A site for residents of Prince's Ward, SE11, in the London Borough of Lambeth. Check for updates from your Labour Action Team's campaigning, local information, and meetings.

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Mutual Exchange surgery for council and social housing tenants

Lambeth Living – with financial support from Lambeth Council – have  commissioned a Welfare Reform Project Team that is working to lessen the impact of welfare reform changes on our community.

One such initiative is the Mutual Exchange Scheme.

A large number of tenants will need to find smaller accommodation in order to avoid the benefit deductions as part of the Welfare Reform measures, but there is a shortage of properties available to enable a majority of these to obtain a transfer through the Council’s transfer register. However, there are a large number of families currently overcrowded within the stock managed by the Council. Therefore, there is significant potential for Mutual Exchange within the Borough if these households can be matched up through the Mutual Exchange Scheme.

In light of this Lambeth Council and Lambeth Living are keen promote this initiative and are organising up to 13 local borough wide estate surgeries.

The surgery in our area is:
Date: 1 February 2013
Time:  2pm to 5pm
Venue:  Vauxhall Garden Community Centre, 5 Glasshouse Walk, London SE11 5ES

Housing associations and the following other agencies will also be present:
·         Job Centre Plus
·         London Mutual Credit Union
·         Every Pound Counts
·         Centre 70
·         Broadway Lodging Scheme
·         Employment and Skills Manager from Lambeth Council
·         Relevant Officers from Lambeth Council and Lambeth Living  

Two licensing applications - Oktoberfest in Kennington Park and review for Millennium Food & Wine, Kennington Road

Applicants Name: London Oktoberfest Ltd

Premises Address: Oktoberfest - Kennington Park Kennington Park Road London

Activities/times requested: They seek a time-limited licence ending on the 07/10/13.

Live Music
Saturday 13:00 - 22:00
Sunday 13:00 - 18:00
Thursday and Friday 17:00 - 22:00

Recorded Music
Saturday 12:00 - 22:45
Sunday 12:00 - 19:00
Thursday and Friday 16:00 - 22:45

Supply of Alcohol
Saturday 12:00 - 22:15
Sunday 12:00 - 18:45
Thursday and Friday 16:00 - 22:15

Queries to: licensing@lambeth.gov.uk

Deadline:12 February 2013



Applicant’s name: Lambeth Trading Standards

Licence-holder’s name: Mr Ibrahim Ustun Uzum
Premises address: Millennium - Shop 117 Kennington Road London

Grounds for review:

At 1405 hours Monday 26th October 2009 Test Purchaser Bravo a boy aged 15 years entered Millennium Food and Wine 117 - 119 Kennington Road, London, SE11 6SF a grocery /off licence shop. He selected two 500ml cans of Stella Artois lager 5% alcohol by volume and approached the counter and was served by a man who later identified himself as X. He asked the test purchaser if he was 18 and he replied he was. He then asked him for ID, but was told he did not have any. Mr X told him to bring it next time.

The Test purchaser bought the lager and left the premises, outside he handed the alcohol to Trading Standards. Police and Trading Standards then entered the shop and challenged Mr X over the sale. The Test Purchase was pointed out, the offence of selling alcohol to a person under 18 was pointed out and Mr X was cautioned. He explained he had a lot of problems with anti social behaviour with youths in the shop and two week previously he had had his jaw broken when he challenged youth’s behaviour in the shop (not regarding an under age sale).

Mr X explained he was the Designated Premises Supervisor for the shop and is currently buying the shop from his Uncle. He said that he had worked previously in Enfield where the test purchasers’ have to tell their true age – (that is apparently how he spots under age test purchasers) and was puzzled when under age Lambeth test purchasers said they were 18. It was pointed out to him that if he has doubts about the age of a customer he must see valid ID proving that they are over 18 and that young people will say they are older in order to get alcohol. Mr X was issued with an £80 Fixed Penalty Notice by Police for selling alcohol to a person under 18 years old. He was told he could opt for a Court hearing if he wanted to.

