spencer Drury said “The Place but real concerns development as it claimed house prices were outside McDonalds. plans for a cinema on over the loss of parking.” ‘flatlining’ there. Council double talk over parking around Eltham Greenwich Council’s plans within a 3 minute walk to different consultation that it less convenient for for Eltham High Street the High Street.” people will be able to park people to stop off in include a 75% reduction in This means that while more easily in Eltham. At the same time, the number of parking residents living near the neighbouring roads because it is deceitful for the spaces from 59 to 21. The High Street are having of the CPZ arrangements. Council to claim that CPZs Council’s consultants Controlled Parking Zones Councillor Spencer Drury will make it easier for explain that this reduction (CPZs) introduced on the said “I really feel that the residents to park outside is acceptable as “New CPZ basis it will make it easier loss of parking spaces on their own homes while plans will free some 200 to park outside their homes, the High Street could forcing users of the High spaces, 160 of which are the Council is stating in a damage our shops, making Street on to nearby roads.” P AGE 2 V OLUME 1, ISSUE 2 Putting Eltham’s MP Clive Efford under the spotlight By Adam Thomas damaged our public services in the puts outdated socialist ideology before “Labour MPs who nominated Jeremy first place. the needs and aspirations of residents, Corbyn are morons…” (John that within weeks of the election McTernan, BBC Newsnight) Other highlights include Mr Efford: Grabadoc has closed its doors, while Voting against the Greenwich Time continues to …unfortunately that seems to include Government’s proposals for a published. That weeds grow our own Labour MP Clive Efford who national Living Wage uncontrollably on Eltham’s streets has nominated hard left winger Corbyn Voting against tax cuts for the for the Labour leadership. poorest Voting against giving housing Corbyn has aligned himself with the association tenants the right to policies of the Syriza government in own their home Greece, policies which have pushed Voting against measures to the Greek economy into a deep and possibly terminal recession, with help businesses invest unsustainable debts, mass including Corporation Tax unemployment and poverty. reductions Voting against a debate on And it seems Mr Efford has taken a English laws being decided by Clive Efford lecturing the Chancellor on how leaf out of Comrade Corbyn’s book, English MPs Labour did not run up too much debt when in using his time in parliament to Voting against raising the power. promote the fantasy economics of threshold of inheritance tax higher spending and more debt which (source: PublicWhip.org.uk) did so much damage to the UK while we still wait on his decade old promise to deliver the DLR. – Eltham economy, caused job losses and Is it any wonder that with a MP that can do better than this. Council stops time for Eltham church clock Eltham Councillor Spencer Drury has High Street and the Council is put pressure on Greenwich Council “The Mayor of London is investing prioritising a cinema, but basic over its failure to ensure that a millions of pounds in Eltham High housekeeping like ensuring the town prominent church clock in Eltham is centre clock works seems beyond working. Street and the Council is prioritising them. It is a real shame and shows a a cinema, but basic housekeeping lack of joined up thinking about supporting Eltham and its High At July's Council meeting, Spencer like ensuring the town centre clock Street.” secured a commitment from Council works seems beyond them.” Leader that 'the door is always open' if the church requires support in making Eltham resident, 22-year-old James sure St John the Baptist Church clock Shipp said “I have worshipped at St repairs. at the top of Eltham High Street is not John's since I was a child but even to be permanently stuck at midday. people who don't attend church see Councillor Drury’s question followed At the same time as refusing to fund this historic clock as an iconic symbol an article in July's SE9 magazine (Our the repairs of Eltham's landmark clock, of Eltham. I can't understand why the Town Clock Stopped), which reported the Council is continuing to ensure Council isn't continuing to fund its that the Council had refused to fund that four other clocks are upkeep.” maintenance of the clock as it has done maintained, including the one at in the past. the Clockhouse Community Centre in Woolwich which is well off the beaten track for Greenwich’s Labour Council refused most residents. to fund maintenance of the clock – one of the first visible landmarks for anyone entering Eltham high street - as Spencer commented “The it has done in the past having Council's decision to stop using previously undertaken regular an average of £400 each year servicing of the clock. Spencer supporting a major landmark in established that the Council’s last Eltham is simply wrong. The expenditure was in 2012, when £1,243 Mayor of London is investing Eltham Church Clock is now fixed at midday due to lack was spent on a service and some millions of pounds in Eltham of maintenance by the Council. I N TOUCH P AGE 3 Upset Labour Councillor removes Officer over weeds Greenwich Council’s Labour Cabinet as a reason for the excessive weed and dealt with. This year I remain Member responsible for the state of growth but this year the Council had concerned that the spraying is taking our streets confessed to being ‘upset’ not even got round to appointing place so late that the Council will over the weeds across our streets this someone to deal with the simply turn green weeds summer and offered the apologies of problem until late June. The brown and leave then her Department for the failure when Cabinet Member decaying on our questioned by Eltham North acknowledged this point and pavements.” Councillor Spencer Drury. stated that the person responsible no longer worked for the Council. According to the In answer to previous questions from Council’s published Conservative Councillors, Council schedule, Eltham Officers wrote that “It is not possible Spencer said “Whilst it is North’s weeds should to prevent weed growth” leading to good that the Cabinet have been dealt with by the creation of the mocking Member concerned has 31st July while Middle #weedsinbloom hashtag on twitter. acknowledged the Council’s Park & Sutcliffe was to failings on this matter, it be completed by the 5th seems to be a perennial August. Residents will At July’s Council meeting, Spencer problem and they need to be Middle Park Chairman Adam have to be the judge as pointed out that in 2012 and 2014, the much more proactive in Thomas surrounded by to whether this treatment Council had used weather conditions ensuring it is planned for weeds by Queenscroft Park. has been effective. News from around the south of the borough Council admits to no policy over only has the park been cleaned, but a election of a Mayor of London next Leegate redevelopment 'Friends' group has been created. May. Despite the last event of this year's Greenwich Council admitted at the Parksfest being cancelled, Middle Park July Council meeting to having no & Sutcliffe Chairman Adam Thomas Eltham Park Controlled Parking contact with it Lewisham counterpart found time to speak with members of Zone (CPZ) proposals finally over the redevelopment of the Leegate the Friends of Queenscroft and Horn published Shopping Centre.