Roger Roberts won the Worcester Park by-election for the Liberal Democrats with a swing of 3% from the Tories to the Lib Dems.
The votes cast were as follows:
Liberal Democrat 1367
Conservatives 977
Labour 315
UKIP 190
Green 46
33.5% Turnout
This is Apple Lodge
Heather and Richard will be busy this week.
Last Saturday we had our latest surgery at Apple Lodge on the Sutton Court estate, in Brighton Road (opposite the BP garage), from 10am to noon. If you enter Sutton Court by the entrance in the Brighton Road furthest from Sutton station you will find Apple Lodge on your right. We hold these every third Saturday of the month, at Apple Lodge, except August. If you contact us and need to meet us we will arrange to meet you where and when you want, and immediately if there is urgency, but you may prefer to come to our surgery. We hold surgeries at Apple Lodge every third Saturday of the month, 10 am to noon.
Next Thursday, 23 February, the South Sutton, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee meets at the Chiltern Church in Chiltern Road, in Belmont Ward. The agenda includes an opportunity for the public to ask questions and raise issues, and discussion of the implications of changes at Sutton Hospital. We hope many of you will come.
As freezing temperatures continue grip the borough, Sutton’s elderly and disabled residents are being urged to see if they qualify for free help to keep warm this winter.
Sutton Council’s Warm Room scheme offers practical help to those who need it most. Residents who qualify for the scheme will receive a visit from the council to see if any simple changes can be made to their living room or bedroom to keep them warm and healthy. This could include things like draught proofing for windows, thick lined curtains, rugs for bare floors, emergency electricity supplies, extra duvets or blankets and having chimneys sealed. All of these measures can be provided free of charge by the council.
Cllr Colin Stears, Executive Member for Adult Social Services and Health at Sutton Council, said: “We all know how important it is to keep warm during the cold weather if we want to avoid falling ill. This is especially important for our more vulnerable residents who might be worried about rising energy costs. The Warm Room scheme can help to find simple ways to keep warm this winter; whether it’s providing extra blankets or duvets or things like draught excluders or thick curtains to keep the cold out. If you know anyone who might benefit from this free service, please pass on our details; it might make a real difference to their health this winter.”
To qualify for the scheme vulnerable residents must be on an income or disability related benefit.
Let me, Heather, know on 07790 031764 or heather.honour@sky.com, if you need this help.
Do you fancy a chat and a cup of tea? Are you a senior citizen in the South Sutton Area?
Every second Saturday of the month between 2pm and 4pm there is an informal tea party at the Friends Meeting House at 10 Cedar Road, Sutton SM2 5DA. Everyone welcome for tea and biscuits, coffee and cake, games or just a good old chat
Do come along! The next “tea party” is Saturday 10th March. More information from 0208 642 5876.
If you know someone who would like to come but can’t manage the trip let me, Heather, know and I will try to sort out transport. I can be contacted on 07790 031764 or heather.honour@sky.com
The following tea party will be held on Saturday 14th April.
Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector (SCVS) in partnership with the Volunteer Centre Sutton (VC Sutton) and other local charities has been awarded Transforming Local Infrastructure Funding by the Big Fund (the non-Lottery funding arm of the Big Lottery Fund) on behalf of the Office for Civil Society.
The bid was for just under £400,000 and Sutton is one of only 72 local areas to be awarded funding from the last pot of money being released from central government to help infrastructure organisations become more effective and self-sufficient for the future.
In a statement, Civil Society Minister Nick Hurd said: “This fund is not designed to support business as usual. It is about making things better for the front line. It’s about supporting organisations with innovative business plans who want to play their part in modernising the landscape of local infrastructure.”
The bid was developed in consultation with the voluntary/community sector and local partners and will enable us to:
· Improve support services to the voluntary/community sector by developing closer working between SCVS and VC Sutton.
· Increase support for volunteering by creating a corps of volunteers.
· Look at the feasibility of developing a voluntary sector building or hub – co-locating voluntary organisations and providing integrated support services for the voluntary/community sector.
· Support voluntary/community organisations to become more enterprising through working more closely with local businesses.
· Work across London to increase corporate giving to the local voluntary sector.
This is an exciting project which will increase the levels of support and funding that SCVS and the Volunteer Centre are able to offer to voluntary/community organisations in Sutton in these challenging times, and we look forward to working with colleagues across the borough to develop it.
Let me, Heather, know on heather.honour@sky.com if you are interested in volunteering in Sutton.
A Department of Work and Pensions Cold Weather Payment has been triggered on the 6/2/2012 by the following Met Office weather station(s) for eligible1 residents in the listed Postcode districts that are part of the Sutton and Cheam Constituency.
