Payday lenders have been frozen out by the Borough. Access to their websites has been blocked on all council computers.

Access to over 170 sites – such as Wonga.com and 247cashline.com – have been barred from all Council PCs, including those in public spaces like libraries. The move aims to help protect local people from the quick cash companies and avoid sky high interest rates.

Richard welcomed the move, calling again for new controls on payday loan companies.

He pointed out that figures released as part of Sutton Council’s “Economy Watch – Economic Indicators” report show an alarming rise in debt enquiries from Sutton residents to the Citizens Advice Bureau. Richard said, in a letter to residents, “I am increasingly concerned that people are turning to these companies without looking into the real costs of borrowing money, which in some cases that I have investigated are well over 1000% APR.”

Speaking to the Council’s Housing, Economy and Business Committee about the latest data on Sutton’s economic performance, on 18 June, Richard pointed out that enquiries to Sutton’s Citizens Advice Bureau were up by about 5% in the last quarter with debt enquiries increasing by 8.8%. There has to be a fear that recent welfare cuts will make the position worse.  

In a letter to residents he called for consideration to be given to establishing by law some upper limit on the interest rate that can be charged on loans. 

The Leader of Sutton Council, Councillor Ruth Dombey, said: “Payday lenders prey on people who are at their most vulnerable and in need of quick financial assistance. Sometimes people don’t realise the trouble taking out one of these irresponsible loans can do for them in the long run. A small initial loan can lead to thousands of pounds of debt and an irreversible downward spiral.

“This is a small yet significant step towards protecting local people from these companies. I’d urge anyone who needs advice to speak to their bank or the local credit union.”

People who live, work or study in Croydon, Merton or Sutton can start saving at the CMS Credit Union. Credit unions are savings and loans co-operative businesses that are committed to promoting saving rather than borrowing. Anyone who saves with a credit union becomes a member. The members’ savings are pooled to form a sum of money from which members can borrow at those times when they need to.

For more information about CMS Credit Union click on this link.

We have recently received a number of letters from residents, as part of a national campaign, raising concerns regarding road safety and lollipop ladies and men.

Sutton has a very good record on this subject.
In Sutton we currently have 13 School Crossing Patrol Officers employed at 12 sites in the Borough.  One of these is a job share which is vacant but we plan to recruit in time for the start of term in September.  We have no plans to reduce or stop any of our patrols. Only one post has been lost in recent years, at St Dunstan’s school when Transport For London installed a Pelican crossing at the site.

Sutton Council has been very pro-active in seeking funds for school crossings from Transport for London (TFL) at a number of sites in the Borough.  Bids are made once a year for TFL funding for road schemes by Councillors in discussion with community representatives and residents, and these include road safety projects.

In fact Sutton’s roads were recently acknowledged as being the safest in London in a report that examined accident rates, casualties and road conditions.  The report identified that drivers in Sutton have 4 accidents per 1,000 vehicles, which is well below the Greater London average of 8.1.
However, even this low number of casualties is too many and we are working with TFL to make our roads safer for everyone.

The Council is about to publish a Road Safety Guide for Parents, covering many aspects of Road Safety including information on School Crossing Patrols, travelling to school, and roadside behaviour when walking, driving or cycling.”

Our lollipop ladies and men provide an excellent service, keeping our roads safe and there are no plans to withdraw any posts in Sutton.

On Saturday 3 August Richard took part in an event organised by  “The Challenge” (website www.the-challenge.org ), a major charity involved in promoting social inclusion amongst young people, funded by the Cabinet Office.

The event involved teams of young people aged 16 to 18 developing and presenting projects to promote socially useful ideas. A panel assesses the proposals (this part based on the TV “Dragons’ Den” concept) and can award up to £80 to the team for them to undertake the project. Richard was one of the “Dragons”, forming a panel with Croydon MP Gavin Barwell and the HR Director of the Fairfield Halls.

The event took place at St. Andrew’s secondary school, at Warrington Road in Croydon.

Richard says “The ideas put forward by these teams were so imaginative. Their projects were all socially useful, though not always entirely practical. But the enthusiasm was massive and the careful presentation of the projects, all of them based on research the teams had carried out, was impressive. One involved inviting people to paint on massive boards, to combat graffiti but also to produce an artwork. Another promoted a national “telling jokes” day, to cheer us all up, and another promoted strategies to get people on the Croydon tram to talk to each other, as they did during the Olympics.”

All the teams were awarded the funds they sought. This was not a “play” exercise – the teams will get the funding and take their ideas to completion.

On Sunday 4 August the South Sutton Neighbourhood Association held its 2013 garden party, hosted by Richard and Gloria in their garden, in The Ridgway.

Richard and Gloria have been members of the SSNA since moving to The Ridgway, exactly a quarter of a century ago this year. Heather is also a longstanding member, and was among those who came to the party.

About 30 SSNA members came, and enjoyed cakes, tea, soft drinks or a glass of wine. Richard’s courgettes were much admired, though his runner beans are suffering badly from blackfly.

A study by the RAC Foundation of the revenue Councils make from on-street parking permits, off-street parking charges and parking penalties in 2011-12 found that Sutton had the smallest net revenue of any London Borough Council in south London except Bexley.

Sutton ranked 92 in the listing produced by the Foundation. Bexley, ranked 93, was just below Sutton. All other London Boroughs in south London came above Sutton, with higher net revenue figures.

The study, based on annual returns to the Department of Communities and Local Government, examined gross figures for revenue offset against the cost of running parking operations (excluding capital costs).

Richard said “While I have criticisms of the value of this study in terms of the way statistics are used, the study is consistent with something we already knew. Parking charges in Sutton are very reasonable to the motorist and to local residents.”

Now that summer has arrived, we have put together some information that might help you to enjoy the sunny weather (hopefully) over the next 6 weeks, particularly those of you who are looking after children during the school holidays.

Whatever your plans over the summer, we do hope you will have an opportunity to spend sometime relaxing with friends and family. We also hope to see many of you at the Environmental Fair on the August Bank Holiday  in Carshalton Park.

Children and Family Activities

Take up the Reading Challenge with your local library and make sure your child or children’s reading doesn’t dip over the summer. Sutton Library will also be organising a range of reading events and  the Phoenix Centre a range of craft and leisure activities.

Sutton Ecology Centre will be running nature classes for families and children, including how to become a camouflage expert (some fees apply).  Kickz, cake decorating and street dancing are just some of the range of activities being put on at the Sutton Life Centre.

The Honey wood Museum will be hosting crafty activities throughout the holidays, as well as a puppet-making course and a Wild About Wildlife afternoon.

The new Westcroft leisure centre will be running a summer school in tandem with ‘fit for sport’ throughout August for all children, ages 5-12. Carshalton Athletic is also running football training camps for all abilities from ages 4-11. While The David Weir Centre is also offering professional sports coaching for those aged 5-15.

In the Capital

Ride London will see cycling events taking place in London and Surrey between Aug 1-4th. The Scoop next to City Hall will be hosting a range of free events throughout the summer. Why not take advantage of the wide range of London’s excellent museums.

The start of September will see The Mayor’s Thames Festival return to the capital to celebrate London’s iconic river through art, music, and educational events both on the water and along its banks and bridges.

Heather and Richard