News

Lewisham Council has confirmed that the February 6th Lee Green assembly will be the last under the current format. Cllr Edison Huynh, Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities, has written to participants in the Local Assemblies Programme, saying the Council has “taken the difficult decision to withdraw council officer support and funding from the programme from April 2025. “

The Councillor added “It has become clear that Assemblies are no longer proving to be an effective mechanism to involve and engage with local communities or to deliver on the original aims of the Commission due to the fact that: 

” Whilst this may not be the case in all wards, on the whole meeting attendance rarely reflects the demographic makeup of the ward in which it is hosted and attendance has been poor – data shows a total of 611 attendees (this may include the same people attending multiple meetings) across the last three assembly meetings in 2024 across all wards. 

“Not all Council consultations fit in with the timeframes of all Local Assembly meetings, resulting in some emerging or ongoing issues not being aired at Assembly meetings 

“Work can be impacted by pre-election period restrictions at ward, regional and national levels 

“Residents tell us they value the information shared, but their sense of having directly influenced, shaped or contributed to firm, evidenced outcomes is limited. “

Cllr Huynh added “The Council and local councillors have valued the contribution of those who’ve taken the time to attend and become involved in Local Assemblies and we want to make sure there are effective routes for all local people to get involved in local decision making and to share their views with the Council. 

“There are of course lots of ways you already do this, from taking part in consultations and surveys, to attending our formal Council meetings and those of other local bodies like Safer Neighbourhood Boards. These will all continue. Local councillors will also still continue to run regular ward surgeries and be able to listen to and act on local concerns. 

“In addition, there will be new forms of resident engagement which we hope will be more engaging and reach a wider audience – including in the many communities who do not currently come to assemblies. The Mayor of Lewisham has asked council officers to undertake a review of the Council’s engagement activity. This will be carried out in phases and aims to report back to Mayor and Cabinet in the summer. We will share updates about this work in due course. 

“Officers will also consider the Council’s approach to community development and how existing resources can be allocated to promote local action and deliver priority programmes such as the ‘adopt a street’ initiative which are currently not resourced. 

“A special thanks to all those residents who have been involved in coordinating groups and in the delivery of ward assembly leaflets. I am keen to hear your views about the future of resident engagement with the Council and the ideas you have. Please fill in the form here to let me know your views.  

Caroline Mayow, one of the founders of Lee Green Lives, has written to Cllr Huynh, suggesting Lewisham should provide support for the Lee Green Consortium of local community groups, as a partial replacement for the loss of the Assemblies. You can read her full letter here.

It’s been confirmed that a representative of Sustainable Streets will attend the February 6th meeting ( 7pm at Lochaber Hall) to answer questions about the latest proposals including all-day Controlled Parking Zones in some parts of the Borough.

By Charles Batchelor

Council proposals to impose all-day parking charges on a large area of Lee have run into strong opposition from some residents and the Lee Manor Society.

The plans, forming part of Lewisham’s sustainable streets initiative, would require motorists parking in streets around Leyland Road and Woodyates Road to pay to park between 9am and 5pm. 

Residents without off-street parking, would be required to buy a permit costing up to £372 a year to park on the street with no guarantee they could find a space in front of their house.

The Society says it sees no reason why the limited parking controls – between 10am and 12 noon – currently in place on the other, west side, of Burnt Ash Road cannot be applied in the new parking zone. 

The limited parking controls have proved successful in deterring commuter parking while leaving residents, carers making house visits and tradesmen the convenience of parking without charge in local streets.

Yet the council is even suggesting that these more limited parking controls could be replaced by all-day restrictions in future. The council claims that parking restrictions do not cover the costs of implementation but the suspicion remains that a cash-strapped borough does see future revenues from such schemes. 

“There seems to be no evidence provided by the council that local car journeys are the big  threat to sustainable streets,” said Frances Migniuolo, a local resident. ” A more balanced approach is needed . The proposals do not address the needs of elderly or less mobile  residents who need to shop or have family or friends visit during the day on weekdays . Doing  your own shopping and having such  visits are vital to staying self-reliant and healthy in older life.”

Parts of the sustainable streets programme are welcome. These include more street trees, secure cycle storage, electric vehicle charging points, safer crossings and car club bays. But the lengthy parking controls are already prompting local anger and a strong response, according to one local councillor.

The closing date for responses is Sunday, January 26 and residents are urged to send in comments to sustainablestreets@lewisham.gov.uk by then. But official closing dates have proved flexible in the past and residents will have the opportunity to express their views at the next Lee Green Assembly Meeting at 7pm-9pm on Thursday, February 6  in Lochaber Hall, Manor Lane Terrace, SE13 5QL. We understand a representative from Sustainable Streets will attend the meeting and answer questions.

“We urge residents to attend this meeting to make their views known,” said Charles Batchelor, a management committee member of the Lee Manor Society.

The formal survey form at www.lewisham.gov.uk/sustainablestreets is in a tick-box format allowing no opportunity to express detailed comments and should be supplemented with a more detailed response.