I first got to know Ruth when I lived in Clapham Common a decade ago.  She knew the ward backwards, was utterly dedicated in service to the people, taking calls and dealing with case work frequently until the early hours. Having lived in the ward since the 1960s and served it for well over a decade, many residents knew where she lived and would often stop by for help – and help and assistance was what they always received.  She was equally assiduous in service of the people of Tulse Hill.  She was a huge asset to Streatham Constituency Labour Party and, most importantly, to the community.

As a friend and colleague, I will miss Ruth, her comradeship and her unique take on life.  Her death is a huge loss for Lambeth but her memory and the example she set will live on.

Clapham Fire Station faces closure due to Government cuts to the funding available to London Fire Brigade. Chuka has written to the Fire Minister, Brandon Lewis, and Boris Johnson, opposing the closure because it would put public safety at risk.

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) is currently consulting on the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan. The consultation closes on Monday June 17 and Chuka has been campaigning to get as many people as possible to reply to the consultation to say that they want Clapham Fire Station to stay open.

You can read Chuka’s column for the Brixton Bugle at this link.

Click here for more information or click here to have your say.

Last Friday, Chuka visited the Alver Bank Salvation Army Care Home in Clapham in his constituency. The video of the visit above was produce by the Salvation Army.

“I made it absolutely clear to the government that when it comes to our Transport links, nothing less than a dramatic improvement of the status quo is acceptable – We still don’t have a tube, and everyone locally knows that far too often Streatham gets missed off the list when it comes to transport improvements. That approach is totally wrong and it is a grave disservice to our area.

“On Thameslink, I made four demands of ministers, that they u-turn so we keep the cross London service, that the frequency of trains increases, that we get longer trains so we get less overcrowding, and that we get the new trains the government are buying. They only caved in to two of our demands, u-turning to allow us to keep our current through-London service and promising us new trains.

The Government has had three years to agree the contract for new trains and their failure to do so is now putting at risk the planned 2018 delivery date for Thameslink. Now the National Audit Office has outlined the scale of its concern, Ministers must make sure they don’t break yet another promise and that we get the new trains they promised on time. Anything less would be beyond unacceptable. “

“We are doing everything we can to get the government to address the A&E crisis. Local people are very concerned about what is happening with A&E in the NHS.

“The Chief Executive of the NHS has said that these A&E pressures have been compounded by three years of structural reforms. Nobody voted for the top-down reorganisation that Conservatives and Liberal Democrats introduced – their toxic mix of top-down reorganisation and budget cuts have taken resources away from patient care and are a betrayal of everyone who values the NHS.

“Neither Conservative or Lib Dem Ministers can be trusted with the NHS – they should accept Labour’s A&E rescue plan immediately and should start helping to clear up the mess they’ve inflicted on our health service.”

This is Chuka’s mid-term report to constituents, giving a short overview of his some of his work since his election in 2010 as the MP for the Streatham Parliamentary constituency, which includes Streatham and parts of Balham, Clapham, Brixton and Tulse Hill.

You can view the full report by clicking on the image above or by clicking on this link.

Every second counts when it comes to tackling fires.

The vital work our frontline emergency services do means that if they have to deal with irresponsible cuts, public safety will be put at risk.

These government cuts, combined with an irresponsible London Mayor who isn’t standing up for Londoners safety, have led directly to the proposals to cut 18 fire engines, more than 500 firefighters, and 12 London Fire Stations, including Clapham Fire Station. The London Fire Authority is opposed to this – and the huge community concern is entirely justified.

There can be little doubt that the closure of Clapham Fire Station will lead to a lower level of protection for people in my constituency, and the wider South London community that the Station serves.  Residents in Clapham Common will be particularly badly hit because response times there are set to increase by over 60%.

Fire spreads in seconds, but it will take several minutes longer to reach a blaze in Clapham Common after these cuts. If the station building is closed and then sold off, it will not be easy – and cost a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere – to replace.

Liberal Democrats make bold claims that they can block the Conservatives doing what they want, but they don’t when they should. They’ve been active supporters of the bedroom tax, soaring tuition fees, damaging police cuts and now there are even plans to privatise the fire service.  Local and national Lib Dems have even stood by, unembarrassed, as 20% cuts to police have left 230 fewer officers on the streets of Lambeth.

Boris Johnson likes to use our city and his position – but he hasn’t bothered standing up for our community against these LibDem/Conservative cuts. I’ve made it clear to him and the Fire Minister that this is unacceptable. This is about public safety. For those in power to risk public safety because they won’t change course from a failed economic plan is totally wrong and completely unacceptable.

The Campaign to Save Clapham Fire Station will continue. I am determined to fight as hard as possible against this cut. I would urge everyone living locally to respond to the consultation, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and Boris Johnson, so we can force them to change course so that Clapham Fire Station is saved.

The findings in this review completely vindicate the dogged determination Sean Rigg’s family have shown in getting to the bottom of what happened to him, and the review supports the serious criticism that has been made of the IPCC’s investigation.

I am pleased that the IPCC have accepted that their investigation and report into Sean’s death, and the events leading to it which occurred in my constituency, should have been more robust. The recognition by the IPCC that they need to develop and change their approach is welcome.

The important thing going forward is for those much needed recommendations this review outlines to be adopted by the IPCC to rebuild public trust and confidence. We will be watching developments closely to ensure that the review’s recommendations are properly implemented.

Clapham Fire Station faces closure due to Government cuts to the funding available to London Fire Brigade. Chuka has written to the Fire Minister, Brandon Lewis, and Boris Johnson, opposing the closure because it would put public safety at risk.

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) is currently consulting on the Draft Fifth London Safety Plan. The consultation closes on June 17 and Chuka is campaigning to get as many people as possible to reply to the consultation to say that they want Clapham Fire Station to stay open.

Click here for more information on the consultation or click here to have your say.

Click here to read more details on Lambeth Council’s website.