HOW SAFE ARE OUR HOMES? JOIN THE SGTO GROUP MEETING, 26TH JULY 2017, BELLS GARDENS COMMUNITY CENTRE, 7PM—9PM. THIS IS SOLELY TO DISCUSS THE SAFETY AND REPAIR OF OUR ESTATES WITH POLITICIANS, AND APPROPRIATE COUNCIL OFFICERS, ON SOME OF THE FEARS AND CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY OF TOWER BLOCKS, FOUR AND FIVE STOREY LATERAL BUILDINGS IN SOUTHWARK, AND TO LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH RESIDENTS CAN BE MEANINGFULLY INVOLVED AND BE LISTENED TO IN THE FUTURE, SO THAT AVOIDABLE TRAGEDIES DO NOT KEEP OCCURING. In this issue… HOW SAFE ARE OUR HOMES? REPORT FROM SPECIAL MEEING ON 17TH JULY, 2017 Housing and Community Safety Scrutiny Committee Report KNIFE BINS/ KNIFE CRIME FREE FINANCIAL EDUCATION TRAINING AT THE SGTO SGTO AGM 2017 FOOTBALL& SUMMER FEST 2017 Issue 43, JULY 2017 SGTO Company Reg: 6406353 Charity Reg: 1130043
Transcript
HOW
SAFE ARE
OUR
HOMES?
JOIN THE SGTO GROUP MEETING,
26TH JULY 2017, BELLS GARDENS
COMMUNITY CENTRE, 7PM—9PM.
THIS IS SOLELY TO DISCUSS THE SAFETY AND REPAIR OF OUR ESTATES WITH POLITICIANS, AND APPROPRIATE COUNCIL OFFICERS, ON SOME OF THE FEARS AND CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY OF TOWER BLOCKS, FOUR AND FIVE STOREY LATERAL BUILDINGS IN SOUTHWARK, AND TO LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH RESIDENTS CAN BE MEANINGFULLY INVOLVED AND BE LISTENED TO IN THE FUTURE, SO THAT AVOIDABLE TRAGEDIES DO NOT KEEP OCCURING.
In this issue…
HOW SAFE ARE OUR HOMES?
REPORT FROM SPECIAL MEEING ON 17TH JULY, 2017
Housing and Community
Safety Scrutiny Committee
Report
KNIFE BINS/ KNIFE CRIME FREE FINANCIAL EDUCATION
TRAINING AT THE SGTO
SGTO AGM 2017
FOOTBALL& SUMMER FEST 2017
Issue 43, JULY 2017
SGTO Company Reg: 6406353 Charity Reg: 1130043
Page 2
SGTO Company Reg: 6406353 Charity Reg: 1130043
SGTO SPECIAL
MEETING-
17TH JULY,2017—
HOW SAFE ARE
OUR HOMES? Over 50 residents from across Southwark attended
the SGTO on Monday 17th July to organise a series of demands to take to the Council following the Grenfell Tower fire in June. Many people had concerns about the safety of their homes, particularly after the situation on the Ledbury Estate where cracks in the tower blocks were found to present a serious fire safety risk.
One resident from the Sceaux Gardens Estate in
Camberwell was concerned that the Council had not properly implemented the coroner’s recommendations following the Lakanal House fire in 2009. He called for full fire risk assessments to be carried out across the borough and argued that the Council and Fire Bri-gade could not promote a ‘stay put’ policy until every block had been found safe.
Many Ledbury residents had problems with the Fire
Marshals working on their estate. There were com-
plaints that they were found sleeping on the job and were unable to communicate in English – one exam-ple given was a fire alarm over the weekend, where
the fire wardens had not been ready and did not fol-low protocols as instructed.
Another general issue raised was that around engage-
ment – many tenants felt that their voices were being progressively side-lined, with the Council ignoring its formal structures such as tenants’ council and area housing forums, and instead spending money on cos-metic consultation exercises.
The Grenfell fire was a watershed moment, said one
tenant. It showed the consequences of ignoring resi-dents’ concerns and why improvements urgently have to be made in the way councils and landlords across the country engage with their communities. Other demands included the acquisition of empty homes through compulsory purchase orders to house
people in the event of an emergency. One suggestion was to halt the demolition of the Aylesbury Estate and use the empty homes there.
Residents also noted the impact of cuts to public ser-
vices and council budgets and the impact that this had on the quality of risk assessments and safety measures. It was suggested that tenants and residents
campaign alongside the council to demand investment from the government and an end to austerity which had already done so much damage in Southwark.
