Deptford & New Cross free food bank access

After 97 local households responded to the Local Campaigner News Letter from People before profit seeking to use the food bank that we have launched for Deptford and New Cross Residents, it will be up and Running from 28th September. The food bank is aimed at helping local residents who run out of money or are just finding it impossible to eat on some days, having seen the numbers of local residents going through the estate rubbish bins on bin collection days, and having listerned to the mother who with her husband, had set up a small local business, as such they could not get benefit, and with the economy in decline started to lose large numbers of contracts, some days she would go without food, by pretending she had eaten with the Children, with the closure of the breakfast club, some days the shame of having no food to put in the childrens lunch boxes, lead to the children being kept of school as if they were sick, rarther than the shame of no food. With Universal credit about to become law in April in which people will need to claim on line in order to get money, and with payments made at the end of the month, myself and Barbara Raymond and the rest of the Deptford and New Cross People before Profit team, have set up a seperate charity called, We Care.. we have very real conserns that huge numbers of our local residents will simply have nothing to eat. We have the use of the empty studio on Hartes Lane New Cross which is Occupied by Lewisham People before profit, and which we have turned into an Arts and Music Centre with free Community space open to all. This will be our Base to distribute the food if you are aware of anyone in need. please email me in confidence. We are having in the short term only help SE8 and SE14 postcodes as we expect to be feeding around 1000 households by April, and we are limited by time and space. This food bank is not giving cooked meals or a daily shopping basket, it will offer basic foods and stuff such as Tooth paste and Loo rolls to help people out until the next money arrives, it is not open to the Homeless as we already have a number of groups in the area that deal with this sector. We continue to be shocked at the numbers and type of local residents needing our help. All people seeking food, must contact us by Phone, email or drop by the new cross office. We can then work out what you need such as do you have pets? meat or none eaters? do you have children? then a weekly box is organised for each person to collect or be delivered by our army of local residents who are helping. Dropping of Food; If you have any food you are not using, or can spare some tins, or fresh fruit, Vegtables etc, please drop into; Housemartins Offices; 37 Plough Way London Se16 2LS 9am-6.30 every day monday to friday and 9.30am-3pm Saturday. New Cross/ Deptford Drop, point; Housemartins Office; 467 New Cross Road Deptford; Monday to Friday 10am-2pm. This is also the best place to sign up for a food parcel.

Councillor Padmore.. I have Cancer

After a year in which Councillor Padmore has failed to attend ward meetings, advice surgerys and only the Min number of meetings,( 2 per year to insure he does not lose the almost ~£10.000 a year he gets in allowance). Councillor Padmore has stated he had a stroke last year and has Cancer. Clearly if you have this level of poor health, holding the role of a Councillor for one of the poorest wards in the Country, with 55% youth unemployment and very real urgent issues of concern that need daily addressing , needs Councillors that are fit well and able to do the role they are elected to do, not lining your own pockets. Councillor Padmore if nothing else should resign in order to get back to good health, being a hard working Councillor is not in his best interest, it also does not help that fellow Labour Councillor Long, has an equaly poor attendence record. Is it any wonder that Barbara Raymond Lewisham People Before Profit came second to Labour in this ward in Mays GLA election and should win these seats in 2014 local elections.

Lewisham Conservative councillor defects to Labour

David Britian a Conservative councillor on Lewisham Council for more than a decade has resigned from the Conservatives and joined Labour. This has not been a surprise, in the last council, the Conservative group agreed to vote with all other groups to oppose the Mayor vote and bring back local accountability through local councillors instead of the present all powerful Mayor system. On the night of the Vote, the Conservatives were bought off by Labour and the vote was lost. so no surprise that this Councillor was one of 2 easily bought off at the expense of an election promise. David Britain who will not be standing down, even though he was elected as a Conservative and has become Labour with no say from the Grove park ward voters who elected him in the first place. Goverment policy and Savage cuts has been the reason given, some people may think that with Local elections in 2014, holding on to a Council seat was more important than principle.

Benefit Help and advice with new changes

If you need more information as to how you will see your benefits cut or taken away in april, please go to the very good website or click on. If you need help further please contact me direct for help. or www.turn2us.org.uk.

universal credit Impact Study

http://www.smf.co.uk/files/1913/4779/2202/20120916_Sink_or_Swim_web_ready2.pdf. Please click on this report into the impact of Universal Credit, makes very alarming reading, but Still the Goverment ignores concerns. At the People before Housing conference on Saturday, i was shocked at how little understanding people have of what will happen in April, when almost every benefit will be binned and in order to claim you will have to do so on line, with 8million people unable to use the computer and savage cuts that means even CAB centres will not have the funding to offer either housing or benefit advice we can only hope the IT system as it did with the last Labour Goverments NHS system fail. A report today stated B&B has increased by 50% on last year and that in Shelters view, Homeless people number will go through the roof.

