November - A Time to Remember
Hello Bermondsey and Rotherhithe! I hope that you have been having a good month so far.
November has always been the month that we remember our fallen soldiers and give them the special recognition that they deserve for giving up their lives for their country. I hope that many of you took advantage of the opportunity to attend one of the Remembrance Services that was happening across the borough. Please see the beautiful photos below.
Tuesday 14 was our Community Council Forum Meeting that was vibrant and lively as many groups attended to Make their Pitch for funding for their projects. It was great to see so many of you out! Please come again.
We currently have a number of events and activities still taking place in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe and borough-wide. I have done my best to include as many as possible below. We have also have a few consultations happening with which we need your help. I also encourage you to get involved in the Southwark Conversation and if you have not already voted, get on board Be a Pioneer and Back the BID for Southwark to be named a Borough of Culture. See the details below.
If I have missed anything for our area, please let me know. I am only too happy to promote via our well used Facebook page!
Keep in touch! Keep engaged! Keep contributing!
You all make a difference!
Bridget Galloway
Community Council Officer
Bermondsey and Rotherhithe
Tel: 020 752(5 1780)
/ Mobile: 07701 377 162
Email: bridget.galloway@southwark.gov.uk
Remembrance Services 2017
On Monday 6 November 2017 there was the Passchendaele 100 years Remembrance Service held in the Atrium,
160 Tooley Street SE1 2QH. The Battle of Passchendaele, which was fought by the Allies against German forces in the First World War, was fought between July and November 1917 and, is sometimes called the Third Battle of Ypres.
The choir from Boutcher Church of England Primary School was a beautiful accompaniment to a lovely service. Photos by Rehan Jamil.
  
On Saturday 11 November 2017, there was a service at the West Lane Memorial.
Then on Sunday 11 November 2017 there was the Borough Remembrance Sunday Service held at St Saviour’s War
Memorial, Borough High Street SE1. The photos of the service were taken Rehan Jamil. See below.
 
UPDATE REGARDING POLICE FRONT OFFICE CLOSURE FROM SOUTHWARK'S BOROUGH COMMANDER, SIMON MESSINGER
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m writing to you following the report published by MOPAC
as a result of the recent public consultation on the Public Access and
Engagement Strategy. The report details that the front counter provision
for this borough will be at Walworth police Station which will be staffed 24
hours and offer experienced face-to-face contact should it be required by our
community. The front counters at Peckham and Southwark police stations will
begin to close in December this year.
Both the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Mayors Office
for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) have listened to concerns raised during the
public consultation. Responses were received through an online survey, email,
post and at public meetings held in every Borough. Around 2,600 people and
organisations responded via the survey, email and post, and around 1,500 people
attended the public meetings.
For some time we have been speaking to the public and asking
them how they want to access our services, they’ve told us that they need to be
able to contact us in a way that’s flexible and more convenient to them, few
people now visit a front counter with just eight percent of crime now reported
there. It’s clear our services need to be more accessible and enhance
engagement whilst enabling us to focus our resources where they’re most needed.
Our ambition is to ensure the experience of connecting with
police through digital channels will be as helpful, personal and reassuring as
approaching an officer on the street. There are many options for people to
access our services:
• We have redesigned our
digital services, with the public now able to do much more online such as
report a crime or get a response through Twitter.
• We’ve enhanced our
telephone services so crime can be reported and initially investigated over the
phone, with live call transfer coming to the 101 call centre to further speed
up the process.
• Officers will be
equipped with the mobile technology to bring services to the public, enabling
them to be more visible in the community.
Research has informed us that 70% of crimes are reported on
the phone. Three-quarters are to the non-emergency number 101, launched in
2011. 5,000 Twitter enquiries have been dealt with by our call and dispatch
command (MetCC), which includes serious crime, since the unpublicised launch of
Digital 101 in July 2016. 300 online crime reports are dealt with by MetCC
daily.350 online enquiries are dealt with by MetCC daily. The demand for
reporting crime and engaging with police digitally is expected to increase.
A recruitment drive is underway to significantly increase
the number of call handlers responding to 101 and 999 calls. A tranche of new
joiners are currently being trained.
We will be introducing an automated system to handle
switchboard calls, freeing-up more time for call handlers to help victims of
crime. This is in addition to work to improve online crime reporting through
our website and social media.
Southwark have already established two dedicated ward
officers (DWOs) and one PCSO for each ward. They will have new ‘hubs’ based
near their wards where they can change and pick up items needed before heading
out on duty, rather than waste time returning to a police station. We will
continue to engage with their local communities to identify suitable locations.
DWOs will hold a minimum of a one hour community contact session per week per
ward, for those members of the community preferring face-to-face contact.
£300 million from the sale of police buildings across the
MPS, including front counter sites, will be reinvested back into policing.
Every pound saved by closing a poorly used front counter is a pound of savings
that we do not have to find by reducing officers.
As a key partner I wanted to inform you of the change in
front counter provision but reassure you that the range of services available
mean that the public are able to contact us when they need to. Of course, if
you need any further information or wish to discuss this further please do let
me know.
Yours faithfully,
Simon Messinger
Detective
Chief Superintendent
Borough Commander, Southwark Police
  
