Chuka Umunna MP

In this video, Chuka discusses the government’s New Deal for Communities programme and the difference it is making to the Clapham Park Estate.

Having been designated as one of the government’s New Deal for Communities (NDC) zones, Clapham Park has benefitted from £56 million of regeneration funding. The programme is focussed on neighbourhoods suffering from multiple social deprivation, taking a holistic approach by improving housing, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, improving transport links and opportunities in education and training.

The project is controlled by local residents, empowering the community to make choices on how to make the area a better place to live.

Residents have been provided with entry phones to reduce anti-social behaviour, the area has benefitted from a new bus route to Brixton and Balham and new and improved housing is currently being built.

Mentoring and skills training is also being provided to help people into work. Neighbourhood wardens have been introduced to improve safety and security for local residents.

In December 2009, it was announced that Clapham Park had been shortlisted for £9.5 million of additional funding through the government’s Kickstart Programme to support the building of new homes.

Commenting, Chuka said:

“I share residents impatience for the rebuild and renovation of homes in the area. But, unlike opposition parities, we have not sat back and moaned but worked hard to get more government investment into the area so these essential works can continue.

“Clapham Park Homes has got £27 million in extra money into the estate – to make sure that they can continue to fund their programme of refurbishment and rebuild. Locally Labour worked hard to convince the Housing Minister that CPH could turn this money into new homes without delay.

“We will share residents’ delight when, in a few weeks’ time they are able to move into the new building on Clarence Crescent and the refurbished Picton and Rigg Houses in Clapham Park West.

“I am clear that Clapham Park Homes still has more to do to improve the service to tenants and leaseholders. That is why myself and local Labour councillors meet regularly with the CPH Chief Executive, to voice our concern over some of the service standards and to raise individual problems that people have brought to us.

“It is also why we continue to support the many community initiatives that have developed since 2001 such as the Over 50′s club and the youth work done by Clapham Park Project (CPP).”

Labour is expanding the number of school places for local children.

An extra 300 reception class places will be made available across Lambeth over the next three years after the council received £9 million from the government to boost school places – part of a major investment programme helping local authorities under pressure from increases in school numbers.

Classrooms are being created at the most popular schools to meet short-term demand, including Jubilee, Hitherfield, Crown Lane and Immanuel and St Andrew schools.

The Woodfield Centre in Dingley Lame, an unoccupied former special school, is being converted to provide an extra 420 primary school places by 2016. It will operate as a federation with thriving Henry Cavendish Primary School.

In our manifesto, Labour is pledging:

• A choice of good schools for parents in every area.

• An expansion in out-of-hours provision at primary schools, so that childcare and activities are available from 8am to 6pm at a local school for all parents.

• To extend free school meals so that an extra half a million primary school children from low-income households can benefit.

I first and foremost want to thank the Lambeth Stop the War Coalition for inviting me to the hustings tonight and I want to express how sorry I am that I can’t be there.

The Stop the War Coalition is an incredibly important movement. It is essential that we always hold governments to account for their actions and decisions and the decision to go to war is one of the gravest a government can take.

Peaceful solutions to international situations are always preferable if not always possible. It is in that spirit that I believe our continued presence in Afghanistan, for example, is creating the space for an effective political and stabilization strategy to be implemented.

I know many argue for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. This is not something I can support. I believe this would not only risk that country becoming a failed state, I think we have a moral duty to ensure that we leave the country with a working infrastructure and a stable, secure society. To this end I am proud that the Labour Government doubled the number of civilian experts in Afghanistan in 2008 and that we were the first country to set up a joint civilian-military HQ.

Ultimately there are no simple solutions to the situation in Afghanistan but what keeps me on side is my concern for the risks involved if that country falls. Lord Ashdown – who was approached to become the UN representative there – and others have pointed out that failure in or withdrawal from Afghanistan would mean the almost certain fall of Pakistan. They say that abandoning Afghanistan would double the chances of an extremist government in Islamabad, possibly resulting in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into jihadi hands. I tend to agree with them and simply do not think this is a risk we can afford to take.