Whitefoot By Election John Hamilton Selected

At a full public meeting called by Lewisham people before profit in Whitefoot ward to select a candidate to fight the seat. John Hamilton secured the largest number of votes, in a very tough contest between John and Former anti cuts Councillor and all round local hero, Chris Flood. As a Community activist party, we are blessed with a huge number of very really talented people many of which will bee seeking election at the next round of local elections in 2014. The Key local issues will be Cuts in front line services to the young, the elderly and the disabled, Housing, and Education as well as planning and much more, after 13 years of a Labour Goverment, with 3 Labour Lewisham MPs and a Labour Mayor and wall to wall Labour yes councillors, do whitefoot residents need another? This seat has been Labour and Lib Dem, so clearly no Alternative. John and LBPB are the opposition to Labour Cuts and mismanagement as stated by the Lib Dem Mayor candidate. To join the new ward party or to offer help please go direct to the party website;www.peoplebeforeprofit.org.uk or email info@lpbp.org.uk We have Mps and Local Councillors in Ireland, lets get some elected in Lewisham.

South African Miners need our support

Being killed to seek a decent living wage from one of the worlds richest business concerns, just to earn money to educate your children, should get us all of the sofa and Outside the South African Embassy to show support for fellow workers. Risking life and injury every day, not to buy a new car, a second home, or even a colour TV. These miners just want a decent wage to put food on the table and to give their children the education and oppertunity not open to them. The Worlds Goverments have been shameful in the lack of action being taken against the South African Goverment, i am sure i am not alone in thinking that if these were white mine workers being killed on mass, the World would act. People before profit will be planning action to show support for the miners and the families who have paid in blood and loss of life for the basic demand to protest and seek a living wage. This is not an issue about a small company struggerling in difficult times, this is a mega rich British company making billions of pounds in profit on cheap Labour. Labour that is exploited by a British Company, that clearly puts profit before any sense of care, thought or decentcy to the people that slave day after day in terrible conditions to make this company ever richer. Email me or Go to the Lewisham People Before Profit Website. with so many of my blog readers being across the world. I hope you can organise demonstrations outside the South African Embassy in your Country, as the Company is British, it would be worth also targeting the British Embassy to force the British Goverment to force the mining company to compensate the families, make an agreement with the workers, and insure the end of slave labour. Whilst this is not a Lewisham Issue, across the world the poor, the working class need to stict and support each other as never before.. No one else will.

Whitefoot By Election Lewisham 2012

With poor timing a by-election has been called in Whitefoot Ward Lewisham. Most Councillors and party activists had expected one in New Cross after the appalling abuse of tax payers money claimed by Labour Councillors Long and Padmore for voting through staff sackings and cuts to front line services, whilst lining their own pockets with Councillors allowances, (approx £9.6000 for just attending briefly one meeting for 15 mins and then leaving). Clearly the Labour party no longer care about what the public think or care. The last Goverment fell due to Labour and Tory abuse of Public funds, clearly in Lewisham, the fact voters backed them on mass last time, has given them the green light to go greed big time. The bad news for the Lib Dems, the Lib Dems will not hold or win this seat, i am willing to wager that they will get above 350 votes, The Greens may get some less, the real vote will be between Labour and either People before profit or the Socialists, which could be a joint ticket with lpbp. Which ever party puts forward a anti cuts Candidate. Whitefoot will not set the world on fire, it is a ward in which the Vote turn out will be low, with no time to build campaigns or establish. People before profit would find this ward tough going, we have done a huge amount in New Cross and Deptford and are pushing the Greens hard in Ladywell and Brockley, so this is were the money and time is spent securing wards to deliver Community activists and Anti cuts Councillors next local elections. This could still be a ward in which voters could put 2 fingers up at the establish political system a vote for a real change, this win would insure a mass election of Anti cuts councillors at the main local elections in 2014, the Vote we secured in Ladywell and Bellingham, insured we have more party activists and community campaigners in place as never before. The real Winners in white foot will be the Anti cuts movement that will be able to use this as a spring board to build a strong power base in this part of Lewisham which is our weakest area, ready for the main local elections in 2014. I still hope and pray that we do not see another Lib Dem, or yet another Labour Councillor... With 3 Labour MPs, a Labour Mayor and wall to wall Labour Councillors, do Whitefoot residents really need another another yes party person who will take the party line above the best interests of the voters? Lewisham Council needs another Labour Councillor as much as you would need a whole in the head. For details, or to join People before Profit teams helping to get Community activist elected in this ward, please go to Lewisham People before Profit website to get involved.