Projects in Dulwich Hill
As local councillors, we are delighted that the council has been able to fund key improvements to pathways and surfaces in the ward, including on Goodrich Rd, Dawson’s Hill and Piermont Green. The Dawson’s Hill pathway improvements were funded by the Cleaner Greener Safer Fund and have meant the steep pathway into Dawson Heights estate is now fully accessible (see picture below) as well as improved pathway access to Mount Adon Park. We welcome feedback on the new pathways and ideas for further improvements to the ward.
Dulwich Festival
It was a pleasure to attend a wonderful performance of brass music by Onyx Brass at Dulwich Festival last month. The event took place in the stunning Chapel at Dulwich Gallery. The organisers of Dulwich Festival again put on a wide array of art and music events across the Dulwich area that were enjoyed by a large number of local residents. I look forward to next year’s festival!
Mental Health Awareness Week
As Southwark Council’s Mental Health Champion, it is my role to be an advocate for mental health awareness within policy and strategy. During MH Awareness Week, I was able to attend a fantastic panel discussion in Southwark hosted by the EMPower Network on mental health within BAME communities, chaired by Cllr Evelyn Akoto. The discussion gave the audience significant food for thought on the barriers and discrimination black and Asian people face when trying to access mental health support and the steps needed to tackle this. Further information on the EMPower panel can be found in my joint blog post with Cllr Jasmine Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Social Care, for the Mental Health Challenge. Cllr Ali focused on the challenges in mental health support for young people and the council’s commitment to 100% access to mental health support for children and adolescents by 2020. You can read the blog post here.
School Funding campaign
As part of the NEU councillor network, I helped to coordinate a letter to Damian Hinds, Secretary of State for Education, highlighting the devastating impact of funding cuts to school budgets on children across the country. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, schools have suffered cuts of 8% since 2010. This has meant schools like Goodrich Primary and St Anthony’s Primary in Dulwich Hill are having to do more and more with less and less in a way that is unsustainable and unacceptable. The letter was signed by over 1000 councillors from across the political spectrum and was delivered to the Department for Education in April (see picture). Worried about school cuts? Please get in touch.
Healthy Streets consultation
Speeding, traffic and air pollution continue to be major issues in Dulwich Hill. The recent Healthy Streets consultation focused on collating resident views on these issues from across the Dulwich area. Councillors will be reviewing the feedback from the consultation and possible next steps for tackling speeding, traffic and air pollution over the coming months. Watch this space.
Cllr Maggie Browning