I have never left a council meeting feeling so emotional as I did last night. It made me more determined than ever to be a voice for local residents in a bureaucracy and an administration that thinks it knows best, whatever evidence is presented to them. There are two day centres in Southwark, run by […]

I know that everyone has been really enjoying this series and it was been great to have two Southwark streets featured. I found the Camberwell Grove episode fascinating as I grew up walking up and down that road and it was great to see so many well known faces. It was also really important for the […]

This week’s full council meeting saw Lib Dem councillors standing up again for what really matters in Southwark. From day centres to nurseries. From arguing for proper and open council recruitment processes to showing Labour up for changing their own targets because they’re not meeting them. From caring for the vulnerable to protecting community heritage. I was […]

There has been a lot of talk recently about ‘democracy’ in Southwark. As the Leader of the Opposition on the council, it is my duty to scrutinise the decisions of the Labour administration and hold them to account. Labour say they are more democratic but sadly the evidence simply doesn’t back up their spin. Firstly […]

It is great that cycling is finally properly on the political agenda although sad that it comes after too many tragic accidents and fatalities. On Thursday 8th March at 7pm, Southwark Liberal Democrats are bringing together our local communities to discuss cycling in Southwark and London, and how our streets can be made safer and […]

I have just had the most fantastic and inspiring visit to the Southwark Muslim Women’s Association. I was so impressed at the work which is done there to empower women through education. There was so much learning going on from basic English to ICT to how to run a business. Everyone in Southwark should be able to […]

You may remember that the Labour budget planned to close 10 of the 13 volutnary sector day centres in our borough. Thanks to pressure from committed campaigners and the Liberal Democrat council group a last minute stay of execution was allowed. Labour said they would use this time to consult with the providers of these […]

Over the last couple of days I have been really moved by my visits to the day centre at Stones End and to the Irish Pensioners Project. These groups do not receive huge amounts of funding from the council, but they have just been told that they will lose 100% of their funding within 12 […]

Today I met with parents from the Parents and Carers Together Forum in South Bermondsey. They are really worried about the council’s proposed cuts. Like many organisations I have spoken to over recent weeks they are finding it impossible to get any solid information out of the council. The cabinet report is so vague it […]

This evening saw an excellent deputation which the Liberal Democrat group invited to our full council meeting. The group included Barry Albin-Dyer OBE from FA Albins Funeral Directors. Barry’s family firm are a huge part of Bermondsey and have looked after local people for over a hundred years. They also bring back every member of […]