AN END OF YEAR REPORT TO OUR VOLUNTEERS – 2024

Louise, Richard and Trish

We pride ourselves on the fact that we have a network of dedicated volunteers who deliver our “FOCUS” magazine throughout the Ward. If you have the odd half hour a few times a year to support us in this way please contact us. We recently prepared an end of year newsletter to update our volunteer deliverers on our activities. We thought we would share it with those who look at our website.

“The last year has been our most successful year in Sutton South Ward.
With the election of Luke as our Member of Parliament in July we have, for the first time, three Liberal Democrat Councillors representing our Ward and a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament representing us at Westminster.
We held a successful Ward meeting on 28 November where we heard from Luke on the incredibly busy life he now has as our Member of Parliament. He has been meeting all the important community groups in Sutton and Cheam, and has made speeches in Parliament on a variety of issues – ranging from the importance of support for carers to the future of Taiwan. In his maiden speech he spoke about what a pleasant place Sutton is to live, work and raise a family, a great change from the previous MP who spent all his time running Sutton down. He is enthusiastic about his role as spokesperson for London.
As Ward Councillors, we have a lot of local casework that we deal with and are doing more than our fair bit as Chairs of Council committees – Trish chairing the Audit and Governance Committee, Richard the Planning Committee and Louise combining being chair of the Licensing Committee with her role as Deputy Mayor. This is her second year as Deputy Mayor following the three years during which Trish was Mayor.

Like every local authority, Sutton Council is pre-occupied by financial issues and struggling with some difficult decisions to balance the books. The decision to close the Registrar’s office (The Russetings) in Worcester Road was one we regretted, driven by a need to consolidate services in fewer buildings, but we believe planning controls are sufficient to protect the appearance of this attractive, locally listed, building in the street scene.

We have secured funding for improvements to the WArd, including new information signs at the only open space in our Ward – the Devonshire Avenue Nature Area (DANA). Maintenance of the nature area involves a balance of ensuring it is a peaceful place for people to visit while preserving the biodiversity of the site. There is now a Friends of DANA group – let us know if you would like to join it.
We are already looking forward to our next electoral challenge, to retain control of the Council in 2026. We need to keep up the work of talking to our residents, delivering our literature and doorknocking. Let us know if you are interested in being one of our candidates. We welcome talking or corresponding with you and with all our residents. We hope to have further Ward meetings next year. We are really
grateful for the help we get.”

SUPPORTING THE POLICE CADETS

Sutton South Councillors were concerned to learn about changes proposed to the organisation of the Police Cadets, who meet at a school in our ward. Currently there are over 120 cadets. However, the decision has been made to close junior cadets and cut the remaining senior cadets to just 46. Their future programme is also being severely curtailed. This will have a major impact on the youth of this borough who will no longer have the opportunity to participate in activities such as camps, parades and Duke of Edinburgh awards.

Councillor Louise Phelan, whose son has been a Cadet, commented “I’ve seen first-hand the benefits of being part of police cadets. They learn valuable life skills, and gain self confidence. They also support the local community and get to take part in things they wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to do. For many this is a stepping stone into a career within the police force, for others the Cadets help to keep them on the right path and make better life decisions. I am incredibly concerned others will now not get these opportunities.”

KINGS LANE

Richard has been trying to get Network Rail to cut back the vegetation on the railway bank adjacent to the southern bridge in Kings Lane as it obscures sight lines for motorists. Every autumn, after the vegetation on the railway bank has grown up, he has this correspondence with Network Rail. They have now cut back the undergrowth sufficiently for cars to be able to see if there are vehicles coming towards them across the bridge.

TRISH GETS OUR FOOTBALL TEAM BACK TRAINING IN THE BOROUGH

Thanks to Trish’s hard work, Sutton United football team is back training in the Borough, after two years training near Heathrow.  Their new base at the David Weir Leisure Centre from August marks a significant step for both the club and the community.

This move, made possible through Trish’s negotiations with Sutton Council, allows players to train locally and to engage more with local residents, something they could not do while training so far away. Players have visited Rosehill Bowling Club to meet residents, reinforcing community ties, and have helped in the campaign led by Trish to re-invigorate the bowling club, which was close to going out of existence. The photos below are of the team at the bowling club.

