“Neil, you can’t do both jobs”
Neil Coyle should stand down as councillor to allow his Newington ward constituents to have better representation on the council.
Their councillor (now our MP) has attended only the Council Assembly on 16 May 2015 since being returned as the MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark.
Whilst it is true that he was present at the Borough, Bankside and Walworth Community Council on 16 September, that was in his capacity as MP rather than councillor: he only joined the meeting for the agenda item “Address by Neil Coyle MP”.
Do the decent thing, Neil, and resign your council seat. The residents of Newington ward deserve better.
Gavin Smith, Bermondsey
“Not very brave decision making”
Where the best leaders should listen, recognise and shape their decisions in a democratic embrace of citizen resolve for new ideas and approaches to difficult problems and overcoming seeming conflicts of interest, Southwark Council simply goes into a circled wagon bunker lock down.
Where Camberwell’s burgeoning population needs a proper large library like Canada Water it gets a 100 person minuscule library built on the last open space. No one negotiated for a library in acres of brownfield across the street or considered not selling buildings to yet another church.
But then, the sense might be that it feeds another lily livered decision not to integrate cemeteries forever into the world’s desperation for deep green space. Camberwell Old and New Cemeteries will be mowed and cemented because those same churches that could be libraries want cement graves tidy and clean and available for car visits. Revolving door graves, one in and then chucked for the next dead body. All the panoply of celebration and mourning could be had in a forest of green. With leadership to show the way to profits all round for everyone.
Developers are asked for nothing: no solar panels, no linked up protected cycle lanes.
Nothing is asked of anyone. No leadership shown. When the sh*t hits the fan there really will be no where to hide for anyone no matter how high the bunker walls they’ve built for themselves and their friends.
Fighting and winning elections is unfortunately not the same skill set as making insightful decisions that will shape and be felt long into the future.
Abby Taubin,?East Dulwich
“Get involved on Crossrail”
As Crossrail prepares to open in 2018, now is the opportunity for readers to have their say on a new railway project that could affect peoples lives in this part of London for a generation.
The proposed new Crossrail 2 would run underground through London between Wimbledon and New Southgate/Tottenham Hale and link into the existing national rail network above ground for destinations in Surrey and Hertfordshire.
Crossrail 2 could bring jobs and vastly increased services to large parts of our city, helping us to move around for decades to come but there are also questions about where construction sites will be positioned, where station entrances should go, what the service levels should be and how the project will impact people’s homes living along the route.
If we get this right, Crossrail 2 could transform life in London for so many of us, so I urge everyone to take part in this next phase of the consultation and provide your feedback to the planners. Details of consultation meetings can be found at http://crossrail2.co.uk
Syed Kamall, MEP for London
“Used postage stamp appeal”
I am appealing for used postage stamps which help me raise funds, which I then donate to the Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Recycling used postage stamps is such an easy way to raise money for the charity and I am always in need of all types of postage stamps, including British, Foreign and Christmas stamps.
If you are able to help I would be grateful if you could cut the stamps from their envelopes (leaving a 1cm margin around the stamp) and send them to the address below.
Myrna Chave, PO Box 91, Virginia Water, Surrey, GU25 9AR
If you would like to contact me my email address is stamps4gdftb@live.co.uk
Your assistance in helping me to support this very worthy cause is greatly appreciated.
Myrna Chave