Speech for AGM 24 March 2003
Heart of Kennington Residents’ Association
Minutes of the annual general meeting held at
THE DURNING LIBRARY, KENNINGTON LANE
at 7.30 pm on MONDAY 26 MARCH 2012
Present: Priscilla Baines (chairman), Stephen Waring (secretary), Hilary Schofield (treasurer – from 7.45 pm), Adam Barriball, Stefan Bergmann, Rob Buxton, Andrew Ellis and Jane Leonard (committee members) and about 30 residents. Also Kate Hoey, MP was an invited guest.
Apologies were received from Wanda Newby, Pat Murtagh, Michael and Sally Gainsborough, Eileen Brooksbank, Johnny Male and Christopher Jackson, and from Andrew Ellis
Welcome and short talk
i. Priscilla Baines welcomed residents to the 2012 Annual General Meeting of the Heart of Kennington Residents’ Association. She also welcomed Kate Hoey MP, the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall and invited Kate to begin the meeting by giving a short talk.
ii. Kate Hoey began by thanking Priscilla for her invitation to the meeting, congratulated her on the written report that had been circulated to residents in advance of the meeting, and thanked the committee for the work they did on behalf of local residents. She said that she would talk about a range of issues that affected the local area.
iii. First she mentioned that she was delighted that Shelley School in Wincott Street would not be sold off for redevelopment but would be used as an Annex for the Archbishop Sumner School in Reedworth Street.
iv. She went on to talk about the proposed extension to the Northern Line. It was worth noting that the changes were likely to improve the level of noise from the current Kennington Loop. It seemed clear that the permanent ventilation shaft would be located on the Beefeater Gin Distillery site, and that the distillery would be further developed as a visitor centre, subject to planning permission. An application was going to the planning committee. Beefeater was a great symbol of London.
v. She noted that there were clear advantages in having our local councillor, Steve Morgan, living in our area. He was a great advocate and helped sort out a wealth of local issues, including the ever present issue of parking. Gaining the KSR (Kennington Residents) controlled parking sub-zone in our area had been a great achievement.
vi. The planned redevelopment of St Anselm’s Church would be going ahead. There had been some concern expressed by local residents living behind the church. But the project would provide great support to local unemployed people or those who had been in trouble with the law. In other areas she felt that such a project would have met more resistance and objections, but the vicar was very closely involved in the local area and undertook considerable outreach into the local community.
vii. Ms Hoey mentioned that she was worried about changes to local health services. We had a very good centre at the Hurley Clinic. She did receive complaints from patients who were unable to get the same doctor each time, though she also got some very complimentary letters too. We had an excellent facility in the Lambeth Community Care Centre in Monkton Street – a nurse-led, 20 bed unit, which provides 24 hour nursing care and/or regular therapy intervention for patients who are 18 years or over with chronic and/or specialist needs that cannot be met at home.
viii. She touched on risks to local libraries during this period of recession. A battle had been fought before to keep libraries open (in 1999/2000 the Minet, South Lambeth and Durning libraries were all under threat of closure). Lambeth have worked constructively with the Friends groups, and are looking at libraries as community hubs. She was confident that we could keep the Durning Library open, and would be keeping a close eye on progress.
ix. She felt that a major victory had been won in getting a 105-year lease on the former Lillian Bayliss School, for community use, operated by the Black Prince Trust. The project had received investment from Nike. The former school gym had been reopened for the summer, and had been able to stay open on an ongoing basis. It was being run as a social enterprise, and there would be access for local people. She noted that at the launch the Olympic champion, Usain Bolt had visited and spent over three hours with local children.
x. It was certainly a difficult time economically, and cuts were having to be made in a range of services, but Lambeth had handled their cuts in a much better way than had been the case in some places, by engaging more with people affected.
xi. Ms Hoey noted that since she had last spoken at the Association’s AGM the scandal surrounding MPs’ expenses had taken place, and the job of an MP had become quite different, with a great deal of time spent on bureaucracy. She was grateful that she had not been personally implicated, though noted that, as a London MP, she did not have to maintain a second home. She still believed that the vast majority of MPs went into politics to make a difference.
xii. Finally, she was very pleased with the outward-facing work of the residents’ association, and happy to support it. She then agreed to take some questions.
xiii. In response to a question about constituency boundary changes, Ms Hoey said that this was the first independent piece of work to reduce the number of constituencies by 50. For Lambeth, as a borough, it would mean that five or six MPs would be responsible for covering a small part of the borough. There would be a vote in the autumn. Her view was that if House of Lords reform did not go through, then neither would boundary changes. For her own constituency, she would retain Oval, Princes and Stockwell wards and gain four wards around Battersea. She would also lose four wards that she had worked hard to get to know, and so she was personally hoping that the proposals would be thrown out.
xiv. Anna Tapsell, chair of the Kennington Association, raised the issue of the Lollard Street Adventure playground, which the Council was looking to close, opening it only once a week. Lots of children used it after school while their parents were still at work. A bid had gone into the Council (as part of its ‘Cooperative Council’ scheme) to support keeping the playground open daily, with other services available. She was looking for Kate Hoey’s support.
xv. Ms Hoey thought that the project was an excellent one, and that to have it open only one afternoon a week seemed a nonsense. She knew that the Black Prince Trust were concerned that they were being asked to take it over. She was also aware that the youth club on Kennington Lane had an unused piece of green space behind it, and felt there were opportunities here to be explored.
xvi. Priscilla Baines thanked Kate Hoey for her very interesting contribution and engagement with residents and invited her to stay on if she wished, while the formal business of the meeting was conducted.
