Youth unemployment in Sutton has fallen by 31% according to the latest figures.

Between November 2012 and November 2013 the number of 16-24 year olds claiming Job Seekers Allowance dropped from 790 to 545.

This reduction is greater than the averages for both London and the UK. In London, youth unemployment fell by 28.7%, whilst the drop across the UK was 26.4%.

The next year will bring more investment in Sutton with the Subsea7 project bringing jobs and prosperity to our own Ward.

The fall in Sutton is attributable to the range of initiatives that Sutton Council and its local partners have introduced to reduce youth unemployment in the borough. Together the partners form the Sutton Economic Support Taskforce (SEST) and include representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors such as Jobcentre Plus, Carshalton College, Sutton College of Learning for Adults, Training and Recruitment Partnership, JACE Training, Sutton & District Training, and Sutton Chamber of Commerce.

The Council also runs its own apprenticeship scheme and encourages its contractors and local businesses to provide training and work experience to young people.

The proposed office block

Plans to generate hundreds of jobs by allowing Subsea 7  to build their new Project Office in Sutton have been given the all clear after the High Court backed Sutton Council’s planning process.

The decision by Sutton Council on 11^th September 2013 to award Subsea 7  planning permission to develop the Brighton Road Car Park site was the subject of a Judicial Review application by local property developer Centro.

However, the High Court has ruled that Sutton Council’s planning process was sound and rejected the application for a Judicial Review. It also ordered the applicant Centro to pay for all the costs involved.

The decision paves the way for the council to continue the sale of the 1.36 acre site to Subsea 7 to expand its operations. The new development allows Subsea 7 to more than double its workforce over the coming years, preserves up to 780 jobs for Sutton, and makes the area more attractive for other firms to invest.

It is the third major investment secured by Sutton Council’s investment arm Opportunity Sutton in recent months with almost 500 new homes, retail and other commercial opportunities planned for the Sutton Point and the old gas works sites. 

The High Court’s decision vindicates Sutton’s planning process. We now we have the green light to work with Subsea 7 to ensure Sutton benefits from a major investment, new jobs and other economic opportunities.

Our Opportunity Sutton economic programme is working to attract new businesses and development, and in just 18 months of operation it has already attracted over £322 million in planned investment, including the new Subsea 7 office.

While the Judicial Review application was waiting to be heard, Sutton Council had to pay for a package of security measures – expenses which could have been avoided if the JR application had not taken place.

The Council will now work with Subsea 7 for them to take responsibility for the site’s security arrangements – freeing the tax payer of this burden.

The plans are one of a number of high profile developments that Sutton has attracted through its inward investment arm Opportunity Sutton.

Last summer developer CNM Estates was given the green light to extend the existing Sutton Point building next to Sutton Station to a 22 storey high building with two new buildings connected to it that altogether will offer deliver 300 apartments, a 130 bed hotel and shops and restaurants. The development could generate up to 750 jobs. 

In October Sutton Council granted developer LXB Retail Properties permission to build 186 apartments, a supermarket, shops, restaurants and a public plaza on an old gas works site off the High Street. The development is expected to generate 500 jobs.

The Subsea7 project came about because last year a report by Sutton Council found that there were high levels of surplus parking spaces in council run car parks in the town centre – enough to absorb any displaced by the closure of Brighton Road Car Park. Since the closure of the car park, traffic monitoring has indicated that there have been no adverse effects on the parking or traffic in the town centre. 

This project will bring jobs to the Ward, raise property prices as demand for local housing increases, and have an uplifting effect on the local economy with 800 workers spending money in local shops, hotels and restaurants.”

Richard has expressed his disappointment at the withdrawal by the owners of Sutherland House in the Brighton Road of plans that he supported for the re-development of the building.

Alongside the other plans to provide jobs and good design to the area – the Sutton Gateway project, the Subsea7 project, opening the side entrance to the station – getting Sutherland House occupied and improving its appearance is an important further aspect. 

