Sydenham Town Forum

In response to Lee, I think that,rightly or wrongly, David Cameron genuinely believes in his Big Society project. It featured prominently (though not under that title) in his speech to last year's Tory conference and he set it out in more detail in his Hugo Young lecture in November. It was also of ...

Ive just looked at the Prime Minister's July speech about the 'Big Society' (awful title, I agree) - see http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/speeches-and-transcripts/2010/07/big-society-speech-53572 . He implies that the BS goes beyond 'having volunteers involved in providing public services' (as in the...

A good meeting today, I thought, although no earth-shattering announcements or decisions. Very competent presentations by the council officials and well-stuctured, lively and constructive discussions. Like, I guess, most people there I was impressed with the plans for the Sydenham youth centre and h...

I doubt whether Lewisham could unilaterally cut the pay of employees on nationally agreed (as I assume they still are) payscales. In any case, it would be particularly politically difficult here, as I believe a higher proportion of the working population in Lewisham are employed in the public sector...

'Tadpole' said: It's time the Mayor 'got real', he should join the others in this country that have taken a pay cut to keep their jobs. That would save a few jobs going at Sydenham library This has been more recently discussed on one of the threads specifically devoted to the proposal to close Syden...

'Sacha' says: If Labour councillors/councils were serious about representing working-class people, they would just say: No, we don't make cuts I don't think that would work. If a council refused to make cuts, the Government would probably in effect sack them - send in commisioners, or something. Eve...

I've just got round to digging out an article about this I remember reading in The Independent . See http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/terence-blacker/terence-blacker-hands-off-our-public-libraries-2057131.html . As one of the on-line comments points out, Terence Blacker's reference ...

No, Kirkdale itself won't be affected.

I have just had a leaflet through the door inviting comments on the council proposal for introducing a 20mph zone in the area bounded by Derby Hill, Derby Hill Crescent, Featherstone Avenue, Thorpewood Avenue, Kirkdale and Dartmouth Road. (The area straddles SE23 and SE26, so I intend to put a simil...

On the 'representative democracy' point, Tim, you are obviously technically right. But, I suggest, things have moved on a bit since Edmund Burke's day. We do indeed '[elect] leaders to take decisions' , but nowadays we expect those leaders to consult us on controversial issues before they take those...

I would challenge Tim on two counts: we can say very easily who it is incumbent on to set some priorites - our CEO, who is paid about £200,000 p.a. and our Mayor, paid £78,000 Isn't this a democracy? Aren't the CEO and the Mayor our servants? Can we really just leave it to them to determine prioriti...

'Simon' says: The closure is motivated purely by the wish to save money. Indeed. But money has got to be saved, hasn't it? I'd better declare an interest - I wouldn't be directly affected by the closure as I use Forest Hill library. But I fully understand the concerns of people who live in Lower Syd...

Michael said: This means that the police will have the powers to confiscate alcohol from my fridge or from Sainsburys whenever they want to 'dispose' of some. Don't think so, unless Michael is implausibly naughty in the privacy of his kitchen . The consultation document says (my underlining): The or...

I've just joined and posted some comments. The forum says it has a specific aim, which is to get our views on how the council should respond to the public expenditure crisis: what council services should be protected, which could be cut and what scope there is for voluntary activities to fill the ga...

Thanks for the pictures, Tim. I think the Baxter Fields one just show the traces of recent grass-cutting. The Mayow Park one is more intriguing. It may be that alien interest in Sydenham is even more extensive than I feared. By an odd coincidence, my wife also suggested the 'land drain' theory. Soun...

The recent hot dry weather has revealed an extensive network of geometrical shapes formed by narrow lines of paler grass in Baxter Fields. They seem to me to be too complicated and regular to be caused by underground cables or pipelines, and the shapes (e.g. parallelograms) don't look right for eith...

I do not believe that 'sanitize' (or 'civilize', 'Americanize' etc) is an Americanism. It is the preferred spelling of the Oxford English Dictionary and of the (British) Modern Humanities Research Association style guide (much used in academia).

I wish 'bigbadwolf' wouldn't use expressions like 'Jesus ... wept' in his posts. That sort of language is offensive and bullying. I know for a fact it puts off people who, like me. want to use this forum to discuss local issues in a friendly and constructive way. ----------- Expletive deleted by Adm...

The handy (for me) battery recycling bin outside Tesco's in Kirkdale seems to have disappeared. Does anyone know why? I'm not sure whether Tesco or Lewisham council looked after it. Is there another one in the Upper Sydenham/Dartmouth Road area?

Another great concert tonight. Electrifying performance of Sibelius 5th by the Festival Orchestra under Robert Trory, particularly the first movement - really conveyed the sense of moving into unexplored and quite frightening musical territory. Wonderful wind playing. The performance of the Elgar ce...