Now it’s February the talk of local elections in May is increasing, which is very exciting, if slightly scary as we’ll be up for election again. It will be exactly a year on February the 19th that you kindly elected Duwayne and I and I hope you feel we’ve helped you to the best of our ability with any problems that you’ve had.

I realise I haven’t written anything for a while on here, really it’s a good thing as instead of sitting at my computer typing I’ve been keeping track of casework. Anyway, I went to our surgery today held at the Ravensbourne community centre 11-12 (every 1st Saturday of the month). I met a couple of ladies there who have been having continued problems with their Phoenix housing. They raised some street specific issues that I wont go into, but they also raised their concerns about the usefulness of the Phoenix area committees.

From my experience what they said to me made a lot of sense, which related to feedback from the area panels once it has been reported. I have to say it does seem like a waste of time to me to go to a meeting and report issues only to have them ignored and never actioned. So, I’m sending an email to Phoenix to raise my concerns about the processes in place to deal with comments and complaints given at all the area panels across Downham. I hope that this will then lead to a better situation for tenants who will know where they stand and put their minds at rest.

Over the last month there have been lots of bits and pieces to be done, I’ve been investigating criminal damage on properties on Churchdown, talking with residents in Bamford road about burglary and car crime as well as helping and supporting residents regarding planning applications on Baring road and Bromley road.

If you are worried or concerned about anything in your area please do get in touch.

All the very best,

Jenni

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and new year.  I spent a lot of time travelling around visiting my parents in Norfolk (driving through lots of heavy snow) and then across to Wolverhampton.  We came back to Lewisham for New Years and had a lovely time watching the fireworks over London at Telegraph Hill Park.

At the moment I’m writing an essay on the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination which I’m sure most people have heard of.   The MMR injection was first given as a 3-in-1 jab in 1988 but in 1998 there was a lot of negative press over it which then caused a huge drop in vaccination figures (which was completely misguided in my opinion.)The study published in 1998 was based on some very dodgy information and only on a case study of 12 children.  Most of the trouble surounding the injection was huge media speculation and incredebly misleading.  My analysis of the evidence suggests that the risks of contracting Measles, Mumps or Rubella are far higher than the risks of any side effects.

The MMR vaccination was a topic which I chose myself due to its local interest in Lewisham. This is because I remember last year receiving a notification from my doctors telling me that I should make sure my measles vaccination was up to date because of a recent outbreak in Lewisham.Anyway, although the figures for vaccination have now improved above their very low level in 2008; as my New Year message I wanted to encourage you to make sure that you and your family are vaccinated.  Measles, mumps and rubella are all diseases that should be eradicated from the UK and anyone who has the misfortune to become seriously ill or even die from one is completely unnecessary.

This NHS website has some excellent information about Measles which is a good place to look if you are in need of more information to put your mind at ease.  You can see on the website that Measles is the easiest to catch (out of Measles Mumps and Rubella) and that with a 90% vaccination rate the disease will stop being spread completely.  BUT, most importantly, with a 95% vaccination rate the disease could be entirely removed from the UK.

Anyway, I better get back to all my university work, I have several hundred more words to write before I can go to bed. All the best for the rest of 2010.
J

Hello all,

As of December the first it’s christmas season as far as I’m concerned. I’m already listening to the christmas songs but I wanted to let you know about a couple of local Christmas related things that may be of interest.

Firstly I wanted to publicise the Wesley Halls Panto, ‘Carry on Christmas Robin’ on the 18th December.

This is a joint venture between Wesley Halls and Naborhood Day Centres for Adults with Learning Disabilities.

Friday 18th December 2009 at 1pm
Wesley Halls Community Centre
2 Shroffold Rd
Downham
BR1 5PE

And for all those of you who will be getting a real Christmas Tree if you can please bear this project in mind: http://www.caringchristmastrees.com/

Every Caring Christmas Tree bought helps a homeless person receive shelter and support through the work of The Jericho Road Project which is run as part of King’s Church Catford (charity no.1082666). The Project began in 2001 and currently provides housing for 26 people whilst also working to reduce rough sleeping and helping ex-offenders to reintegrate into society, the mentally ill to maintain stability and former addicts to stay clean.

