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Standing together for fair funding |
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Whether it’s bins and recycling, fixing potholes, help for people facing homelessness or much more, it’s vital you have good services you can rely on.
That’s why this week I went to Westminster to stand together with local MPs and leaders calling for fair funding.
Under proposed funding changes, many London boroughs, including Southwark, could lose millions for local services.
We support the idea of reform, so funding matches local needs, but it should fully reflect the challenges many people in Southwark face.
For example, the current proposals don’t take into account the costs of housing in Southwark. We have some of the highest housing costs in Britain, and one in three children in our borough lives in poverty once housing costs are take into consideration.
So on Tuesday we met with local MPs and the Leader of Lambeth Council at Parliament to call for fair funding for our boroughs and local services. I also spoke with the BBC about this on Sunday.
Together we are seeking to find a solution that creates a fairer way of funding local government and also fully meets the needs of local people.
Cllr Sarah King
Leader of Southwark Council
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 The launch of Barkerloop with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan
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London's newest bus service - the Bakerloop - starts on Saturday and it's free for a week! Residents and commuters can enjoy free travel on the new bus service to celebrate its launch. The BL1 is being delivered after a positive consultation response and thanks to over £5 million in funding from Southwark, sourced from developer contributions in the area.
Southwark’s new Canada Water Leisure Centre – with a new 25m 8-lane swimming pool, large gym, specialist fitness studios, sports hall and full accessibility – is already welcoming 2,000 people a day. Yesterday’s official opening included the local community and former Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew.
Burgess Park Sports Centre has been shortlisted for the NLA People’s Choice Award. The centre only opened earlier this year, so it’s fantastic to see it recognised already. With two full-size 3G pitches (for football and rugby) and a wheelchair-accessible ballcourt, it’s a real community asset. If you love the new space, please cast your vote by Tuesday, 8 October 2025. Link: NLA Awards 2025 - People's Choice Award
This Valentine’s Day, why not elevate your wedding with our distinguished Valentine’s Day ceremony package? Designed for couples who appreciate refined romance, this package seamlessly combines timeless sophistication with a contemporary style.
By selecting our Valentine’s Day ceremony, you will enjoy:
- A themed décor incorporating red roses, candlelight, and a tasteful, elegant ambience.
- A celebratory drink for the couple, ideal for marking the beginning of your journey together.
- Champagne flute keepsakes to commemorate your special occasion.
- A luxury confetti moment, providing a visually striking celebration as you take your first steps into the next chapter of your lives.
To make your marriage /civil partnership ceremony booking, please visit: perfectdaysouthwark.co.uk
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 Get ready for Stoptober
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Earn rewards for quitting and swap them for £50 in shopping vouchers! Sign up for Southwark’s Smokefree service to start your journey.
Southwark is recognising the vital role of kinship carers during Kinship Care Week (6–10 October). We’re hosting a Wellness Day in Peckham on Tuesday 7 October (11am–1pm) with food and space to relax, alongside information on support for Special Guardianship Order carers.
Please RSVP to SGOConnectedPersons@southwark.gov.uk by 2 October.
We’ve partnered with the EasyPeasy app to give free access for parents and carers in Southwark. The app provides free expert-backed parenting advice and activities for under-fives. Register at the link above for free access to the EasyPeasy community.
We're excited to announce the launch of our new Start for Life brochure. Packed with essential resources for parents and caregivers, this comprehensive guide showcases a whole range of support services designed to help you navigate the crucial early years of your child's development. Download it today to discover how we can support your family's journey: Start for Life Southwark | Southwark Council
Places still available for some September courses, plus across two Saturdays in November. We're offering an eclectic mix of exciting new courses designed to allow you to explore and develop your creative talents – try your hand at creative writing or interior design, learn some simple massage techniques, make a ceramic plant holder or take your sewing or artistic skills somewhere new!
This year’s theme is Building Belonging: Celebrating the power of our social connections, and we’ll be marking it with refreshments, music, speed friendship and assisted cycle rides. Come along, meet new people, and celebrate the joy of connection in our community.
Una Marson Library, 62 Thurlow Street, SE17 2GN, 12 noon to 2.30pm.