On Wednesday 4th August 2010 an under age volunteer was sent into premises to test whether they would be sold alcohol. Sale refused.

On Saturday 4th August 2012 Trading Standards Officers visited Millennium Food and Wine 117 - 119 Kennington Road, London, SE11 6SF in regards to the Olympic extra cover duty, and spoke to the manager Mr Y The following problems were found;

• Pricing was missing on the confectionary.

• Out of date Nurofen for children were found displayed for sale

• Out of date Bonjela for children were found displayed for sale

The Manager Mr Y was warned that this was very serious and that they must be more careful. He was advised that they must check/rotate their medicines.

On Wednesday 29th August 2012 at 1205 hours, Test Purchaser Mike a boy aged 14 years old entered an off licence/convenience store called Millennium Food and Wine 119 Kennington Road, London SE11 6SF. He selected 4, 500ml cans of Fosters Lager 4% alcohol by volume. He approached the counter where he was served by a man who later identified himself as Mr Z.No questions were asked of the test purchaser who paid, was sold the alcohol, and then left the off licence.

Outside he handed the lager to a Trading Standards Officer, Council Officers then entered the shop, identified themselves and why we were there and challenged Mr Z over the sale. As he was working alone in the shop it was necessary to close the shop for a short while in order to deal with this matter in private and undisturbed by customers entering the shop and wanting service. The test purchase was pointed out; the lager sold to the 14 year old was shown. The offence of selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18 was pointed out and Mr Z was cautioned. He said he was tired (suggesting he was not concentrating) he was quiet and anxious for his boss to be informed, and said he was working at a restaurant nearby. He said the Designated Premises Supervisor responsible for the sale of alcohol was his boss Mr X who was called on the shop phone.

2 open packets of cigarettes were found behind the counter, Mr Z stated they were his and not for sale as single cigarettes. It is illegal to sell cigarettes singly. Pricing was also poor in the shop especially in respect of sweets. Uniform Police attended. Mr X, the DPS attended shortly after and I explained to him that an under age sale had taken place at his shop. He was apologetic.

An examination of the spirits on sale revealed seven 70cl bottles of High Commissioner Scotch whisky on display for sale were in fact duty diverted. This is where spirits made for export (and are duty free) are diverted before reaching the UK exit port. The rear duty free labels are removed and a false label with a fake HMRC duty stamp is then applied to the bottles. These genuine product bottles then appear made for the UK market and also appear duty paid. The bottles were seized, an examination of the store room revealed another 27 duty diverted bottles of High Commissioner Scotch whisky in the upstairs store room, these were also confiscated. Trading Standards Notice no 10052 was issued to Mr X who candidly stated that he had bought those bottles from a man who turned up in a van some time ago. He also said that he has problems with young black men in the area trying to obtain alcohol & cigarettes under age, and that he had suffered a broken jaw some time ago in an attack that followed refusing service. I told him that it was not easy running a shop in Lambeth; however he must not sell age restricted goods to those under age. (The test purchaser was mixed race)

There was no refusal register available, although not required by law is seen as good practise and to have a tangible record of refusing sales where no ID is produced by young looking customers. Mr Z produced a Bulgarian ID card as proof of ID. He was issued an £80 fixed penalty ticket for supplying alcohol to a person under 18. He was told he could opt for a Court hearing if he wanted to.

The Lambeth three strikes policy was explained to Mr X in that if there were three major concerns with an off licence; Lambeth Trading Standards would seriously consider reviewing the alcohol licence which may result in revocation. From memory there was an under age sale some time ago which I will not include (at that stage). However there is now an under age sale and duty diverted goods, so that is two concerns, one more and he will be appearing before the Lambeth Licensing Committee at Lambeth Town Hall. I also told him that a report will be forwarded to HM Revenue and Customs in respect of the duty diverted stock and they may take action against him.