Here are some of the demands that came out of the meeting. The SGTO will be taking these demands to the Council and representatives of the fire brigade at our next Group Meeting on Wednesday 26th of July. All Southwark residents are invited to attend and con-tribute to this meeting. A full list of demands is available on the SGTOs
website at www.sgto.org.uk and through the office on 0207 639 6718. Full level 4 Fire Risk Assessments across all high-rise blocks Fire Risk Assessments to be done in conjunc-
tion with the Fire Brigade Fire Wardens to be properly trained and
briefed Fire Safety to be kept in-house and not con-
tracted out on the cheap Clear protocols for evacuation – especially
with regards to disabled and vulnerable peo-ple
The Council should requisition empty private
homes in the case of an emergency There needs to be accountability and conse-
The Committee which I am a representative from Tenants Council met on Tuesday 11th July 2017 to discuss the report, commissioned by the Council entitled Improving ‘Tenants & Home Owner Engagement in Southwark – A Review’. The research was carried out by Kaizen & Social Engineer, an independent research company. The report which consisted of 126 pages is complex and extremely difficult to understand and written in ‘research speak’ for the benefit of the council rather than residents. Somewhere along the way the report loses direction and starts to make recommendations on the remedies rather than stating the perceived problems. However, it is critical of the Council’s failure to consult with residents in a meaningful way. As part of its proposed remedies it suggests combining the Tenants Council and the Home Owners Council into one consultative body and integrating Housing Area Forums into Community Councils. It also took upon itself to question the effectiveness of the SGTO and the Tenants Fund Management Committee. In all cases, there is no evidence that they consulted with any of the organisations involved. I can only assume that they got their information from Officers of the Council who they praise in their report whilst making no reference to the other participants. Representatives from the SGTO and Tenants Council presented written reports. This highlights the fact that the time scale did not allow for delegates to consult with their respective bodies; which might be indicative of the Council’s perception of what consultation is. So, where have we got to? Scrutiny Committee recommended that Cllr Tom Flynn meet with representatives of the Tenants Council and the Home Owners Council to explore a workable way forward before making recommendations to members of the Council’s Cabinet. What has happened at Grenfell Tower and Ledbury Estate is a game changer in terms of tenant involvement and participation. In the first
case, the failure to listen has led to a large number of tragic deaths. In the second, the failure to listen has led to the Council spending large sums of money on fire security and now they have to spend even larger sums of money to right a thirty-year-old wrong. Many residents living in the Ledbury Tower Blocks fear for their future. The research and the report cost an incredible £46,000. I will leave it to you to judge whether it was value for money! Here is the link to the report. http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/documents/s69519/Item5_Southwark%20report%20final%20220617.pdf
DIGITAL INCLUSION SUCCESS STORY FROM NECKINGER TRA
Meeting on knife crime and what can be done to encourage young people to leave gangs and be-come safe on our street. Elena Noel from Anti Knife Crime Forum explained that the forum was created in 2016 following the death of a young person by knife crime. The current data is that there are 7 stabbing a day according to a surgeon who is the clinical director for 4 trauma units, and Southwark has the highest statistics. Councillor Barry Hargrove, cabinet member for Communities and Safety who has been in post since May 2016 also disclosed that between this period at least 5 murders have been committed by knife crime against young black people from poorer backgrounds. He expressed how worry-ing this is to the parents knowing that knifes are readily available on our streets, with Southwark having the worst knife crime rate, which is cer-tainly nothing to be proud of. Luton Sinfield, Community Safety Officer also emphasised that knife crime impacts on families and not just individuals, so we cannot just asso-ciate knife crime with gangs and boys. The bot-tom line is that carrying a knife is a crime and has consequences. If you have a knife that you want to get rid of, there are word 4 weapons’ knife bins located around the UK. See website details: www.word4weapons.co.uk
NEAREST KINFE BINS LOCATIONS:
80 Dog Kennel Hill, London SE22 8BB, UK +44 20 7738 4900 stores.sainsburys.co.uk
263 New Cross Rd, London SE14 5PL, Sainsbury’s Petrol Station, New Cross Gate
Estate presented a deputation before the full assembly of Southwark Council to highlight their concerns about fire safety on the estate. The deputation, with support from the SGTO, was con-cerned about the huge cracks which were present in all four of the estate’s tower blocks. Residents had raised the issue of these cracks with the Council’s building survey-ors, who had put them down to ‘natural movement of the building’ and said that they were nothing to be worried about.
Ledbury residents at the full council assembly.
Photo Credit: Southwark CAN
However, when the London Fire Brigade saw images of the cracks they concluded that they presented a serious fire safety risk. They could allow smoke and flames to travel up through the interior of the build-ing and spread across different flats, compromising the compartmentation of the block.
Southwark Council then carried out further inspec-
tions and acknowledged a serious fire risk across all four of the blocks. They hired a team of private fire wardens, whose job is to patrol the estate and raise the alarm in case of a fire. The ‘stay put’ policy has also been replaced with directions to evacuate the buildings as soon as possible, wherever the fire is in the building.