 SOUTHWARK LIFE
Please see the link below to the Winter edition of the Southwark Life e-magazine with all things Southwark! Enjoy!
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/consultation-and-news/southwark-life?chapter=2
SOUTHWARK CONVERSATION
Southwark is changing. The council wants this
change to work for all our residents. Join the conversation today
#talksouthwark. Have your say online by clicking on this link: let’s
talk.
REMEMBER TO SIGN UP TO BACK THE BID - SOUTHWARK - LONDON BOROUGH OF CULTURE!
Thank you to everyone who has
already signed their name to back Southwark’s bid. You have joined Mark
Rylance, Jenny Éclair, Anna Mazzola, Frances Morris and Rina Mushonga in
showing your support. Others such as Copeland Park, Central School of Ballet,
London Bubble, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Unicorn Theatre, and many more are all
putting their name to the bid, developing ideas with us and asking others to
pledge their support too.
If you haven’t
yet added your name then there is still time to back Southwark to be London
Borough of Culture.
In February next year two
London councils will be awarded the title of London Borough of Culture; one for
2019 and the other for 2020. Each winning borough will receive more than £1
million from the Mayor of London and will run a huge and exciting programme of
cultural events, that will feature the talents of both global superstars and
local people within its year.
Our bid will build unexpected
allegiances to create radical ideas that connect people no matter who you are
or what your experience is. We hope you will be part of this amazing
opportunity to shine a spotlight on the talent and flair of our residents.
You can read more about
Southwark’s bid on www.southwarkpioneers.com
ONLINE SHOPPING INFORMATION
Please see the information below about how to shop online safely. Hope that it helps!
 
Southwark school scoops £2,000 for Smart Savers sign ups
27 November 2017
As well as giving year six aged Southwark children £20 to open a savings account, Southwark Council also runs a Smart Savers competition to give the school with the highest number of sign ups £2,000 towards books and IT equipment for their pupils.
The council is pleased to award the 2016/17 prize to Cathedral School of St. Saviours and St Mary Overie. The winning school had 20 per cent of the vouchers issued to its pupils redeemed.
Cllr Richard Livingstone visited the school to present the cheque to children who had benefitted from the Smart Savers scheme.
Cabinet Member for Financial Inclusion and Adult Care, Cllr Richard Livingstone, said: “I’m really pleased to be able to present this award to the Cathedral School to help towards books and IT equipment for the school as recognition of their commitment to the Smart Savers scheme.
“Southwark Council will again be issuing £20 vouchers to all 11- year-olds in the borough as Smart Savers enters its fourth year. I also want to challenge all schools to double their number of sign-ups for year 2017/18."
Southwark Smart Savers was launched in 2015 to help young people save and teach them about responsible financial behaviour including experience of budgeting, saving and handling cash; giving them the tools to manage their money well into adulthood.
The council want to help the next generation to be financially savvy smart savers, starting with every year six aged child from Southwark. Since the scheme began, hundreds of primary school children living in the borough have claimed their vouchers.
Smart Savers vouchers can be claimed by visiting any London Mutual Credit branch, and bringing along your Southwark voucher letter, proof of address and child’s birth certificate or passport.
Credit unions operate for the benefit of its customers and offer a number of financial services to local residents.
 
Dear All,
We are excited
to announce the upcoming 'Urban Exchange 2'.
If you are aged between 11-18 and live in or near Canada Water, please
join us on Sunday 3rd December at CWM Hub in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre!
The day will be an opportunity to show us what's important in your local area
and will include an interactive session sharing what entertainment &
culture mean to you, a chance to win a unique guided tour of Printworks London,
a great experience for your CV and a free lunch. For full details about the day
and how to sign-up please see below.
Best wishes,
Amanda, Lizzie and Kinga
Contact us
e: team@canadawatermasterplan.com
t: 020 7729 1705
w: www.canadawatermasterplan.com
See what's on at the Yalding Healthy Centre!
95 Southwark Park Road, SE16 3TY
020 7237 0860
 
Canada Water Dock
Topic Session Reminder
This is a quick reminder that the next Topic Session is taking place
on Wed 13 Dec at 7pm, where we will share information on Canada Water Dock.
It would be great to see as many people there as possible so please do come
along - arrival from 6.30pm and the session will start at 7pm at the CWM
Hub in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (opposite Tesco). If possible it would be
really helpful if you could RSVP.
More information on each of the topic sessions can be viewed below. An
electronic version of this newsletter can be viewed here.
| 