Monday 31st October 2012. An under age volunteer was sent into premises to test whether they would be sold alcohol-Sale refused

Operation Condor. On Friday 7th December 2012 at 2015 hours, Test Purchaser Victor a girl aged 16 years old entered an off licence/convenience store called Millennium Food and Wine 119 Kennington Road, London SE11 6SF. She selected 1; 500ml can of Fosters Lager 4% alcohol by volume. She approached the counter where he was served by a man who later identified himself as Mr W. He asked the Test Purchaser for ID, she said she didn't have it with her, he then told her to 'bring it next time'. He then sold the alcohol, she left the off licence. Outside he handed the lager to a Trading Standards Officer, Council Officers then entered the shop, identified themselves and why we were there and challenged Mr W over the sale. He said the Test Purchaser looked 19 years old. Uniform Police attended

The test purchase was pointed out; the lager sold to the 16 year old was shown. The offence of selling alcohol to a person under the age of 18 was pointed out and Mr W was cautioned. He said that he didn't actually work at the shop and was only looking after the premises for his friend. He said that he had received no training for selling alcohol. It was put to him that as he asked the Test Purchaser for ID, he must have thought that she was or may have been under 18, and having asked for ID and not been shown ID (18+) he should not have sold alcohol. He accepted this.

The Designated Premises Supervisor responsible for the sale of alcohol is Mr X who was working in a restaurant nearby was called and attended shortly after. He was informed of the under age sale. He said that Mr W was his cousin he had asked to look after the shop as his usual worker was not available.

There was no refusal register available, although not required by law is seen as good practise and to have a tangible record of refusing sales where no ID is produced by young looking customers. Mr W produced a DVLA driving licence as proof of ID. He was issued with an £80 fixed penalty ticket for supplying alcohol to a person under 18. He was told he could opt for a Court hearing if he wanted to.

The Lambeth three strikes policy was explained to Mr X in that if there were three major concerns with an off licence; Lambeth Trading Standards would seriously consider reviewing the alcohol licence which may result in revocation. From memory there was a previous under age sale as well as a large seizure of duty diverted alcohol, therefore this was the shops' third strike and he should expect to be reviewed.

Please direct any queries in respect of this application to the following case officer:

Queries to: licensing@lambeth.gov.uk
Deadline: 21 February 2013

See both original applications here.
Read our guide to licensing here.


Saturday 12 January 2013

Letter to residents about eviction of squatters from 130 Newington Butts


Re. Recent Anti-social behaviour at 130-138 Newington Butts

Dear Resident,

Following repeated complaints regarding noise from the Camelot Guardians who were living in the building we, the owners of the building, decided to end the contract with Camelot on the 19th November. An alternative security company was engaged to secure the building.

However, on the 29th November we discovered the locks had been tampered with and we were unable to gain access. The building was being illegally occupied. The illegal occupants stated that they would move once a court order had been obtained. We immediately began the process to obtain a possession order. On December 21st the occupants were served with an Interim Possession Order. This order required the illegal occupants to leave within 24 hours. The occupants failed to leave and during the New Year’s period they held a 24 hour party which caused a major nuisance to local residents.

We have been working with the local police and your Councillors to establish the best way of enforcing the possession order but the number of squatters has meant that we have had to wait until potential police manpower is available.

On the 7th January we successfully evicted the squatters. Now we have regained possession we will install 24 hour security on the site to prevent this happening again. We will also continue working with your local Councillors and Council on the demolition and redevelopment of this site.

The DSF deeply regret the disturbance local residents have suffered we will make every effort to work with residents and their representatives in the future to ensure that our development can progress as quickly as possible.

To view and comment on the redevelopment of the site, which will soon be decided by Lambeth Council, please visit the Council website using Ref. 12/00054/FUL and email planning@lambeth.gov.uk with your thoughts.

