04 December 2005

I can only apologise that the updates are no longer daily :( It's a busy time and that's my only excuse.

Swimming star joins pool battle

OLYMPIC gold medal winner Duncan Goodhew said it was "unacceptable" for a South London town to be without a swimming pool for any length of time.

Ladywell Leisure Centre in Lewisham High Street is due to shut in 2007 to make way for a new school which is supposed to open in 2009.

But campaigners from Save Ladywell Pool have been trying to get the decision reversed. Lewisham council says a replacement pool is due to open in the town centre in 2010, although council officers have admitted it could be as late as 2012, leaving a five-year gap.

Mr Goodhew, told the South London Press: "That is unacceptable. Pools should not be closed unless another one is open.

"Most pools have a serious queue for learning to swim lessons.

"You are denying people of years of health and fitness and children of the opportunity to learn to swim."

Mr Goodhew won gold for the 100-metre breaststroke in Moscow in 1980.

BNP bottom of pile

Last month Mark Morris, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Lewisham in south London, was cleared of libelling BNP candidate Tess Culnane.

A judge ruled Cllr Morris was correct to claim in a leaflet that many BNP members had criminal convictions. It went on to ask whether "this was the kind of person you want as an elected councillor?"

Mrs Culcane was ordered to pay more than £100,000 in legal costs. The BNP have since distanced themselves from Mrs Culcane claiming they did not encourage her to go to court. She is no longer a member of their party.

In seperate developments Conservative MP Ben Wallace has written to the boss of the e-Bay-owned PayPal over concerns that the online payment service is being used to raise funds for the BNP.

The MP's concerns were sparked by a campaign by the local Lancaster & Wyre UAF branch. UAF point out that PayPal's policy bans support for organisations "that promote hate, violence, or racial intolerance."

Mr Wallace has written to Paypal chief executive Geoff Iddison expressing concerns over the BNP's use of the online money-payment facilitiy.

In 2004 Barclays and HSBC closed the accounts of the BNP following an undercover documentary by the BBC into the actions of the party.

Lewisham Social Services' CSCI success

Lewisham Council's Social Services has been awarded an extra star rating, making it a two star service, following its annual review by the Government's governing body, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).

The CSCI concluded that Social Services in Lewisham are serving most adults well and that the service has promising capacity for improvement for adults and children.

Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said: 'This year’s increased rating is an outstanding achievement and is testament to the hard work of our staff, and their commitment to providing the best possible service to adults and children across the borough.'

'We will continue to be focused on improving services to the borough’s vulnerable adults and children, and deliver them the social services they deserve.'

The CSCI star ratings are an assessment of the overall performance of each council in delivering Social Services in 2004/5.

Social Services ratings range from no stars, the lowest performing councils, to three stars.

Win £500 in the Green box lottery - register free online

More than 700 households have already registered for the Green box lottery - a new scheme to reward residents for taking up the new weekly recycling service.

The first winner will be picked out in mid-December but it’s not too late to register. For residents who missed the registration form in last month’s Lewisham Life, an online application form is now available. And anyone without internet access can register over the phone.

Every month for six months, a lucky recycling Lewisham resident will be picked at random to win £500. Local people can register at any point during this period. A recycling officer will visit the winner to check they are recycling – only regular recyclers will win the cash!

Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, said: 'It’s great that hundreds of households have already registered for the Green box lottery and there’s still time for more to join up before the first winner is drawn in December.

With our new weekly recycling service, which now collects plastic bottles, paper, card, cans and glass, local people can now recycle up to 65% of their waste.'

All residents need to do to take part in the Love Lewisham: Green box lottery is:

make sure they have a green box/wheelie bin and that they are using it
fill out the online registration form by answering the question: 'What five items can you put in your Green Box?'
Residents can now put plastic bottles in their green boxes as well as paper, card, glass and cans.

Residents living on housing estates can also register for the Love Lewisham: Green box lottery and just need to make sure that they are using their mini-recycling centres.

To order a green box or find out more about recycling call 020 8314 7171 or email recycle@lewisham.gov.uk.

To register online for the Green Box Lottery visit www.lewisham.gov.uk/recycling

Local people who do not have access to the internet can register by calling 020 8314 2245.