Trish is a trustee of Sutton United Football Foundation, whose mission is to support people of all ages and abilities. She emphasises that “Our club’s return to Sutton for training strengthens the team and the bond between sport and our local community”

FURTHER OPEN, QUARTERLY MEETING OF LOCAL RESIDENTS AND THE POLICE

Sutton police station

The police met residents of Sutton South Ward again on the evening of 25 September 2024, at Devonshire Avenue school. There are open, public meetings held quarterly at which the police discuss the policing of the Ward with local residents. We were addressed by our Ward Constable, Constable Robyn Skivens, who went through the crime statistics for the Ward. Sutton has a lower crime rate than most outer London boroughs and our Ward has one of the lowest crime rates in Sutton. However, crime always has a significant impact on the victim and public concern remains high. The draft minutes of the meeting are as below.

SUTTON SOUTH WARD COMMUNITY/POLICE MEETING – WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2024

Held at Devonshire Avenue primary school

Constable Skivens gave an update on crime in the Ward since the last meeting, which was on 26 June 2024.

Burglaries: There had been 8 burglaries. Several were burglaries of garages but there had been some of houses and of commercial premises. There was a gang of four people who were now well known in the borough who had been behind a number of burglaries.

Motor Vehicle Crime: 11 crimes were reported – 3 of theft of cars (in Ambleside Gardens, Albion Road, Farm Close). The other offences  were thefts from, damage to or interference with cars. There were again no catalytic converter thefts.

Drug offences: 5 crimes  were reported, one of possession of cannabis and one of possession with intent to supply. The other offences  were importation of drugs intercepted by Border Force where a local address was given for the consignment. Ward police would then have to visit the address but usually this was a fictitious or convenience address.

Violence against women and girls: 4 cases. These included a man exposing himself on a bus and cases of women being followed.

Major crimes: This is a broad category. There were 4 cases – two robberies, one attempted robbery, one case of a threat to kill.

Other crimes: There were 11 in this miscellaneous category, including:

  • 2 of shoplifting from the BP service station
  • 2 pedal cycles stolen
  • A woman who had an epileptic fit outside Sutton station had her bag stolen
  • A “street drinker” at the station had vapes stolen from him
  • A handbag was left on a bus and stolen, and efforts were made to use the bank cards
  • The theft of a wedding ring through distraction techniques (engaging in conversation to distract),

Staffing: Although Sutton South has a cadre of 3 officers – Constable Skivens, a second Constable and a PCSO – Constable Skivens was currently on her own. The other Constable is on restricted duties due to a hamstring injury and the PCSO has an injured knee. Constable Skivens spends about half her time on “extractions”, usually to the Response Team, to undertake other duties outside the Ward. The meeting expressed concern at the staffing level.

The meeting discussed a variety of issues raised by residents:

  • The success of Operation Nightingale in reducing crime in Sutton by monitoring and patrolling selected crime hotspots
  • The reduction of crime at Sutton station by closing the side entrance at certain times
  • The knife amnesty, and its success
  • Drug dealing, including at Sutton Court and Beauclere House
  • Concerns about “street drinkers” at Sutton station
  • Fire safety, including the threat posed by batteries on scooters and electric bikes
  • The importance of reporting crime (it was pointed out that reports via Crimestoppers are anonymous)
  • Keyless cars: the need to keep keys in a tin
  • The police speed traps in Chalgrove Road, including on 5 June
  • The cuts to the police cadets, which meet at Overton Grange school, and the reasons for this action. Councillor Clifton mentioned that the Councillors with the local MP were planning to take this up with the Metropolitan police at a more senior level.

The date of the next meeting was set as Wednesday 15 January, at Devonshire Avenue primary school. There was a discussion of what could be done to better publicise the meeting and get a better attendance.

The meeting thanked Constable Skivens for her work and for coming in on her day off to present her report to us, and Devonshire Avenue school for hosting the meeting.

Constable Skivens, Louise, Trish and Richard with other Ward police officers at the Sutton South Hello Christmas party

SETTING UP THE “FRIENDS OF THE DEVONSHIRE AVENUE NATURE AREA”: WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN?

We are working with Sutton Council to set up a Friends of Devonshire Avenue Nature Area group.