The trigger is for the period 30/1/2012 to 5/2/2012.
The freezing temperatures across the UK have triggered the first cold weather payments this winter.
Millions of vulnerable households will receive £25 each over the coming days to help cover the cost of heating their homes during the cold snap (see the Benefits Check-Up guide).
What are cold weather payments?
They are payments for those in receipt of certain benefits to help with heating costs during winter.
They are made if the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over seven consecutive days between November and March.
How much do you get?
£25 per qualifying week. When you consider price comparison site uSwitch.com estimates a ‘cold weather’ week costs a typical household on a pre-payment meter an additional £7 per week and a household on a cheaper online tariff £3 more, the benefit is good value.
Who qualifies?
Around four million people are potentially eligible, more than two million of whom are pensioners who receive the pension credit.
Those in receipt of income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or income-related employment and support allowance may also be eligible if it’s cold enough.
However, there are some exclusions so check the Direct.Gov site for full details.
How do I find out if it’s cold enough?
You can use the cold weather postcode search to check if your area is officially cold enough to get a payment.
Some parts of northern Scotland and Wales have already had two weeks of average temperatures below zero.
How am I paid?
If eligible, you’ll be paid it automatically.
Payments usually go into the same bank or building society account as your benefits. After each period of freezing weather in your area, you should receive a payment within 14 working days.
What if payment doesn’t arrive?
Tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus if you think you should have received a cold weather payment but have not had one.
How do they differ from winter fuel payments?
Winter fuel payments are different. They are made every winter to those over 60, regardless of the temperature, and total between £125 and £400 each. See the Winter Fuel MSE News story for full details.
Do cold weather payments count as income for other benefits?
No. There is no effect all
The above Q & A was from the website below.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/family/2010/12/cold-weather-payments-how-they-work
The bridge as it was.
We are pleased to report success in our campaign to improve pedestrian safety at the Grange Vale bridge.
Action has been taken to improve the safety of pedestrians who pass under the railway bridge in Grange Vale. Grange Vale is a one-way street and the traffic passes in the direction that is away from you as you look at the bridge in these photographs.
There is a very narrow pavement where Grange Vale passes under the railway bridge on the Sutton to Epsom Downs line. As Grange Vale is a one-way street, cars roar round the corner from the Brighton Road end and under the bridge, the driver only seeing a pedestrian on the pavement (or in the road, the pavement being so narrow) under the bridge at the last moment. It is a particular problem for parents with buggies or small children passing under the bridge.
A bid was submitted to Transport for London for the installation of a pedestrian-operated traffic light system, so the pedestrian can stop the traffic while passing under the bridge. Transport for London, led by Tory Mayor Boris Johnson, did not support the proposal, as not meeting their normal criteria for such a development. Your local LibDem Councillors have looked at alternative methods of improving the safety of the road for pedestrians.
The action taken has been to build out the pavement on the right just in front of the bridge as you look at it in these photographs, with posts at the edge of the pavement, to slow the speed of the traffic as cars have to align themselves more carefully before entering under the bridge.
We have campaigned for this improvement since we were elected and are pleased that we have got action.
Measuring our success at the bridge
Because of the dip in the road, the road can be flooded during the leaf fall season, as there are a lot of trees nearby including those next to the railway line. We have got the response team to agree to treat Grange Vale as a priority during the leaf fall season. Nevertheless, last year the road was briefly flooded due to leaf fall blocking the drains and Richard himself cleared the drains.
The drains after Richard cleared them.
“As Vice Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Committee and one of two Sutton Council representatives on the SW London Health Scrutiny Committee, I will be following very closely the implications for the residents of Sutton South of the decision by St George’s Healthcare Trust not to proceed with the merger with St Helier Hospital. Please see the press release below.”
Cllr Heather Honour
St George’s decide not to proceed with merger process
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust have informed us and our strategic authority, NHS London, that they cannot proceed with their bid to merge with St Helier and Sutton hospitals.
Throughout the process St George’s have been very positive about the strategic opportunity to merge and the benefits this could bring to patients.
However, due to the financial challenges facing hospitals in south west London and the inability to pre-empt the outcome of the Better Services Better Value review, which is looking at how NHS services are provided across south west London, they do not feel able to proceed at this time.
This is because the review, which will be open to public consultation, could have a significant impact on the financial income of all hospitals involved.
St George’s have however expressed a full commitment to working closely with St Helier and Sutton hospitals in the future.
