Last month, this website revealed that one in 50 Greenwich borough
residents could lose their right to vote under changes to the
electoral register being introduced in December.
Now it's emerged that more that the situation is worse in
neighbouring Lewisham - with more than one in 20 voters set to fall off the
register if they don't act before 1 December.
Previously, the electoral roll was compiled by one member of
each household filling in a survey form. Now, everybody who wants a vote has
to apply individually.
Figures released by Lewisham Council under the Freedom of
Information Act show that out of 195,863 voters in the borough, 10,730 face
falling off the roll when councils switch to the new system on 1 December.
As in Greenwich, it is less well-off areas of Lewisham borough
that face losing the most voters. Evelyn ward, which covers most of Deptford,
risks losing 8% of its voters; while New Cross ward is set to lose 7.5%.
Lewisham kindly supplied a breakdown of how many voters are
registered in each of these 19 wards, so these figures are more detailed than
those offered by Greenwich.
Total "red matches" - those due to come off
electoral register in 1 December 2015, as at 11 November 2015. Ward
electorates as at 1 September. Source: Lewisham Council
Lewisham staff have been working to make sure people stay on
the roll, and these efforts are highlighted in the council's figures - 1,410
people have been put on the roll since 1 September.
While it's true the change may also weed out names that
shouldn't be on the register - because they are dead, or are registered in
two different places - the Labour Party has launched a "missing
million" campaign to get people back on the electoral roll.
This isn't just out of public service - proposals to cut the number of
parliamentary constituencies from 650 to 600, which are set to
particularly affect Labour's urban heartlands, are likely to use 1 December
2015 as a reference date.
Seats in Greenwich and Lewisham are particularly under threat
from the changes, which are likely to see many more seats span borough
boundaries.
Lewisham Deptford, currently held by Vicky Foxcroft, is set to
lose 6.2% of voters. Past plans to redraw constituencies first saw the
Deptford area merged with Greenwich, before it was then joined with Rotherhithe.
Think you're not on the electoral
roll? Check with electoral offices in Lewisham, Greenwich, or anywhere else. Know you're not on the roll?
Register now.
PS.
The Freedom of Information Act, which uncovered these figures in both Greenwich
and Lewisham, is under threat. See four simple ways you can take action.
Darryl | 15 November, 2015 at 10:24 pm | Tags: election 2016, electoral register, lewisham council | Categories: lewisham council, local stuff | URL: http://wp.me/plVfU-5Jw
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Monday, 16 November 2015
Lewisham voters hit with boundary changes and new voters rule that will help present Goverment cling to power
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Ray Woolford and Pippa Jones Talk Radio launch best Current affairs programme on the planet
Goverment NHS policy is likely to see more and more Doctors and
Nurses Jailed, whilst in Paris at end of November the largest climate
change conference will take place with biggest street protests across
the globe, thanks to the succes of my book " Food Bank Britain " which i
trust you have all bought a copy in solidarity has lead to me given a
job as a Co host on a Talk radio main stream media , which allows me to
talk about the issues i care about and address the crap that is
pumpet our as news through our National media networks, i need you guys
to blog. tweet. face book and at very least listern to my show with
pippa , send in your ideas and campaigns that you are looking to raise
awareness and use this The Best Current affairs show in the world to
engage and win our struggles.12-1 UK time first friday in every month.
You can click on the following talk radio link and hear the first show
which is 1 hour long and tell your fellow activists and friends that we
have a media show that supports OUR politics not the 1% .
Pippa Jones Radio (@RadioJonesPippa)
Pippa Jones Radio (@RadioJonesPippa)
07/11/2015, 10:42
Listen back to Ray Woolford talking #juniordoctors #greenpolitics #MillionMaskMarch talkradioeurope.com/ondemand/Talk_…
Listen back to Ray Woolford talking #juniordoctors #greenpolitics #MillionMaskMarch talkradioeurope.com/ondemand/Talk_…
Thursday, 5 November 2015
Austerity. New radio show launches 6 November . Tune in.
New
Radio Show launching this Friday 6 November and then 12-1 UK time first
Friday every month. This is a totally new style current affairs show
that will talk about the issues being ignored by the main stream media
and talk and explain it, such as Ttip in a way people can understand,
whilst also explaining what is the real political agenda? and this week
we talk Paul Mason and postcapatalism, the huge climate change event in
Paris. The student and Doctors protests and this evenings #millionmaskmarch
It will allso give voice to all groups and campaigns across the EU were
we share common aims and share same passion . Please tunn in , click on
the link, put the link on your blog, twitter. face book page etc , send
me and Pippa details of campaigns and events and we will do our best to
give you a voice. this is the first time Our issues are getting main
stream radio air time, not just as brief mention, but we get an entire
hour. Use the platform to get the issues you care about main stream from
your point of view..
Pippa Jones Radio (@RadioJonesPippa)
05/11/2015, 10:49
@tretalkisgood Friday 12pm GMT w @Raywoolford talking #climate #juniordoctors #MillionMaskMarch click on talkradioeurope.net/listen/listen-…
05/11/2015, 10:49
@tretalkisgood Friday 12pm GMT w @Raywoolford talking #climate #juniordoctors #MillionMaskMarch click on talkradioeurope.net/listen/listen-…
talkradioeurope.net
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
crises at Christmas, Can you donate a mug of tea to person in food crises ?
