Wallington South Councillors’ Spring Update

Spring appears to be playing peek-a-boo with us, with one day the bulbs and seedlings starting to show, the next they are lost under a pile of snow. But the promise of warmer days and lighter nights is definitely there, so it is time for an update from your ward councillors.

Ward News

Street cleaning

Veolia have taken over responsibility for keeping the borough’s streets clean, and they are required to maintain them to a certain set standard. Whilst most of our streets are being maintained, there are a few areas that persistently fall well below standard and we have had to chase Veolia to do a proper clean. One of the key issues has been clearing up the debris left by leaf fall.

Please do let us know if your street is not being cleaned to a good standard as we will inform the council which has the power to levy fines if Veolia are not meeting the standards in the contract.

Bins

Most households are now receiving a regular collection, with just an occasional missed bin due to the weather or roadworks. However there are still a few persistent problem areas, usually flats. In the first instance please report a missed collection online, however if the bin is not collected after a couple of days then please let your ward councillor know. We can escalate the matter and ensure that the council is aware that Veolia are not performing and penalise them accordingly.

Veolia are no longer issuing new bins or recycling boxes in response to new requests. However if you put in a request prior to November 2017 let us know as they should still be honouring these requests. The same goes if you never received the correct receptacle in the first place.

Tree pruning

It is tree pruning season for Wallington South this spring, and the biggest problem our contractors face are vehicles ignoring the temporary No Parking signs so they cannot access the trees. Please note the date if notices go up in your road and try to park your vehicle elsewhere on that day.  However we realise that in many cases it is not residents but commuters or non-residents who are the worst offenders. However they are more likely to take notice if there are not lots of other cars parked despite the signs.

Wallington Music Festival

On to happier things: the Wallington Music Festival will be back again on Saturday 23^rd June and the local team are already busy arranging for the best local talent to perform for your delight.

 

Beddington & Wallington Local Committee feedback

Road safety schemes

The Beddington & Wallington Local Committee deals with requests for road safety improvements and the committee and community representatives decide on which schemes should be prioritised for funding out of the (shrinking) TfL funding allocation.

The committee agreed that funding should be allocated to implement School Keep Clear markings outside Sherwood Hill School on Stanley Park Road and for improvements to the vehicle access here.

It was agreed for HGV restrictions in Clyde Road to be put forward for funding from the TfL allocation.

A further junction assessment will be undertaken of the Woodcote Road/Stafford Road (Sainsburys) junction to see if it can be improved without increasing delays to the wider highways network.

Design options to improve the Foresters Drive/Wordsworth Road/Sandy Lane South junction are being drafted.

Speed activation signs are to be installed to slow vehicles approaching the Sandy Lane South/ Hillside Gardens mini-roundabout following concerns raised with us by residents.

Other local projects

With funding cuts the council can no longer afford to automatically replace trees that have had to be felled due to disease or damage, but using local committee public realm funding we have been able to replace a number of felled trees across the area including two in Wallington town centre and six in Heathdene Road.

A damaged bench in Woodcote Road close to Woodcote Avenue will also be replaced and funding was agreed for the lovely hanging basket displays around the Local Committee area.

Slightly further afield but within the local area a new heritage post was purchased for Wallington Green to support hanging baskets there.

The committee had also agreed for two pieces of play equipment for disabled children to be installed at Roundshaw Park.

Mellows Park will have its tennis courts relined and the Multi-use Games area pressure-washed and relined.

A zebra crossing will be installed in front of Highview Primary School.

All of the projects and safety schemes were suggested by local residents either directly or through their ward councillor. So if you have any ideas for projects to spend the funds allocated to the Local Committees do get in touch with us. There are also Neighbourhood Grant schemes available for community events which have been used to help support the Wallington Music Festival and Christmas Lights Switch on as well as for community street parties.

Bandon Hill Cemetery WW1 war graves project

Most of our war dead were buried in graves on the continent but did you know that there are 55 war graves in Bandon Hill Cemetery? With funding from the Heritage Lottery fund the Council, with support from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, is running an initiative to help care for these war graves and to research the lives of those buried there. For more information about the project and to get involved email steve.penneck@sutton.gov.uk.

Working with the Local Police Team

Steve, Muhammad and Jayne attend the Safer Neighbourhood Team Ward Panel quarterly meetings along with residents to discuss local policing matters. We were pleased to learn that Wallington South is one of the safest wards in the borough, and therefore in London. However nowhere is crime-free and the most frequent incidences are burglaries, motor vehicle crime and moped enabled crime. The advice to prevent the first two is simple: ensure your car and house are locked and don’t leave valuables on display. The local team advised however that the biggest criminal activity they face across the board is online scamming.