Find out more and register at www.southwark.gov.uk/international-day-older-people-2025
Get your free ticket for the Breast Cancer Awareness month event at Peckham Pulse Leisure Centre (10am to 5pm). Expect Afrobeat dance, Pilates, advice on checking your breasts, a healthy cake sale, cancer awareness advice, health checks, a goody bag on arrival and more. Places are limited for the fitness classes, so you need to also sign up to take part. The event is 18+.
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 Love Southwark with a neighbourhood grant
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Have an idea to improve your neighbourhood?
The neighbourhood survey is your chance to set priorities. Your views will guide how the £3.3m Neighbourhood Grants is spent.
Take the survey now by clicking this link
If you’re 40+ and had an NHS Health Check in the last six months, we'd like to know about your experience of discussing cancer screening. This is a new element to the checks, and we want to speak to residents online for around 45 minutes to get their views. This will help us improve checks. Get in touch before 15 October.
London Trading Standards has launched a new platform to help combat youth vaping, and to crack down on illegal vapes. ‘Say something, save someone’ offers support for children and young people concerned about vapes being used or sold in their communities: they can report activity anonymously if they think vapes are being sold or given away illegally. In Southwark, our Trading Standards team works to track down illegal vapes and e-liquids, and have seized almost 3,000 since June this year.
We’re reviewing services for young people and adults, and want views from:
- residents (including parents/carers of young people)
- young people aged 10 to 24 years old (including those who go to school but might not live in the borough)
- professionals who work with young people in Southwark
Tell us what you think, to help shape the future of the services. The young people’s survey also includes a prize draw for a £50 shopping voucher. All surveys close at 11.59pm on 30 September, 2025.
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 Photos of traditional African masks
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There is a wide range of activities taking place across Southwark this October to celebrate Black History Month.
The council also supported several events through its Black History Month funding, and there will be lots of family fun in our libraries.
You can find lots of activities on our events webpages at Southwark Presents.
This year, we celebrate with a mix of African culture-inspired creative crafts, author talks and much more. Some of the events on offer:
- Discover the amazing Reach for the Stars theatre show for children and families
- We showcase our superb heritage collection through insightful exhibitions, talks and family history sessions that trace Caribbean family history
- The popular fashion show of African designs will return to Camberwell Library
- Our book talks cover mental health, identity, and resilience.
On Saturday 4 and Saturday 18 October, 11am to 3.30pm, experience the beauty and heritage of Africa through a stunning collection of traditional masks and artwork, which will be accompanied by a presentation by the respective artists, along with opportunities to talk about their collections.
There will also be creative activities for families that explore mask-making with traditional African fabrics and the processes of tie-dyeing to make some stunning prints.
Storytelling will be on hand to ignite the children's imagination, and some delicious traditional cuisine will be provided on the BBQ to be enjoyed in the lovely surroundings of the wildlife garden.
On Saturday 11 October, join us for a special screening and conversation exploring Black British Hood Feminist practices through music, film, art and community.
Black British Hood Feminism looks at how we can make softer spaces, without reinforcing the perils of Babylon – the structures of colonial power and legacies of slavery.
South London Gallery Clore Studio (SE5 8UH), 3pm to 5pm. Admission: £10 / £5 members / £5 concessions.
Budding performers are invited to this open mic competition on Friday, 10 October at Silverlock Tenants Hall, SE16 2SB.
Songs, poetry, skits, celebrating the achievements of Black British Legends, with the Theme standing firm in power and pride, with £50 up for grabs for the winners. Food and crafts are also on sale.
For BHM, Raven & Rain invites a French Caribbean Gwo Ka troupe to perform a theatrical dance, complete with songs and stories, at Lettsom Tenants Hall, Vestry Road. This workshop is no mere entertainment but the story of our past and how far we have come as a people.
Friday 31 October 2025, 6pm to 8.30pm. To register, call 07894 889 451.
On Friday, 7 November, join a session to dispel myths around cancer and a theatre production where 3 men share their story of prostate cancer with their barber.
Free event at Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, London, SE5 7SB
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Did you know that locations in Southwark were used for films including ‘Mission: Impossible’, ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’, and ‘The Avengers’? This video shows you some of the iconic locations that have been captured on camera over the years – and if you’re inspired to try the walk yourself, you can find it on our website, along with other ideas for routes around Southwark.
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