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Ray
woolford (@Raywoolford)
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Can
you afford 2 donate a mug of tea to a neighbour , friend , family member in
crises this Christmas ? pic.twitter.com/jq08ampQEE
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Lewisham Council plan to bulldoze Community centres and close more librarys.
Hello all,
As usual please feel
free to circulate the following to everyone.
****
Reminder: Have you
all e-mailed/written to the Mayor, your local councillors, MP, the Press?
The numbers game is really important.
Panel: Director of
Community Services, Aileen Buckton; Cabinet member for Community Services, Cllr
Best; Head of Library and Information Service, Antonio Rizzo.
The same presentation
concerning budgetary shortfalls was made again. There was an admission
that the Lewisham voluntary sector was being approached (soft marketing), being
asked ".. in theory, are you interested ...?" As well as the
main consultation meetings other smaller meetings will be held, Focus
Groups. Included will be the young Mayor's office, schools, outreach
organisations, Pensioners' Forum. Library Staff will be consulted.
It was an exceptionally well-attended meeting, over 60, but that may be as the
information has circulated and more people know. The questioning was
underpinned by sound knowledge of what was going on and disbelieving the
fundamentals of what they were being told.
Again Ms. Buckton
repeated that the consultation information had been trailed in the Autumn
Lewisham Life. It
was not.
Questioning
focussed on what the offer was. Volunteers will
be trained. This raises further questions of costs, the turnover,
constant recruitment, volunteers who cannot always appear. There will be
the usual security checks. But, we do not know if the Council
expects volunteers to be the answer as we have been told future
"community" libraries will not operate as the current
"community" libraries operate. Reports back from these libraries
refer to not opening on time and non-opening, due to lack of volunteers.
The council was warned the chosen model in 2010/11 would not work, and it has
not. How can we be
sure they are choosing the right option now?
The organisations chosen
to run the 3 buildings (Manor House, Torridon Road, Forest Hill) in future will
be non-profit and likely to run services complementary to a library service,
with special connections to the local area of each library. They could be
connected to Education, Community organisations, Arts organisations.
There was a great deal of detail from Ms. Buckton concerning families, mothers,
children at Torridon Road, until muttering revealed other users e.g. the
elderly, teens, the middle-aged .....
We are an intelligent,
informed, thoughtful bunch, when we try, so others asked why we were at a
talking shop, being faced with a fait accompli so our views and opinions were
irrelevant to the process? What if all views were against the chosen
option?
How could we ensure the
new management would reflect diversity needs? Diversity needs must be
met.
How long would the
contracts last? The length of contracts would rely on the nature of the
building and what group wants to take it on. The council will have the
final say and, it is just laughable to have to type the following, local people will be
involved! There will be no capital investment in the building (no,
the tax-payer has already footed that bill.)
And here is the quote of
the evening, the panel, on being told it was all pointless gave Cllr Best an
opportunity to state that the status quo cannot continue.
There, you have it!
The value of
professional staff in libraries was felt to be key to improving literacy, as
well as being of great value to the rest of us so how would a reduced staff run
3 hub libraries for 85 hours per week, each? Plus, enough staff for
peripatetic visits to 9 "community" libraries, not sure if that
includes Catford (unstaffed), which could become a zombie library and the best take away in
town. In addition they will still service commitments to schools,
doctors' surgeries etc. Meanwhile, they will be travelling back and forth
across the borough, by bus, walking (running?), driving, using up time, not
usable in libraries. Don't even mention the traffic congestion and
expenses. Mr. Rizzo then played his master card - staff would be
promoting opportunities, engaging in promoting all library services. This
presupposes you are not going to be able to distinguish between what you had
and what you will get.
Our natural cynic in the
audience could only conclude that outsourcing to the voluntary sector was meant
to make everything look OK.
More detail revealed
that the contracted voluntary organisations would meet the overheads of the
buildings, but there was equivocation about maintenance. Depending on
what that would require could mean that the council would have to step in with
funding. Questions on how this new model would work were not answered
clearly enough, if at all, for any of us to be sure what would happen.
Further points were
raised over the non-working of self-issue/return machines, the collapse in
borrowing figures for the "community" libraries and who would have
caretaking/security responsibilities. Points were raised, but not
answered.
A key question was why
the council could not organise least harm for the money available.
Lewisham is a recognised deprived borough so would it not be optional to use
some of the reserves? As we have seen with "community"
libraries if the council's decision/policy back fires who picks up the
pieces? Officers would have to face the consequences of their actions, as
will the public.
Yet again statements
were made that volunteers would not be running the library service. There
would be a time table of staff visits made to "community" libraries,
but the solution for each library would be different and a focus for the
neighbourhood. The organisations chosen will take up the service as the
council is not seeking to make a profit and will not take rent on a commercial
basis. They will come as funded organisations.
Therefore, the question
was raised about how these organisations would be funded. A staff member
of a funded organisation pointed out how it was increasingly difficult to raise
money from elected authorities, local councils, the Arts Council, grants
organisations, private funding etc, as money is drying up elsewhere. If
this is policy huge numbers of organisations will be chasing the same pots of
money! Thus we have
the right to be most concerned about the long term sustainability of what is
chosen. Not only do we not know, neither do the officers, who will
make the recommendation to the Mayor and Cabinet.
regards to all,
Patricia Richardson
Ray Woolford new political commentator for Talk Radio Europe
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Pippa
Jones Radio (@RadioJonesPippa)
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First
Friday of every month politics/social issues with @Raywoolford email questions to pippa@talkradioeurope.com twitter.com/Raywoolford/st…
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