You can find out more about the local team’s work on their website or like their facebook page

More worrying was learning about the cuts to London’s Police funding by the Treasury, meaning that there are proposals to merge boroughs in order to make savings. For us that would mean Sutton merging with Bromley and Croydon under one Area Commander. This is concerning as it is expected that most of the resources would go to Bromley and Croydon as they have higher crime rates, leaving Sutton exposed. The over-stretched police force would also have to make compromises in the way it deals with crime. We have a petition running against this merger.

Wallington High School for Girls

Wallington Girls circulates information about upcoming events at the school which may result in additional traffic in the area:

• April 18th Parents’ Evening 4 -7pm
• April 24th e-Safety Evening 6.30pm and Welcome to WHSG evening (for prospective 6F students – to be confirmed)
• April 26th Parents Evening 4 – 7pm
• May 24th GCSE Art exhibition in the hall 5pm

Planning News

The application to develop the Wallington Public Hall site was agreed unanimously at the Planning Committee on Wednesday 21^st March.

There is an application in respect of Wallington Square to allow construction work between the hours of 6pm and 11pm over a six week period to allow the installation of the canopy over the square. This is to prevent having to close the square during the day which would impact on businesses. Although the consultation deadline for this application is 2^nd April, work has already started out of hours. It is therefore subject to an enforcement notice.

If you are disturbed by noise as a result of this out of hours working you should report it to the council’s Environmental Health team – call 020 8770 5000 – there will be a 24/7 duty officer who can take calls out of hours if necessary.

Borough News

The council elections will be held on 3rd May and we appear to be already into the silly season of misinformation, smears and in some cases, downright lies. Sadly some people think that this is the  way to do politics. We would disagree – if you can’t make your case based on the truth, then you have no case. We would rather give you the facts, even if some of them are uncomfortable, or you disagree with our decisions, at least we are being honest with you.

It is very easy to make allegations, but harder to defend, more especially now social media allows things to be reposted and shared repeatedly. It would be impossible to post the facts in response to every single time misinformation is posted or reposted on social media, not to mention time consuming, but that does risk the lies and misinformation becoming accepted as fact.

Your Lib Dem councillors would rather spend their time working for residents, which is what we were elected to do. So please take the claims you read with a pinch of salt, and if you do come across stories on social media or election leaflets that particularly concern you then please contact us to get the bigger picture and the facts.

Local events diary

Wallington Community Wellbeing Group

Come and Meet Us Event Friday 27^th April 11am to 3pm. Get healthcare advice and try taster sessions for new activities like yoga, hand drumming, singing and Tai Chi. Lunch provided by Chef Arif. www.wallingtoncommunitywellbeing.org. This group also collates a calendar of local activities and groups for the over 50s.

Carshalton & Wallington Morning Townswomen’s Guild

A new guild is opening and looking for new members. The grand opening will be on Wednesday 11^th April 10am at The Scout Hall, 72B Woodcote Road, Wallington, SM6 0LH. For info call Mary 0208 395 1161

Get Active and make new friends

Hillside Gardens Tennis Club is offering free cardio tennis sessions throughout March. For more info contact tenniswallington@gmail.com

Walk for health meets every Tuesday at 10.30am outside Wallington Girls School for a 30 minute walk, with options to extend the walk. Call 0208 647 3000/07770 533000 email: walks@wallington-community-group.org

Wandle Valley Regional Park also organises walks every Monday at 10am in front of the Pavilion Café in Beddington Park and Fridays at 10am in front of St Mary’s Church Beddington. Contact Anna on anna.desogus@wandlevalleypark.co.uk tel. 07809458494

Beddington Park Gardening Club

Every 2^nd Tuesday of the Month, 10.30am. Contact sarah.price@sutton.gov.uk or call 020 8770 6060

Councillors Ward Surgery

We hold a drop in surgery every third Saturday of the month (except August) 10 – 11.30am in the Wallington Sainsburys at the Wallington Square end. No appointment necessary, or feel free to just drop by and say hello. Our next surgery is Saturday 21st April.

Other News

Jayne is walking 25 miles to fundraise for UK Sepsis Trust

Jayne is doing the 25 mile Easter Walk on 31^st March together with her husband and youngest son to raise funds for UK Sepsis Trust. Any donations for this worthy cause would be very much appreciated: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/colin-mccoy1

 

That is it from us. Don’t be fooled by the glimpses of sunshine yet – remember the saying Ne’er cast a clout ‘til May is out so keep a coat handy so you don’t get caught out by a chill wind or April shower.

Have a lovely Easter

Jayne McCoy, Steve Cook & Muhammad Sadiq

Liberal Democrat Councillors for Wallington South

London Borough of Sutton