Jan Sawkins is the Independent Chair of the special Board set up to help St Helier, Sutton and Epsom hospitals to achieve foundation trust status. She said: “Whilst we have always been aware that a bidder could withdraw during the process, at this stage in the transaction it is obviously very disappointing news.
“The Transaction Board has a meeting scheduled next week (7 February 2012) and we will use this to consider the options and agree a way forward. This may include re-opening tenders for St Helier and Sutton hospitals.”
Matthew Hopkins, Trust Chief Executive said: “This is disappointing news, but St George’s have been clear to us that their decision is not based on our staff, nor the quality of the services we provide at St Helier and Sutton hospitals.
“As you would expect, the Trust Board and those working on the transaction have been looking at other options in case this happened and we look forward to discussing these with the Transaction Board next week.
“Whilst we are making decisions about the long-term future of our hospitals, our priority will – as ever – continue to be ensuring our patients and local people receive the very best services.”
Asked what this means for Epsom Hospital, Jan added: “It is the current belief that, subject to Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust being confirmed as the Preferred Partner for Epsom Hospital, the de-merger could continue whilst we make alternative arrangements for St Helier and Sutton.
“Whilst this would, of course, need further investigation and approval by the Transaction Board, the Trust Board and others, it is felt that this would be in the best interest of Epsom Hospital, its patients, staff and local people.
“However, I would emphasise that the priority remains to secure the future of Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals.”
For more information about the work of the Trust visit our website: www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/epsom_sthelier) or find us on Facebook (facebook.com/epsomsthelier).
This is what St Georges said in their press release:
St George’s media statement
St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust submitted a bid for a potential merger with St Helier Hospital in November 2011.
The board is clear that a merger between St George’s Healthcare and St Helier would be an excellent strategic opportunity, with the potential to bring significant improvements to the care of patients across southwest London and beyond.
After careful consideration the board has reached the conclusion that the current terms of the merger prevent us from proceeding further at this time.
The level of financial challenge facing hospitals in south west London, combined with the inability to pre-empt the outcome of a public consultation around the Better Services Better Value (BSBV) review, means this is not the right time for us to progress with the transaction.
We want to continue to build on the existing links that are in place for clinical services. We have identified a number of the potential benefits to patients that would occur from an acquisition which could also be delivered if the organisations remained separate legal entities which we shall continue to pursue.
We are particularly keen to develop the clinical and academic networks that span St George’s Healthcare and St Helier, and explore opportunities to establish new networks across services, to the benefit of patients.
A key priority for the trust is to achieve Foundation Trust (FT) status by 2014, and we will focus our efforts on achieving this. The board feels strongly that achieving FT status will strengthen the opportunities for St. George’s Healthcare and St Helier to work together in the future.
This is what Ashford and St Peters have had to say:
Statement re Epsom Hospital
Chief Executive at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Andrew Liles, said:
“The decision made by St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust not to pursue their bid for St Helier and Sutton hospitals has not changed our position regarding Epsom and we will continue to progress our plans to acquire Epsom hospital (through merger) in line with the process set out by the Transaction Board. Of course this is still subject to approval by the Transaction Board, Epsom and St Helier, the local health authorities and others and by our own Board, who will need to be assured that any final decision is in the best interests of both the Epsom and Ashford and St Peter’s catchment populations.
As a Foundation Trust already we feel we are in a strong position strategically to pursue these plans and we know they have already passed through the first stage of the process successfully, meeting the criteria set by local people, stakeholders and staff. These include new and innovative partnerships – with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Central Surrey Health and Surrey and Sussex Partnership NHS Trust – to create an integrated healthcare campus at Epsom Hospital, bringing additional services and added benefits to local patients and staff. Our plans are also made more straightforward by the fact that Epsom hospital is not part of the Better Services Better Value review in South West London.
We have also had positive initial discussions regarding financial and commissioning support for our plans, although of course final decisions regarding the preferred provider and agreement of financial support are still to be made.”
For more information please call the Press Office on: 01932 722163
Sutton Council held its annual event for Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday 27th January 2012 in the Europa Gallery in Sutton Central Library. We both attended. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Speak Up, Speak Out’ and had the aim of encouraging people to challenge injustice and hatred, thus creating a safer, better future. There were speeches from the Mayor of Sutton, Councillor Gerry Jerome, Holocaust survivor Marcel Ladenheim, Mr. Meddie Kakyama-Mayanja, who spoke on the African genocides, and Reverend Meir Lev, Minister of Sutton and District Synagogue. There were references to local experiences of hate crime in Sutton, along with a stall from the Safer Sutton Partnership on reporting hate crime, to bring a local perspective to the theme of ‘Speak Up, Speak Out’. There was also an exhibition with information and photographs on the theme.