If you’d like to help by buying your Christmas tree with us, please go to their website and place your order now. Please see the website for the opportunities to be involved by volunteering on the distribution days.

- You can pick them up locally, I’m picking mine up on the 11th at the Bromley Road Industrial Park.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic December.

It has been such a long time since I wrote anything on here.  I cannot believe how long it has been but I suppose that’s what happens when you become very busy!

I am off to Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth tomorrow so I thought I would try and tie up all loose ends before I head off until wednesday.  It seems like such a long time to be in one place but I’m sure it will go quicker than I think!

I have recently been canvassing Churchdown and Downderry and from that I have received a number of pieces of casework.  On Churchdown for example a number of people have commented to me about the high curbs and the difficulty for people to drive on to them (which they must do because of the bus route) without damage to their cars. Last week I sent an email to the council asking them to look in to this as I know that in other areas ramps have been created to stop this problem.

I was also very concerend to hear that there has recently been a number of problems on Downderry Road where paint has been thrown over a number of cars and some residents car tyres were also slashed. I have sent an email today to the Downham Safer Neighbourhoods team to try and find out more information about this and to make sure that action has been taken to make sure this does not happen again.

Lots of other things have also been going on, on Wednesday I went to an exhibition of Network Arts in Lee Green.  Having previously seen the work they produce on their website.  I supported their work previously on the Healthier Communities Select Committee I really enjoyed seeing the exhibition and those exhibiting along with my colleagues Cllr Chris Maines and Cllr Pete Pattisson. You can see in the Photo below Chris on the left and Pete on the right.

Last weekend Duwayne and I were away in Warrick for the first weekend of our IDeA Leadership Academy.  I wanted to take some photos whilst I was there but I couldnt think of anything interesting to take a picture of other than the lovely food we had!  I had such a brilliant time despite being slightly nervous about going away.  I think both of us can’t wait to go back even though as we edge closer and closer to the next election we will need to be out campaigning as much as possible.  I feel like having time to focus on the challenges that lie ahead made both of us even more determined for us to work towards winning control of the council at the next election.  It’s not going to be easy but I’m so excited about changing Lewisham for the better.

I had a really good time out canvassing Launcelot Road, Downham Way and Woodbury Gardens on Thursday. A number of issues have come up that I wanted to raise to make sure that anyone else with similar problems knows to get in touch.

First of all, there have been a number of problems with the work that is being carried out updating properties by Phoenix. The issues that came up have been varied but I was particularly concerned about one lady who’s door has been hung the wrong way which means that it is no longer possible to open the door without taking the safety chain off. This is an important issue as it seriously compromises the safety of residents when opening the door to unexpected visitors. Thankfully this is something that can hopefully be fixed quickly by Phoenix by getting in touch with them via their website. or calling them on their repair line 0844 264 2844. This is clearly just one of many problems that have come up but do get in touch if you are worried.

A concern that was raised by a resident in Launcelot road was the appearance of what seems to be a bogus caller. Two men called at a house the day after new windows had been fitted, flashed an unidentifiable ID card and made their way in to the property proceeding to go in two completely different directions once inside, working their way through the house. We must all be on the look out for suspicious activity and don’t forget to report any concerns you have to the police.

If you are ever suspicious about anyone calling at your door, do remember to thoroughly check their identity details. If you are still unsure, double check those calling on you are who they say they are by phoning the company/organisation to check up. Anything you can do to put your mind at rest and make you feel safer is best and please dont worry about asking lots of questions. Anyone who is who they say they are will be used to proving their identity and should do so willingly.

I hope everyone is having a good summer, I look forward to seeing some more of you very soon as I continue to knock on doors across Downham.