1. Chairman’s report
1.1 The chairman (Priscilla Baines) introduced herself and the committee members. A short written Chairman’s report had been circulated in advance of the meeting and hard copies provided to everyone at the meeting (attached at Annex A). She explained that membership of the Association was open to all those living in the designated streets. There was no subscription fee and indeed the constitution did not allow for it. The Association relied on donations and the profits from the summer party to meet expenses such as the hire of this venue for the AGM and small administrative costs etc. She reminded members that we really did need people’s email addresses where they had them. We would continue to deliver newsletters to those without email, but hand deliveries were very hard work, particularly given the steps to lower and upper ground floor entrances.
1.2 The Association took an interest in: maintenance of the roads and pavements (including street lighting), street cleansing, rubbish collection, parking, local planning applications and other local issues that directly affect residents. Priscilla noted that Lambeth provided our key services, such as rubbish collection. Rubbish – recycling and black bags, was collected on Tuesday mornings. Any large, dumped rubbish, failing street lights, graffiti etc. should be reported direct to Lambeth’s Environmental Services on: 020 7926 9000, or by emailing .
Northern Line Extension
1.3 There had been a great deal of activity during the year and it did look as if the extension would be going ahead, though there would be some considerable time slippage. It was likely that the extension would be ready by 2019. She felt that, as an Association, we should use this opportunity to urge Transport for London (TfL): (a) to upgrade Kennington tube station; and (b) to lobby them to have Kennington station designated as zone 1 (rather than the current zone 2). The Committee would happily write to urge TfL to look into these issues.
Parking
1.4 Parking represented much less of a problem than it once had, though there were problems from time to time. People from Kennington Park Road, who had no parking facilities, and people who used the restaurants and businesses in Kennington Road all added to the general parking congestion. There had been suggestions that we consider lobbying for extensions to the controlled parking hours (into the evening), but the Association felt that this risked solving one problem by gaining another. There was general support from the meeting to leave things as they were.
Street trees
1.5 The Chairman thanked a number of generous residents in Methley Street who had contributed towards the replacement of one of the street trees. The Association was pressing Lambeth to carry out the work and had been assured that the planting would take place very shortly.
Planning applications
1.6 The Association kept a close eye on all planning applications that came to its notice within our area. Anyone with a particular interest in planning, who wanted to get more involved should contact David Boardman, chairman of the Kennington Association Planning Forum. Priscilla indicated that she would be happy to put people in touch.
1.7 Finally, Priscilla thanked our local councillor, Steve Morgan, who, as a Methley Street resident, was firmly embedded in the local area, and a great source of local support. As Kate Hoey had mentioned, the Lambeth Community Care Centre deserved its annual mention, as did a number of other worthy causes: the Friends of Kennington Park and the Friends of Durning Library. She noted that Robert Buxton chaired the Kennington Gardens Society. The Kennington Association raised money for good causes, particularly their Secret Santa initiative, which provided vouchers to local families in need at Christmas time. The Kennington Village Fete in Cleaver Square also raised money for local causes.
1.8 The meeting noted the chairman’s report.
2. Financial statement
2.1 The treasurer, Hilary Schofield, referred to the financial statement (attached at Annex A) which had been distributed to all attendees. The current cash at bank totalled £1117.31, almost the same amount as this time last year. The Association had made a further donation to the Kennington Park rose bed appeal and contributed to further tree planting in our area. Hilary noted that the summer party was our sole source of funding.
2.2 The financial statement was agreed.
3. Neighbourhood Watch report
3.1 Rob Buxton gave a report on Neighbourhood Watch activities during the year. We lived in a low crime area for Lambeth, but average for London. There had been some vehicle crime and attempted break-ins. Rob reported that he had attended a safer neighbourhoods meeting as a representative of the Association. At the meeting the police reported the closure of two crack houses in Vauxhall Ward, reinforcing the low level of crimes in our own area. He reminded residents not to leave windows or doors open or unlocked as burglars were not averse to climbing over high walls. We should report all suspicious behaviour to the police by calling 101.
3.2 Priscilla thanked Rob for his contribution during the year.
4. Diamond Jubilee Party arrangements
4.1 Following the very successful Royal Wedding party last year, the Association was again joining forces with the Cleaver Square, Cleaver Street and Bowden Street Residents Association for the Diamond Jubilee. The event would be held on Monday 4th June from 3 pm until 9 pm. The theme would be 1950s and ‘tiaras, crowns and vintage gowns’ and there would be similar activities to the event last year. Tickets were £12.50 for adults and £6.00 for children. There would be a limit of six tickets per household. Rob Buxton was our representative on the organising committee, with support from other members of our Association. Volunteers to help with setting up and clearing up would be very welcome.
Summer party arrangements
4.2 The chairman announced that the Association’s 2012 summer party had been put back slightly as a result of the Diamond Jubilee and was to be held on Saturday 7 July (Sunday 8 July if the weather was bad), from 6.00 pm to 8.30pm at the junction of Methley and Radcot Streets as usual. Penny Wing from Temperance Works in Ravensdon Street had very generously offered to open her garden to visitors on that day. The Association would carefully control entry, and this would be based on checking people against our residency list. Last year we had had a new barbecue team, and she hoped that we would return to our old barbecue team this year. She asked for volunteers to staff the bar, other stalls and barbecue as well as help with setting up and clearing up. Anyone willing to help was asked to get in touch with Stephen Waring or Priscilla Baines.