Chris Best

On my web site you can find out about me, my work in Sydenham and Lewisham Council. This is my political web site with links to the Labour Party.

Please visit my Contact me page for way to get in touch or just send me an email - info@chrisbest.org

As many people know we are working on saving £60 million from our budget over the next three years. Our Lewisham, Our Say is the Council’s open dialogue with the community about how we face up to this mammoth challenge - and we want as many people as possible to be part of it so go to http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/HavingYourSay/OurLewishamOurSay/ for more information.

There is an online survey that asks people to consider the sorts of solutions the Council will need to consider in some areas – for example, increasing fees and charges; reducing levels of service; and transferring responsibility for some services to the local community.

The Council is also formally consulting with service users on some specific savings proposals. The website will also list details of these consultations - please look at the active consultations by clicking the link at the bottom of the home page. It is important that people take part in both the broader dialogue and the formal consultations so that the Mayor, Steve Bullock, can present the budget to the full Council with the knowledge of views from people who use services and those who may not, but whose council tax helps pay for those services.

Feedback from all these consultation activities will be reported to Mayor and Cabinet at its meeting on the 17 November and will be made public on the website.

One of the proposals is to close Sydenham Library and at the first public public meeting on Thursday 19 August residents did not want this much loved library to close. The improvements to Home Park have ensured more people are using the park and the library building has a variety of activities.

Officers explained that the building needed investment in a new roof as well as other repairs in the region of £225,000. The Council has twelve libraries and four are open every day including Forest Hill - the libraries that have been modernised include self issue which saves on staffing costs..

At the recent stakeholder meeting one offer was to relocate some services to the Naborhood Centre including providing free internet access, computer terminals, ordering and collection of books etc. Other suggestions are welcome on how to manage the proposed closures or make other savings.

The next Sydenham Assembly meeting is on 11am on Saturday 11 September at the Grove Centre for a presentation on the range of the proposals in the first phase of the £60 million budget cuts. After the presentation there will be round table discussions on your views and your ideas for different ways of providing services.

Please let me know your views as well as representing Sydenham I am also the Cabinet Member for Community Services and my portfolio includes libraries. Other proposals include cutting the Town Centre Managers and reducing our contribution to the Police for PCSOs.

After the consultation we will receive a presentation from Andy Frazer on the progress on the Sydenham high street improvements including Station Approach.

There will be time for a general question and anwer session.

The Arts Festival is up and running - please visit the web site for more details.

I attended the Home Park Fun Day on the Thursday 12 August and had the opportunity to meet the Three Musketeers and see the improvements that have been made to Home Park.

At the Mayor and Cabinet meeting on the 14 July the Mayor approved plans to trial a borough-wide Drinking Control Zone (DCZ). Before the pilot can be put in place, Lewisham Council must conduct a public consultation so that people have an opportunity to express their views.

The DCZ is not a ban on alcohol consumption in a public place, and does not make drinking in a public an offence, but a measure that can assist in tackling problematic street drinking linked to antisocial behaviour.

The intention of the DCZ is to provide police with a tool to address alcohol related disorder in a quick and effective way. Failure to comply with a request from the Police to hand over alcohol can result in arrest and/or a fine of up to £500.

The DCZ would be reviewed following a 6-month trial period. The difficult issue of anti-social behaviour brought about by street drinking needs to be tackled and the implementation of a pilot borough-wide DCZ will enable us to review its effectiveness and look at our options, once the results have been analysed at the end of the pilot.

To take part in the Drinking Control Zone consultation go to www.lewisham.gov.uk and click on the active consultations section on the homepage.

Alternatively, email communitysafety@lewisham.gov.uk .

Sydenham Community Radio is broadcasting on
106.8 FM and online from Sunday 27th June to Saturday 24th July. SCR is live on air every weekday evening from 18:00 until Midnight and 07:00 until Midnight at weekends.

I was pleased to be invited back by Simon on Tuesday 6 July for a discussion on the proposed savings needed over the next three years and by Ann and Clare to talk about the regeneration of Sydenham on Monday 12 July in the 7 - 9pm slot.

As well as the regular shows there are new programmes and presenters. SCR is covering the Sydenham Arts Festival, interviewing performers and artists and discussing local issues with a wide variety of guests.

If you miss any programmes you can listen again - here is the link for my discussion during the local elections http://sydenhamradio.co.uk/listen-again/broadcast-thursday-8th-april-2010/.

The good news (if there is any with our ConDem Government) is that Sydenham School along with the other secondary schools in Lewisham are unaffected by the announcement to stop the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Several secondary schools have already been rebuilt such as Forest Hill and Sedgehill and I am looking forward to the continuation of the work on Sydenham.

English Heritage has recommended parts of Sydenham School are given a Grade II listing due to their design by renowned brutalist Basil Spence’s architecture firm, its use of materials and historic interest. The Mayor of Lewisham has written to heritage minister John Penrose objecting to this proposal as we wish to move forward with buildings fit for purpose.

The Big Lunch took place in Mayow Park on Sunday 18 July and included a human football table.

Please visit the Mayow Park blog to find out more information about the Community Garden and the Bowls Club.

If you want to find out the latest events in Lewisham please take a look at the Visit Lewisham site.

Please see the link to the News Shopper for the coverage of the Green Flags including Sydenham Wells Park.

Please see the link to the News Shopper for the coverage of the XLP bus visiting Hazel Grove every Thursday.

Please see the link to the News Shopper for the coverage of the opening of the community garden in Mayow Park.

Here is the coverage by the News Shopper of the opening of the East London Line on the 23 May including the video link.

Please see the link to the News Shopper for the coverage of the petition handed to Chris Mole, Under Secretary of State for Transport. Jim Dowd raised the Sydenham Corridor in an adjourment debate with Chris Mole at the House of Commons on Friday 5 February 2010. Many thanks to everyone who signed the petition and we are going to keep up the pressure for the reinstatement of the evening service to Charing Cross.

Please see the link to the News Shopper for the coverage of the tree planting in Mayow Park.

Please see the link to the News Shopper for the coverage of the opening of John Baird Court Community Room.

You can visit my councillor web site as this provides links to Lewisham Council and factual information such as my Newsletters and the Ward Profile - please see my latest Newsletters.

The information on Sydenham Assembly is under the Get Involved page and the photos of our meetings can be found here. Our last meeting on Saturday 12 June was another positive meeting discussing the achievements over the two years we have been meeting. We received updates on the projects agreed to deliver on the top five priorities outlined in the Sydenham Assembly Newsletter and welcomed our special guests from Sydenham School.

I am have set up a photo stream to show my activities on flickr.