Dear Resident,
2020 has been the most challenging year that many of us have ever faced. However, as well as presenting new challenges, it has also created new opportunities for us to connect as a community.
As local Councillors, we’ve been working hard to support our residents during this difficult time, while also trying to create more community links both within St Mary’s Park and with other nearby areas.
So we thought we would share with you an update (below) on some of the challenges and opportunities that we’ve been working on.
As ever, if there is anything we as councillors can help with, then please just drop us a line by clicking on the contact links below.
With very best wishes,
Councillor Melanie Hampton - Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health
Councillor Rhodri Morgan - Chairman of Community Services & Open Spaces
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Battersea Square
After residents got in contact with us in June to complain about issues with littering and some rowdy behaviour in Battersea Square, owing to people gathering there once the restaurants and bars reopened, we swung into action to create a plan to manage this issue.
We needed to take a balanced approach to this because we wanted to support the businesses there, because we know that many residents in St Mary’s Park value them as an important local amenity.
We were obviously very conscious though that we also needed to support the residents who live in Battersea Square, in order to help mitigate any negative issues that could arise from more people using this area. So we took the following actions:
- We arranged for more bins to be placed in the square, and arranged for the cleaning contract to be flexed, so that the area would be cleaned, and the rubbish collected both earlier in the morning and later in the evening.
- Councillor Rhodri Morgan, along with Council officers, met with many of the businesses in the square on 2 occasions, to agree a collective plan to manage this issue. This included many of the businesses there agreeing to stop serving at an earlier time on weekend evenings for part of June.
- We contacted the Borough Commander and worked with Cabinet Members at Wandsworth Council to create a plan of action, which would see support from Parks Police and the wider police force being drafted in to help clear the square at a specific time on Friday and Saturday nights – That process worked well and clearing the square has now become the responsibility of the businesses there.
- Councillor Rhodri Morgan, along with some other volunteers, also attended the square and helped with the clean-up operation on the first weekend we implemented the new management plan. He’s also visited the square on a number of occasions since in order to monitor the implementation of the management plan.
It’s been a challenge to manage this situation in a way that keeps everyone happy, but the multi-agency team have done a brilliant job in handling this.
So we’d like to say a huge thank you to the team from Wandsworth Council and Wandsworth Police in helping to manage this situation.
Volunteering in the Community
As Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health (Councillor Melanie Hampton) I have seen first-hand the amazing response from the community to the COVID-19 pandemic. So many acts of kindness with a real sense of looking out for each other.
Over 3,500 people across Wandsworth answered the call to volunteer and so many have found the experience of volunteering with local charities so rewarding.
As we faced lockdown there were immediate problems of accessing food and prescriptions for a significant number of residents. Our local church groups St Mary’s and Sacred Heart, along with KLS, The Battersea Society and Battersea United Charities founded the Coronavirus Angels Battersea, which saw over 300 volunteers helping their neighbours in times of need.
I want to harness that great community spirit in Wandsworth and we have developed two projects to use that goodwill. Last week I attended my training session to become a telephone buddy and I am looking forward to reaching out to some of our most vulnerable residents.
The Council will also be setting up a mentoring scheme for challenged young people who have potentially missed so much schooling. If you would like to get involved please email me.
Let the legacy of this awful virus be a renaissance of community spirit and volunteering.
Diamond Jubilee Bridge Petition (Please Sign)
Some new funding has been made available by the government for ‘shovel-ready’ projects. We believe that the Diamond Jubilee Bridge, which would be placed alongside the Cremorne Bridge, is the perfect project for this funding, so we have set up a new campaign to try and make this a reality.
A new pedestrian & cycle bridge here would make it easier for people to travel by foot and by bike, which would also be good for the environment. But we need the Mayor of London to support this bid in order to make the bridge a reality. Please sign our petition to show your support for the bridge too by clicking the button below.
Our Road To Recovery
Living in Wandsworth I know that the past few months have been really difficult for our community.
We have all made huge sacrifices to protect our NHS and protect our loved ones from this horrific virus.
Now that restrictions are being eased, our way of life is beginning to return to a sense of normality.
You can read my article on our Road to Recovery in Merton & Wandsworth by clicking the button below.
Read My Letter To Residents On Our Road To Recovery
Wishing you all the best
Cllr Louise Calland
GLA Candidate for Merton & Wandsworth
COVID-19: Our Response
COVID-19 has been a difficult time for many residents in Wandsworth.
Wandsworth Council have taken action throughout the lockdown to help those most in need in our Wandsworth Community.
Over the past few months to support our community during COVID-19 our Council has:
1. Set up the successful Wandsworth Community Hub which has helped over 6000 residents during COVID-19.
2. Kept our parks open during lockdown allowing Wandsworth residents to exercise safely during lockdown.
3. Processed £119m of assistance to local businesses helping them stay afloat during COVID-19.
4. Continued rubbish and recycling collection throughout lockdown with over 1600 tons of additional refuse and recycling collected in the first 2 weeks of April, May and June than the previous year.
5. Developed a London Leading 9 point Back to School plan to get children back to school safely in Wandsworth which got one of the highest numbers of schools re-opening in the country on day one, with every single mainstream primary and secondary school open within a week with significantly above national average attendance. All special schools are now open too.
6. Set up the 'Power to Connect' scheme with Battersea Power Station which, together with the government and Dons, has delivered 1181 laptops so far plus dongles and data vouchers to children in digital poverty.
7. Provided over 60 bikes for NHS workers with more on the way to help those who care for us get to work safely.
8. Communicated the latest COVID-19 updates in Wandsworth during lockdown reaching almost 200 thousand residents who received emails and/or letters from the Council.
9. Delivered a unique package of support for local businesses in preparation for them re-opening.
10. Introduced measures to aid social distancing such as widening pavements in Putney High Street.
And as we begin to look ahead towards a post lockdown world Wandsworth Council will continue to support those in need in our community.
If you need support
If you need support you can contact:
Wandsworth Council's Community Hub by phone on: 020 8871 6555 or by e-mail by clicking here.
Your local Councillors by clicking on their names above.
In emergencies only call the emergency services on: 999