Last year Sutton Council and the Planning Inspectorate rejected plans for the re-development of the building, the Inspectorate awarding costs to the Council as the proposals were so unacceptable. The plans were considered inadequate in that there was no provision for affordable housing and the frontage onto Cedar Road was of an unacceptable design.

At the end of 2013 the owners submitted some further plans that remedied these problems. The plans were due to go to the Council’s Development Control Committee on 22 January with a recommendation that they be accepted, and Richard had made arrangements to speak to the Committee in support of the proposals.

Unexpectedly, a week before the meeting, the developers withdrew the plans.

Richard says “I supported these proposals for the re-development of Sutherland House. I call on the owners to make clear what their plans now are.

With the uplift to the area that will come from the opening of the side entrance to Sutton station, the Sutton Gateway project and the prestige new Subsea7 headquarters, getting Sutherland House re-developed remains the final plank in the strategy to bring jobs, prosperity and good design to our area.”

Richard’s first civic duty of 2014 as a Sutton Councillor was to attend the Registrar’s office in Worcester Road, in our Ward, on 2 January to make the speech of welcome by a local Councillor at the first Citizenship ceremony to be held in Sutton this year. At these ceremonies people who have successfully applied to be British citizens are awarded a certificate confirming British citizenship. Richard welcomed and congratulated the new British citizens.

The ceremonies are of particular interest because of the variety of people from distant parts of the world, all of whom have lived and worked in this country for a long time, who take Citizenship. On 2 January there were people from Bulgaria, Poland, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad, Nigeria, Egypt and the USA (from Hawaii).

Richard says “These are invariably hard working people who have contributed to Britain and want to take the logical final step of becoming British Citizens, something that involves them passing examinations on the British way of life and on our language. I am always struck by their enthusiasm for Britain.”

Last year, Upland Road hosted one of the borough’s biggest street parties, with more than 200 friends and neighbours getting together to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.

To keep community spirit going well into the winter, Sue Davis and her neighbours set up Snow Patrol to make sure that older residents and those who couldn’t manage the snow could still get essential supplies.

More than 15 people from just one road signed up to become Snow Patrollers – helping neighbours in need. This year we’re doing it all again – and need your help.

We know we’re going to face increased demand for our help from other roads –  so every volunteer counts. In our area, two out of every three of our local neighbours are over 70 and might need our help.

If you can offer your help  – even if it’s just for one day, get in touch to put your name on our Snow Patrollers register today. Ring us on 0208 643 6774 or email Sue Davis at susanupland@aol.com

Weather forecasters have already warned us this winter could be cold and snowy.

That’s why Sutton South’s Snow Patrollers are getting organised early this year.

We’re here to help if you’ve got trouble getting out for food or medicines.

We’re all your local neighbours so you’ve probably seen us around and about. We’re happy to come and have a chat to put your mind at rest.

If you think you might have trouble getting food or keeping up with your medication, ring our co-ordinator, Sue Davis, for help.

0208 643 6774

In addition, Sutton Council has launched an online one-stop-shop to support its residents and businesses though the winter months.

The Winter Information Centre (WIC) brings together information from a range of council services, and those of our partners, so residents can use www.sutton.gov.uk/winter as a place to find out about any disruption, look up health advice and report any problems.

Parents can find out if the borough’s schools are open or closed; there are links to travel advice for the buses, trains, tubes and roads; advice on how to stay warm and healthy, access to five day weather reports for the area; and information about Sutton’s gritting programme including the locations of gritting routes and bins.

Sutton is already leading the way for collaborative winter planning having provided 4,200 residents with free grit to use themselves though our Free Gritting Scheme.

Winter can be a very difficult time for people when the temperature drops so we will make their lives easier by creating one place to find important information.

By providing regular updates through the Winter Information Centre and social media we can help our residents to make informed decisions about what action to take to cope with cold weather disruption. 

