Chuka Umunna MP

Chuka appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live this week, taking part in Front Bench on the Up All Night show, discussing the expenses revelations alongside other candidates including pop star David Van Day.

To listen, follow this link (opens Real Player)

Or alternatively, listen on iPlayer – Chuka’s contribution is at 2hr30 in.

Lambeth Council is undertaking a programme of street improvement and tree planting as part of the borough’s £3.5m Better Neighbourhoods initiative. Pavements and roads will be resurfaced while outdated and uneccessary street furniture and signs will be removed to enhance streetscapes.

The programme includes major improvements for Streatham High Road, taking place this summer. Dozens of new trees will be planted along the road intersection while crossings and busy sections of the pavement will be widened.

Other neighbourhoods will benefit from more trees and better pavements, having been earmarked as being in most urgent need of environmental improvements. These include Streatham Vale, Brixton Hill and the Poynders Estate in Clapham.

Some of the initiative’s funds are targetted specifically for estates, bringing improved play areas and recycling facilities alongside tree planting. Across Lambeth, around 250 of the new trees will be planted on residential streets, helping to make our area greener and more attractive.

Recently, Chuka visited the community garden set up by Hyde Farm Climate Action Network on Radbourne Road, and was shown around the site by co-founder Adrian Audsley.

Hyde Farm CAN was established in 2007 and includes over 150 households on the Hyde Farm estate in Balham. It is a grassroots organisation which puts into practice reducing the community’s carbon footprint. The Radbourne Road gardening project has recently been established to create capacity for local food growing, allowing local residents to grow their own vegetables. Alongside this, Hyde Farm CAN has helped residents insulate their homes for the winter to reduce fuel usage and energy bills.

The organisation is inspired by the transition towns movement, which involves urban areas finding ways to adapt to the challenges of climate change and rising oil prices. Hyde Farm CAN’s ‘think global, act local’ approach is to be applauded, and provides an excellent example of how, by working together, urban living can be made more sustainable.

For more information, check out Hyde Farm CAN’s website.