Chuka recently spoke to Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for the Olympics and Member of Parliament for the neighbouring constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood, on how the 2012 Olympics will benefit people in Streatham, Clapham, Balham, Tulse Hill and Brixton. You can watch the video below:
( Due to a minor fault there is a slight time delay between the sound and the visual on this video)
Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, today backed Government plans to introduce compulsory licensing to deal with rogue wheel clamping companies in Lambeth.
Umunna welcomed the announcement by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that a consultation would be published shortly on proposals for a compulsory licensing scheme for wheel clamping companies.
This consultation will look at introducing compulsory licensing and industry-wide standards for:
The measures aim to tackle the limited number of wheel clamping companies whose dodgy practices include excessive penalties for releasing clamped cars, clamping emergency vehicles and those belonging to disabled drivers, impounding cars unreasonably quickly after being clamped, hidden or missing signs warning drivers that clamping takes place, and a lack of any appeals process for drivers.
The announcement comes in the wake of local resident and singer-songwriter Leo Ihenacho’s well publicized dispute with South East Clamping Ltd (SEC) which featured on the BBC’s Watchdog programme on 2 March 2009.
While Ihenacho had been away from his home, the management company of his block had started to use SEC to patrol the building’s car park. During his absence SEC had towed Ihenacho’s car away without him knowing anything about it, which resulted in legal action. Ihenacho said:
“for someone to be able to come and take it like that without information, prior knowledge, etc…its unbelievable”.
Commenting on the measures the government is taking, Umunna said:
“The licensing of individual wheel clampers has gone a long way to reducing malpractice and improving standards in the industry.
“But I know that local people want further action against the small minority of clamping companies who indulge in sharp practices, including unclear signage and excessive fees.
“The Government is looking at introducing a scheme for compulsory licensing of clamping companies, with clear industry standards that they have to meet.”
“Rogue wheel clampers shouldn’t be able to get away with unacceptable practices and I’ll be working with the Government to clamp down on dodgy clampers.”
Currently, any individual undertaking vehicle immobilising must hold a frontline licence from the Security Industry Authority, with supervisors or directors holding a non-frontline licence. The new proposals would also make it mandatory for the company itself to be licensed to help ensure they sign up to upholding standards of conduct, which will be enforced if they are not met.
Last month, Chuka and Keith Hill MP organised the first ever Streatham Youth Summit.
The event, held at the House of Commons, brought together voluntary community groups and agencies working with young people. In attendance were representatives from youth centres and residents’ associations alongside Lambeth Council’s Youth Service and the Metropolitan Police. The event provided a forum for discussing youth provision across Streatham, demographically one of the youngest constituencies in the UK, giving local groups the opportunity to exchange views, forge new links and raise issues, enabling increased engagement between statutory bodies and voluntary groups.
The Summit was addressed by Keith and Chuka as well as Glen Neil of the Palace Project in Streatham Hill, who described it as an “invaluable opportunity to share expertise and knowledge, and network with other groups in the area working with young people”. Speaking at the event, Chuka contrasted the Streatham he knew growing up, of school fields being sold off and youth clubs closing down, with the funds currently being invested in youth provision by the Labour government. He highlighted the need to make sure “that as much of that money works its way to our local youth groups as possible”; The collaboration and dialogue of the Youth Summit will go a long way towards ensuring this happens.
Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Streatham, welcomes NHS measures coming into force this month which will provide free services to local people.
The Health Secretary, Alan Johnson MP, has announced a series of measures which will transform the service the NHS provides, all coming into force this month:
Health checks will become free for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of an ambitious national programme to identify people’s risk to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes. The checks will play an important role in preventative care, having the potential to stop 1,600 heart attacks and strokes and save up to 650 lives each year. Additionally, they allow diabetes to be detected earlier in patients, which can prevent sufferers from developing Type 2 diabetes. The health checks also provide personalised advice on how to lower health risks and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Hospitals will now offer MRSA screening for all patients, reducing the chances of receiving the infection or the bug spreading within hospitals. This will be an additional tool in the fight against superbugs. MRSA rates in our hospitals are already falling; Compared to four years ago, the number of infections has more than halved, while locally King’s College Hospital has seen a 64% reduction.
Thirdly, cancer sufferers will no longer pay prescription charges for their medication. For those living with cancer, who often pay upwards of £100 a year, this crucially means one less worry at such a difficult time. The move will benefit over 1,900 people diagnosed with cancer in Lambeth and up to 150,000 nationally.
Chuka Umunna, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Streatham, welcomed the changes:
“This illustrates Labour’s commitment to delivering a world-class health service in our area. Preventative care is crucial in making us a healthier society and reducing health inequalities. These are improvements which we can all be proud of.”
The announcements follow the news that Lambeth PCT has been ranked among the very best in the country by the Healthcare Commission, and that waiting times are at their shortest both locally and nationally since records began.
Details of a series of measures coming into force this year, which will transform the service the NHS provides have been announced by Health Secretary Alan Johnson (pictured above with Chuka and Keith Hill, MP for Streatham).
As part of an ambitious national programme of preventative care, health checks will become free for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74. The assessments identify people’s risk to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes, and have the potential to stop 1,600 heart attacks and strokes and save up to 650 lives each year. Diabetes will be detected earlier in patients, which can prevent sufferers from developing Type 2 diabetes. The health checks will also enable people to receive personalised advice on how to lower risks and stay healthy.
The government has also announced a new tool in the fight against MRSA, as hospitals will now offer screening for the infection for all patients. This will reduce the risks to patients and the likelihood of infections spreading within hospitals. MRSA rates are already falling nationally, while King’s College Hospital has seen a 64% reduction in infections over the past four years.