Would you like to join it? The nature area is the only open space in our Ward, in an area where many children live in flats without access to a garden. As it is the only open space in our Ward it is precious to us. It is a nature area so requires careful management. To join the Friends group email the Sutton Council officer leading the work, Dawn Fielding

dawn.fielding@sutton.gov.uk

We have secured funding for improvements to the nature area – to the signage and the seating and to clean off the graffiti. On 18 October last year the three Councillors met with several Council officers from the Parks Department at the Nature Area to discuss improvements to the area, and we subsequently took proposals to the local committee to obtain funding for improvement work. On 23 January we met with the volunteers from Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers who were engaged in necessary maintenance activities at the site. There is discussion about how to best use the area, protect biodiversity (such as the rare “ivy broomrape” which is found in the nature area) while keeping it well used by residents, reduce litter and graffiti, and whether it should be locked at night. Please contact us with your views and to join the Friends group.

While the Nature Reserve is the only open space in our Ward two parks are adjacent – Warren Park at the north eastern boundary of the Ward and Overton Park at the south western boundary. There are also steps being taken to establish Friends groups for these parks, in particular Warren Park. If you live close to one of these parks and would like to join the Friends group contact Dawn Fielding

dawn.fielding@sutton.gov.uk

A CLEAN SWEEP FOR THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS IN SUTTON SOUTH WARD

In the General Election held on 4 July 2024 our Liberal Democrat candidates won convincing victories in the two Parliamentary constituencies that make up the London borough of Sutton. Our candidates – Luke Taylor in Sutton and Cheam and Bobby Dean in Carshalton and Wallington – recorded significant victories to take the two seats from the Conservatives. Trish, Louise and Richard were part of the team working for Luke in the period leading up to the election. Luke and Bobby are among 72 Liberal Democrat candidates elected to the new House of Commons.
 
Luke’s victory means that for the first time, here in Sutton South Ward, we have three Liberal Democrat Councillors and a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, serving our residents. Luke made an excellent maiden speech in the House on 8 October, taking the opportunity to emphasise what a great place Sutton is.
 
This success followed on from some remarkable victories for Liberal Democrat candidates in the local elections held nationwide on 2 May 2024. Across England, Liberal Democrats won 521 Council seats, more than the Tories, with a net gain of 104 seats.
 
Trish stood as our candidate in the Greater London Authority constituency elections. Our constituency covered Croydon as well as Sutton so this was not a winnable seat for the Liberal Democrats. However, Trish performed remarkably well. She pushed our share of the vote up from 14.4% to 15.8%. We were one of only five constituencies where we beat both the Greens and Reform, taking third place in the constituency member vote.
 

Trish was our candidate for the Sutton and Croydon GLA constituency. Here she is with Richard and our Mayoral candidate, Rob Blackie, outside Sutton train station

 
In the Mayoral election our candidate, Rob Blackie, performed well. Sadiq Khan won the Mayoralty despite the unpopularity locally of ULEZ, a policy we have opposed. Our views on ULEZ are set out in articles further down. Below is a photo of our visit to City Hall, the HQ of the Mayor of London, on 30 June 2023 to present the petition expressing opposition to ULEZ signed by over 10 000 Sutton residents.
 

Louise, Trish and Richard at City Hall to present to the Mayor of London the petition opposing ULEZ signed by over 10 000 Sutton residents

MEASURING TRAFFIC IN OUR WARD

It is some years since we have last had an exercise to measure the volume and speed of traffic in our Ward. The last time this happened it enabled us to introduce some measures to calm traffic in Cavendish Road. From Monday 19th February the tubes seen in this picture taken in The Ridgway, integral to traffic measurement equipment, appeared in many local roads at the eastern end of the Ward. The tubes collected data for seven days on the volume, speed and classification of vehicles.

The results of the exercise are listed below. The results have not led to some “standout” conclusion as to a problem that needs tackling. Traffic officers are examining three main issues:

  • whether action can be taken to improve the safety and the experience of pedestrians crossing the Kings Lane bridge without closing the road to vehicles. The bridge is narrow. Installing a second bridge would be impossibly expensive. Marking a pedestrian path at one side of the road might be feasible
  • similarly, whether something can be done to improve the safety and the experience of pedestrians passing under the railway bridge in Langley Park Road
  • possible improvements to the busy junction where Cedar Road crosses Langley Park Road.

Your views on these issues, and views on any other traffic and parking issues you would like us to look at, are invited.