Southwark Council has now committed to undertak-
ing a comprehensive fire risk assessment of the Led-bury Towers, and has offered any residents of the
towers who wish to move band 1 priority for rehous-ing through the bidding system. The deputation re-quested that the Council commits to a major repairs
programme for the estate and look into why the risks of the cracks were not picked up in previous fire risk assessments. They argued that leaseholders should
not be billed for any of the repairs, and that any ten-ants wishing to move be offered local private accom-
modation, not including hostels or bed and break-fasts. Any tenant who may have to move should be
offered a full legal right of return, on the same se-
cure tenancy and at the same rent.
The deputation also demanded that the Ledbury, and
the land it sits on, always remains as 100% council housing. The deputation was positively received by the coun-cil, who showed a genuine desire to make the blocks as safe as possible. Cllr Stephanie Cryan, responding
at the event and later by email, promised band 1 pri-ority for any residents who wanted to move and said that a full type four risk assessment, the most com-
prehensive available, would be carried out on the towers. Any fire safety issues would be remedied and leaseholders would not be charged for any works,
and a compensation package will be made available for any residents whose properties are affected by the repairs.
Cllr Cryan’s response, however, is quiet on several of
the Ledbury deputation’s demands. For instance, there is no clear commitment to ensuring that that estate remains as council housing – a concern for
many residents conscious of the major redevelopment occurring along the Old Kent Road.
There is also little on why previ-ous fire risk assessments did not pick up the potential danger of the cracks, and whether anybody should or will be held accountable about this. Questions also remain about the impact of giving Ledbury resi-dents band 1 priority status. Will this guarantee they will be re-
housed quickly? And how will this affect those al-ready in band 1?
The SGTO is proud to campaign alongside the resi-
dents of the Ledbury Estate for safe, secure and de-cent homes across Southwark. If you want to find out more about fire safety in the borough, please come along to our next group meeting where senior South-wark councillors and officers will be in attendance. If you want a copy of the Ledbury residents’ deputation and Cllr Cryan’s response please contact [email protected]
Every Tenant and Resident Association (TRA) can nominate
up to three delegates to the SGTO during their AGM.
ONLY DELEGATES (HAVE VOTING RIGHTS TO THE SGTO
BOARD at SGTO’s AGM)
TRUSTEES ARE MADE UP OF DELEGATES,
WHO ARE APPOINTTED AT TRA AGM’S.
Voting is on individual basis BY BALLOT in an open AGM.
Nominees with the most votes are appointed to the Board.
If you are a delegate and have any
transferable skills, Speak to your TRA if
you want to be on SGTO Board and help shape
the Tenants Movement in
Southwark!
Nomination forms are now available in the
office to collect. Closing date for all
nominations Thursday 31st August
2017 5PM!!
Page 7
The SGTO Youth Foot-ball Competition season kicks-off soon 2017. Registration is now open for both girls and boys teams age 7-9years and 10 -
12year. Both teams will compete separately.
Last year’s competition attracted sixteen teams with over one hundred and seventy young people with
their cheering par-ents. The winners for 2016 were Conant and Rutley and Brim-ington TRA.
The aim of the tour-
nament is to engage and encourage young
people to learn more about Tenants and Residents Associations (TRAs) and how they can get involved and work with their TRA. Involving young people in decision making on estates can help tackle antisocial behaviour, gang and knife crime, postcode boundaries and improve cohe-
sion. The proposed timing for the tournament will be
August, Summer holiday 2017. All residents with or without TRAs are encouraged to register. TRAs within the same proximity can come together and form a team. This can be done by organising a meeting with young people in the area.
The SGTO can Support with setting up such a meeting if required.
Tips on setting up a young football team:
- Identify one or more young people on your
estate to set up a team.
- Create an incentive, such as providing food after every training session
- Designate a committee member to liaise with the lead young person
- The team representative will report back to the T&RA regularly
- Involve an external coach to run training sessions on your estate
Please call SGTO on: 020 7639 6718 or
Email: [email protected] to register your team or for support and further information.
Following recent experience of equipment being damaged or missing whilst with the hirer, we have introduced a refundable deposit system as a precautionary measure.
The deposit is based on the total value of goods hired.
Please see the table below
GET DIGITALLY INCLUDED
We are offering the opportunity to stay in control of your Mobile Banking, Budgeting your money And keeping your money safe
online The following financial courses are free
Goods Total Value
Deposit re-
quired Hired goods to the value
of
£0 - £249 £50
Hired goods to the value
of
£250 – £499
£100
Hired goods to the value
of
£500 - £749 £150
Hired goods to the value
of
£750 - £999 £200
Hired goods to the value
of
£1000 - £1500
£250
Equipment Hire deposit
Opening Time: Monday
to Friday – 10am – 4pm
SGTO Address: – 19 Buller
Close, Bells Gardens Com-munity Centre, Peckham, London, SE15 6UJ