Also coming into force are free prescription charges for cancer sufferers. For those living with cancer, who often pay upwards of £100 a year for medication, this means one less worry at such a difficult time. The move will benefit over 1,900 people diagnosed with cancer in Lambeth and up to 150,000 nationally.
These important changes illustrate Labour’s commitment to delivering a world-class health service in our area. Emphasising preventative care is crucial in making us a more healthy society and in reducing health inequality. Following the news that Lambeth PCT has been ranked among the very best in the country by the healthcare commission, and that waiting times are at their shortest both locally and nationally since records began, these are improvements which we can all be proud of.
On 2 April 2009, world leaders from the G20 countries – representing 85% of the world’s output – will meet in London. They will meet against the backdrop of the worst international banking crisis in generations.
The London Summit will take place against the backdrop of exceptionally challenging economic circumstances. But, just as after the Second World War visionary leaders laid the groundwork for 30 years of prosperity and growth, built on international economic cooperation, this crisis is also an opportunity.
The world’s leading economies can come together and lay the foundations not just for a sustainable economic recovery, but also for a genuinely new era of international economic partnership – a global deal, in which all countries have a part to play and all will see the benefits.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown says,
“at the G20 we will be discussing ideas to lead the world from recession to recovery, and I want people to feel not just that they have a stake in those discussions, but that they also have a say”.
So tell us below what you want to say to the G20 world leaders before the summit and we’ll make sure we pass on as many of your comments as possible.
A new grassroots organisation has recently been launched in our borough to bring together the valuable work being done by tenants and residents’ associations (TRAs). The One Community Network, which has been set up by TRA members themselves, is designed to create partnerships between communities under one umbrella organisation, encouraging interaction between residents, housing providers and those who deliver services locally.
This forum will help associations share best practice and expertise, work together on events and support associations with fewer resources. It will also allow associations to speak with a more unified voice when representing residents on the issues that matter locally.
Tenants and residents’ associations already play a hugely important role, providing a crucial forum for getting involved in improving local services. The One Community Network will enhance this work through increased collaboration, delivering a brighter future for residents across the borough.
Below, Dave McEvoy, Chair of Weir Estate Residents Association and of the One Community network, explains the ideas behind the concept:
Dear Chris
I have read the profile of me in the latest edition of your “Streatham Brixton & Clapham News” leaflet, which has been distributed to over 40,000 homes in this area.
Aside from the usual jibes against opponents people have come to expect from politicians, I was alarmed to see references to two of my deceased relatives in the leaflet.
My father, whom I lost at the age of 13, is described as a “rich business man and politician” – the anniversary of his death falls next week. He ran a sole trader business and, in the couple of years leading to his death, stood for the governorship of his state in his native Nigeria on an anti-corruption, reformist ticket. I am still immensely proud of what he achieved.
My late grandfather, as you say, “was knighted for his work as a British High Court Judge”. Indeed, he earned a reputation for handing down particularly tough sentences to convicted rapists and also served this country as an intelligence officer during and after the Second World War. I am incredibly proud of him too.
Your references to my late father and grandfather are made in the context of seeking to demonstrate that I come from a “wealthy, privileged family background”. Whatever you seek to achieve by this, I do not think that seeking to involve an opponent’s family in this way is an appropriate campaigning tool.
I have not made reference to any member of your family in any of my material nor would I want to – it is not why I entered politics nor will it help improve the material circumstances of those we wish to serve in this community.
You have been in active politics for at least 20 more years than me but I have been around long enough to know that this kind of thing switches people off from the political process altogether, which is in no one’s interests – surely, whatever one’s political persuasion, we want as many people to engage as possible? People are tired of this politics of the past, which is why I am hoping to do things differently.
In the lead up to the forthcoming general election I would ask you to focus your energies on me, if you must, and not my family.
Yours sincerely,
Chuka
The New Deal for Communities Programme is one of the most important area based initiatives ever launched in England by the Labour government. It is designed to reduce the gaps between some of the poorest neighbourhoods and the rest of the Country.
In February 1999 the Clapham Park area was selected by a borough-wide strategic partnership to be Lambeth’s New Deal for Communities neighbourhood. A successful bid led to the award of £56m over a ten-year period, starting in April 2000, which has since transformed the area.
Generation Radio sprang out of the Clapham Park Project and is now the local station for the Clapham Park area, providing shows 24 hours a day, every week of the year. You can listen to the station online through its website here: www.generationradio.co.uk.
Below, Generation Radio presenter, Ian Henry, who hosts the Love Soul show every Monday at 7pm and also the Weekend Soul shows every Saturday and Sunday at 10am, explains what Generation Radio is all about.
Sure Start exists to ensure that every child is given the best possible start in life. The programme has been crucial in increasing the availability of childcare, improving health and early development and supporting parents and their aspirations.
Sure Start Centres provide early learning provision, activities for young children and family heath services such as postnatal support and advice on nutrition alongside help for parents in finding training and employment. Whilst ten years ago there were no Sure Start Centres locally or nationally, now more than 2.3 million children under five and their families have access to services through nearly 3,000 Centres across England, and by March 2010 every family will have access to a Sure Start Children’s Centre.
In Lambeth there are 25 Sure Start Centres, including 9 across the Streatham constituency:
Opposition politicians in Westminster recently announced plans to slash £200m from the Sure Start budget, a cut of almost 20%. In Lambeth, this would be the equivalent of closing 5 children’s centres, just at a time when families need affordable childcare more than ever. The first years of a child’s life are of crucial importance. The proposed cuts risk leaving families without the support they need and would damage a programme which has made a real difference for so many parents and children, which is why Labour will continue to support and fund our centres.
In the video below, you can watch Childrens Minister, Bev Hughes MP, and Children’s Secretary, Ed Balls MP’s visit to a Sure Start centre in Stockwell in May last year.
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