That said, I did not and do not support the illegal war in Iraq – my opposition to it is a matter of public record. Nor do I think it’s right to exploit peoples legitimate fear of terrorism to erode centuries worth of civil liberties. I believe we need to strengthen and engage with international institutions like the EU and the United Nations. Our future depends on this kind of international engagement, not just from a defence perspective, but in dealing with global issues such as climate change.

Once again, I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight. I hope I have given you some idea of where I stand. If you have any questions or want to clarify anything then feel free to send me an email (chuka {at} streathamlabour.org(.)uk) and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Chuka Umunna
Labour PPC for Streatham

Last winter was the most severe we’ve had in 30 years, and inflicted massive damage on the road network, not least here in Streatham where many residential streets have been badly affected.

To deal with this, Chancellor Alistair Darling announced a new £100 million fund to repair potholes in the recent Budget. As a result, Lambeth will benefit from £67,500 in additional funds to deal with potholes, while Transport for London, which manages main roads, has been allocated £764,100. This funding will help get Streatham’s roads back to an acceptable condition and minimize dangers to road users.

Over the past ten years, Labour has trebled funding for road maintenance. The latest three-year settlement means that funding will be £809m in 2010/11 nationally, up from £265m in 2000-01.

Labour is committted to maintaining the campaign for global action on climate change. The Labour government has a strong track record on green investment, but is seeking to help Britain continue to reap the rewards of early action at home.

Following on from the Budget announcements of £60 million for offshore wind energy investment and a new £2 billion Green Investment Bank, more investment has been announced for renewable energy as well as moves to ensure that Britain has the skilled green workforce it needs – including 2,500 apprenticeships in wind energy by 2017.

After the progress made at the Copenhagen Summit, the government has renewed calls for a legally binding international climate change treaty. Labour are in favour of building on the strengths of the Kyoto Protocol, strengthening the UN decision making process to push through reforms, and pushing the EU to improve its plans to cut emissions.

In our manifesto, we are pledging to expand renewable energy so that 40 per cent of electricity comes from low-carbon sources by 2020 and create 400,000 new green jobs by 2015. We will also move towards a ‘zero waste’ Britain by banning recyclable and biodegradable materials from landfill. Britain already has more offshore wind-power than any other country in the world, and our plans could see this increase by up to 40 times.

In the video above, local resident Chix Chandaria discusses why she is supporting Chuka in the upcoming general election.

In the video above, Chuka gives his thoughts following Britain’s first ever televised leaders’ debate last night.

Chuka will be appearing on ITV1′s Late Debate this evening at 11:35pm this evening, discussing London’s economy.

The programme follows Britain’s first ever televised leaders’ debate, which will be aired on the channel at 8:30pm.

In the video above, Chuka discusses improvements to Streatham’s rail stations, funded by investment from the Labour government.

Labour has invested £5.5 million in local train stations in the last two years thrrough the National Stations Improvement Programme.

Streatham Common and Streatham stations have already benefitted from CCTV and new ticket barriers, and upgrades are currently taking place at Streatham Hill.

For more on Chuka’s transport campaigns, follow this link.

The Labour government recently secured an agreement with credit and store card companies which is could save consumers as much as £300 million per year.

The agreement was reached following feedback from thousands of customers responding to a consultation on credit and store cards.

It has five main elements that will protect those consumers who are vulnerable or at risk of suffering from financial difficulties:

• Right to repay: Repayments made by consumers will go to paying off debt with the highest interest rate first.

• Right to control: Consumers will have the right to refuse an increase to their credit limit or reduce their credit limit.

• Right to reject: The amount of time consumers have to reject increases to their credit limit or interest rate will be extended.

• Right to information: Consumers at risk of financial difficulty will be required to be provided with clear information about the consequences of late repayments and increases to their credit limit or interest rates – including the right to reject.

• Right to compare: An annual statement that allows for easy cost comparison must be provided by the companies.

This agreement comes after other measures designed to help and protect consumers have been introduced by Labour, including giving consumers access to their credit ratings for free or for a charge of £2 from June 2010, stronger protection under the lending code and for those suffering the most serious financial hardship.