Yours Faithfully,

Steve Logie


Operations Manager
Dolphin Square Foundation

Lambeth Festivals and Outdoor Events Fund



This programme has been set up in conjunction with The London Community Foundation to support community festivals and events in the borough whilst also helping to tackle worklessness.

Groups are invited to apply for grants from £500 to £15,000 to hold festivals and events in the borough’s public and green spaces.

The definition of a community festival is:

  • an event with a common theme of celebration, be it cultural, or of community interest that happens within a defined time period and is delivered within the London Borough of Lambeth in a park, open space or other outdoor venue
  • an event or festival that is open and accessible to all of the community
  • at least one day in length (minimum of 5 hours)
  • In addition applicants must demonstrate that they are helping to tackle worklessness within the borough as part of their activities. 

Please refer to the main festivals and outdoor events guidance notes and application form (available from The London Community Foundation website) for a full outline of the programme.

Please note that to apply for the fund you will need to complete an event application form, these can be found in the ‘Guide to Organising Outdoor Events in Lambeth’. Once you have received a confirmation letter and quote from the Lambeth Events Service you can apply for the Lambeth Festivals and Outdoor Events Fund.  If you are having trouble completing the events application form please contact a member of the events team on 0207 926 6207.

Alongside the main fund Lambeth is also running a small events programme for small scale outdoor events not covered by the main Festivals and Outdoor Events Fund. This can cover events such as street parties and localised fun days (for example on a specific estate), where the attendees are likely to be local residents.  Grants are available from £100 up to £500. For applications to this programme please refer to the small events guidance notes and application form (available from The London Community Foundation website).

Closing dates
Event applications must be received by Lambeth Events Service by 5pm Monday 25 February 2013.
Funding applications must be received by the London Community Foundation by 5pm Friday 1st March 2013.

Pictured: Ethelred Fun Day

Launch of the Lambeth Housing Standard - massive investment in Lambeth's council homes


Lambeth Housing Standard Launch Event – Saturday 9 February 10am – 4pm

The Lambeth Housing Standard 'Big Launch!' will take place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 9 February at 15 Hatfields, London, SE1 8DJ

The launch event will promote the Lambeth Housing Standard programme; encouraging residents to meet contractors, consultants and suppliers and for them to be able to view kitchen and bathroom choices, window and door samples and other materials such as boilers, taps, tiles etc.

Residents will be able to:

find out about when they will have works carried out on their homes
discover opportunities for job shadowing, work experience and apprenticeships offered by partners under the scope of the LHS
investigate further education opportunities with Lambeth College
find out about green issues and sustainability
take place in hourly prize draws

The event will be run as a day long drop-in event with residents able to come and go throughout the day.

Pictured: More refurbishments of council homes, like this one at Brittany Point, will take place thanks to the Lambeth Housing Standard


Other housing news: 2013 rent setting

Tenants at the North Lambeth Area Housing Forum on Tuesday were pleased to hear that service charges will be reduced this year, and rents increased by only around 4%. Lambeth Housing's finances are in a significantly better shape than before, and services are improving. However, service charges for concierges are going to increase significantly, to reflect the true cost of providing the service, but the Council will be doing an intensive piece of work to reduce the costs of the service and make service charges fairer.

Two licensing applications for Vauxhall

There are two current licensing applications for Vauxhall Cross which people can comment on.



Steax and the City
Unit 3, Block D, St George Wharf, SW8 2LE


Activities/times requested:

Recorded Music
Monday - Sunday     08:00 - 23:30

Late Night Refreshment
Monday - Sunday   23:00  - 00:00

Supply of Alcohol
Monday - Sunday   08:00  - 00:00

Hours premises open to the public

Monday - Sunday   08:00  - 00:30

Deadline for comments: 17 January




Travelodge London Vauxhall 
3 Bondway, SW8 1SJ
(currently under construction next to the bus station)

Activities/times requested:

Late Night Refreshment
Monday - Sunday   23:00  - 05:00

Supply of Alcohol
Monday - Sunday   00:00  - 00:00

Deadline for comments: 4 February


Before commenting please read our guide to licensing.