We have also taken extra measures to support our vulnerable residents by providing grants for warm homes, making extra checks on their wellbeing and ensuring our meals on wheels vans are prepared for the cold weather. 

“This, along with other measures such as providing free grit to 4,200 residents and filling all of our 450 bins, means that Sutton is better prepared for winter than ever before. 

In addition to gritting, Sutton is taking extra care to support its elderly and vulnerable residents by offering grants and support through its Warm Homes scheme, Meals on Wheels and a new homeless support service.

The mobile hot meals service has never missed the delivery of a hot meal and Sutton Council is doing its best to keep the record intact by fitting 5 out of the 10 Meals on Wheels vans with winter tyres and having access to 4 by 4 vehicles on standby in case of the worst.

Meals on Wheels staff and other council outreach workers will also be extra vigilant in making sure the home of elderly and other vulnerable people are warm and that they have enough information and provisions to look after themselves.

As cold winter weather approaches, Sutton Council is asking residents to help homeless people by making referrals using the new Streetlink service, if they spot anyone sleeping rough.

Streetlink now provides a single point of contact for all London residents to report rough sleeping in their area. Any Sutton resident who encounters a rough sleeper can contact Streetlink, who will provide an outreach worker and refer the rough sleeper to the appropriate council in order to arrange accommodation and support.

The call to residents comes as Sutton Council launches a new service to help single homeless people from Sutton access the private rented sector.  Vulnerable people from the borough that are identified as rough sleeping will be offered dedicated support to find suitable accommodation, negotiate with landlords, complete tenancy agreements. THEYcan receive help towards paying initial rental deposits. 

The new measure is in addition to Sutton Council’s existing Sutton Rough Sleeping Group which was set up last year to help rough sleepers enter accommodation and rebuild their lives. The group brings together agencies that work with rough sleepers, including drug and alcohol services, Sutton JobCentre and voluntary organisations. 

At this time of year, rough sleepers are at much greater risk from illness or even death due to exposure to freezing weather conditions. 

We set up the Sutton Rough Sleeping Group to help those individuals move into suitable accommodation and now we have increased support.  The service is providing much needed support to help them overcome difficulties such as ineligibility for social housing and expensive private rental costs.

Although we do not have large numbers of rough sleepers in Sutton, many of them  often seek out open spaces like parks. Due to this, the council is seeking help from members of the public to notify them of anyone that is rough sleeping.

Anyone who sees a rough sleeper should first call Streetlink on 0300 500 0914.

Richard has a particular interest in rough sleeping and homelessness, partly because his daughter Ellie is the communications manager for st. Basil’s, the largest homelessness charity in the West Midlands. He led the scrutiny carried out by the Housing, Economy and Business Committee of the Council’s policies on avoiding homelessness, which showed that a change to the policy (leading to people becoming homeless and being put in B and B accommodation before all legal steps were concluded)  promoted by Conservative Councillors would have increased homelessness in Sutton.

We hope all our residents enjoyed Christmas. 

Richard with members of the Phoenix Concert Band

Some festive events Heather and Richard have organised or been involved with over Christmas included:

Wednesday 4 December – there was a very enjoyable carols and sing-song event at the Sutton South Hello! meeting, Christchurch hall, Christchurch Park, from 2pm to about 4

Saturday 14 December – Friends’ Meeting House, Cedar Road, “Second Saturday Tea”, from 2pm to 4, Richard brought a band (members of the Phoenix Concert Band, Sutton) to play Christmas carols and a few Christmas medleys. Richard played trumpet in a ten piece wind concert band. This event was a  great hit.

The band at the Friends’ Meeting House

Richard went on to play the trumpet again at the Straw Cafe in Manor Park, carols and mince pies for the Mayor.

Wednesday 18 December – Sutton South Hello! Christmas party, with folk dancing organised by our good friend Councillor Simon Wales, was greatly enjoyed by a large crowd.

We hope everyone is well prepared for the cold weather with the Council’s grit distribution initiative and “cold room” scheme. All the many grit bins in the Ward are full.