The traffic survey yielded three pieces of data on traffic movements at 17 locations in the part of Sutton South Ward east of Brighton Road. The survey was undertaken in February 2024 over a seven day period Monday to Saturday. The three pieces of data are:

  • the percentage of vehicle traffic that was heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)
  • the average speed of traffic, and
  • the average daily flow of vehicles over the seven day period.

The 17 traffic measurement stations are listed here, with the three pieces of data in each direction of the road, in an approximate order from north to south of the Ward, taking roads to the west of the Ward and then listing roads further east.

KINGS LANE (Southernmost bridge)

North 5.1 / 14.2 / 1350 South 6.7 / 13.9 /1119

HILLCROOME ROAD

East 7.7 / 19.8 /1034 West 4.2 / 18.4 / 808

LANGLEY PARK ROAD (at the railway bridge)

North 6.9 /21.6 / 3749 South 7.0 / 22,2 / 3059

BRIGHTON ROAD (at the junction with The Quadrant)

North 8.4 / 17.9 / 6807 South 7.5 / 18.3 / 8508

BRIGHTON ROAD (just south of the junction with Christchurch Park)

North 8.5 / 25.5 / 8421 South 8.6 / 24.6 / 7599

CEDAR ROAD (between the junctions with Brighton Road and with Langley Park Road)

East 8.3 / 17.8 / 2727 West 7.5 / 18.7 / 1936

LANGLEY PARK ROAD (just north of the junction with Cavendish Road)

North 5.6 / 22.4 /3034 South 5.8 / 21.3 / 3043

LANGLEY PARK ROAD (just south of the junction with Chalgrove Road)

North 8.5 / 22.0 / 1697 South 8.2 / 21,0 / 1843

CAVENDISH ROAD

East 9.9 / 19.3 / 648 West 8.7 / 21.2 / 878

CHRISTCHURCH PARK

East 6.0 / 22.2 / 424 West 5.7 / 23,1 / 667

DEVONSHIRE AVENUE (one way street)

East 5.8 / 18.7 / 622

MAYFIELD ROAD

North 6.8 / 25.0 / 616 South 6.4 / 23.6 / 332

THE RIDGWAY (north of junction with Farm Road)

North 6.2 / 24.3 /324 South 5.1 / 24.2 / 349

THE RIDGWAY SOUTH and CHALGROVE ROAD

North 5.9 / 25.1 / 571 South 5.9 / 25.1 / 545

FARM ROAD

East 5.0 / 21.2 / 869 West 4.9 / 20.4 / 994

UPLAND ROAD

North 5.2 / 21.3 / 263 South 11.3 / 25.8 / 293

DOWNSIDE ROAD

East 6.7 / 19.2 / 1089 West 5.9 / 20.8 / 1147

NEW RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TRISH, RICHARD AND LOUISE

Following the Annual Council Meeting, held on 20 May 2024, where membership of Council committees is decided, Trish, Richard and Louise continue to have important new responsibilities. Louise is continuing for a second year as our Deputy Mayor. Sutton South Councillors have made a major contribution to the Mayoralty, as prior to Louise accepting this role Trish was Mayor of Sutton for three years. Richard was Mayor of Sutton in 2016-17. Louise is now combining this role with being Chair of the Licensing Committee, and is a member of the important Housing, Economy and Business Committee.

Trish continues as Chair of the important Audit and Governance Committee and is a member of the important Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee. Richard will continue as Chair of the Council’s Planning Committee.

THE MUSIC HAS TO STOP AT SPAGHETTI TREE

On 14 May a sub-committee of Sutton Council’s Licensing Committee considered a string of complaints by local residents about noise nuisance from the Spaghetti Tree restaurant in Brighton Road. As the restaurant is in our Ward, none of the Ward Councillors could sit as members of the sub-committee, as those taking the decision must be independent from any local influence. The committee considered whether this anti-social behaviour, involving the frequent playing of music at loud volume and thus disturbing local residents, was a breach of the licence conditions for regulated entertainment that governed the operation of the restaurant. The committee was concerned about the disturbance and decided to vary the licence of the restaurant to prevent the playing of live and recorded music as regulated entertainment at the premises. The owner has 21 days to appeal against the decision.

This is sad – but the owners of premises must recognise that licence conditions are imposed to protect the local residents and they will be enforced, so they cannot be ignored without there being consequences.