Email comments to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk




TfL meetings about Northern Line Extension's effects on Kennington Park and Kennington Green


Meeting to discuss design considerations for the proposed permanent shaft at Kennington Park

This meeting with representatives from TfL, Lambeth and Southwark councils, local community groups and Friends of Kennington Park will discuss the design of the proposed permanent shaft building (head house) at Kennington Park for the proposed Northern line extension.  The meeting will also be attended by TfL’s heritage and urban design leads and John MCaslan & Partners, the architects commissioned by TfL to design the above ground structures for the proposed extension.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday 16 January at St Agnes Church Hall, St Agnes Place, Kennington from 6:30 – 8pm.

The feedback from the NLE consultation about the design of the proposed head house at Kennington Park will be shared and there will be discussion of further design considerations before TfL progress with more detailed plans ready for submission as part of their application for a Transport and Works Act Order.

This is a follow up to a meeting held at the Café in Kennington Park back in October, where initial ideas shaped the indicative designs for the head house currently being consulted upon.

Please confirm your attendance by emailing nle@tfl.gov.uk


Meeting to discuss plans for the reinstatement of Kennington Green

This meeting with TfL’s heritage and urban planning leads and Lambeth’s parks and conservation officers about plans to reinstate Kennington Green once the proposed construction works for the Northern line extension (NLE) are completed.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 17  January – at the Durning Library, 167 Kennington Lane, SE11,  from 6:30 – 8pm.

Feedback from the recent NLE consultation will be shared and there will be discussion of design considerations for the reinstatement of the green further before TfL progress with detailed plans for submission as part of their application for a Transport and Works Act Order.

This is a follow up to the meeting held at St Anselm’s Church in October, where initial ideas for the reinstatement of the green shaped the indicative designs consulted upon in the NLE consultation.

Please confirm your attendance by emailing nle@tfl.gov.uk

Tuesday 1 January 2013

New play area for Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green

 Last year the Council carried out a consultation on creating new play areas at Lambeth Walk Doorstep Green (between Fitzalan Street and Lollard Street).

Originally three play areas were proposed, but budget constraints mean that the Council is now proposing to go ahead with only one of the play areas for the time being. It will be aimed for under 6 year olds, and located in what is currently a dark corner of the park, behind the Adventure Playground building and up against the Adventure Playground's ball court. The Veolia Environmental Trust will contribute £17000 towards the project. Construction is likely to begin in April and be completed by June.



Results of the consultation


Support for the play areas was nearly unanimous. News of the upcoming play area construction was welcomed by 76 responses, with 2 firm objections noted. The objections were due to:

  • Keeping the open space in a ‘quiet’, green condition.
  • Not agreeing with the separation of the older and younger children’s play areas.

Comments included:

  • Opening the sports pitch to unrestricted use to widen the opportunity for play.
  • The play area needs to be robust to minimise vandalism.
  • Clear out shrubbery around the proposed 2-6 play area for better safety and security.
  • Seating with back rests or picnic tables needs to be provided.
  • Dog proof fencing is important.
  • Swings, slides and climbing equipment were favoured most.
  • The idea of a landscaped play area was well received with the inclusion of traditional equipment.

Happy New Year from Steve, Lorna and Mark

Local Labour councillors Steve Morgan, Lorna Campbell and Mark Harrison would like to wish all residents of Prince's ward a very happy 2013.

Please feel free to contact us if you need our help over the year:

srmorgan@lambeth.gov.uk
lcampbell@lambeth.gov.uk
mharrison@lambeth.gov.uk
Promoted by David Amos and Joanne Simpson of Prince's Branch Labour Party (Vauxhall Constituency and Lambeth Borough) all at 264A Rosendale Road, SE24 9DL