Tag Archives: lewisham council

Mark Pack

“Race advisor slams Lewisham Labour over ‘apartheid system'”

By Mark Pack | Tue 24th November 2009 - 10:54 pm

So reports the Lewisham News Shopper:

A RACE and equality advisor to the Mayor has resigned from the Lewisham Labour Party claiming it runs an “apartheid system”.

David Michael, chairman of Lewisham Local Police Consultative Group and Sir Steve Bullock’s advisor on community cohesion, was due to contest the Whitefoot ward in 2010 but has resigned claiming he was not supported by branch members…

Mr Michael, a resident of Catford for 26 years, says he and a number of other ethnic minority candidates have been marginalised by the party in a “scandalous apartheid system”, being put forward for unwinnable seats and given

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

Tony McNulty: “Benefit thieves will not get away with it”

By Stephen Tall | Tue 24th March 2009 - 10:53 pm

Ah, the irony… Labour-run Lewisham Council might perhaps have picked a better day to champion employment and welfare reform minister Tony McNulty’s crackdown on fraudulent benefit claimants. Here’s their press release issued today:

A joint investigation by Lewisham Council and the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) has led to the successful prosecution of a woman who defrauded nearly £43,000 in benefits from them. … Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: “From the Council’s perspective, this is money that could have been spent on people who need it. Through working together with the DWP we have successfully stopped

…

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Mark Pack

Police investigate Labour’s Lewisham by-election campaign

By Mark Pack | Thu 12th March 2009 - 4:34 pm

Dave Hill reports:

Lewisham police are investigating a campaign leaflet published on behalf of two London Labour Party byelection candidates to consider if it transgresses electoral law. The leaflet, which appears to have been distributed on polling day during the recent campaign for Lewisham Council’s Downham ward, claimed:

Our exit polls show: the BNP winning in Downham. It’s more important than ever to VOTE LABOUR TODAY

Lewisham has confirmed that its returning officer has passed the leaflet to the police, who are looking into any breach of the 1983 Representation of the People Act. This sets out restrictions relating to the use

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 9 Comments
Mark Pack

Conservatives support higher Council Tax than the Socialists

By Mark Pack | Thu 5th March 2009 - 2:48 pm

Strange political times indeed in Lewisham where the Socialist councillors backed a Liberal Democrat proposal to freeze Council Tax, but Labour’s proposal to raise Council Tax got through on the casting vote of the Conservative chair of the council (even though the Conservatives had previously backed a freeze*).

Local councillor Brian Robson has the story.

* You may wish to insert some foaming at the mouth indignation in the style of Conservative blog commenters at this point along the lines of inconsistency, outrage, a disgrace to politics and eating babies.

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Mark Pack

How David Lammy has exaggerated the BNP’s popularity

By Mark Pack | Fri 27th February 2009 - 2:59 pm

In a posting today on LabourList, David Lammy has talked up the popularity of the BNP by misquoting and misinterpreting evidence about how many people visit their website.

The MP for Tottenham wrote:

it attracts more than half of all internet traffic to political party sites, according to the online monitoring firm Hitwise.

But that’s not true.

I think what has happened here is that the popularity of the bnp.org.uk domain compared with conservatives.com, labour.org.uk, libdems.org.uk and so on has been confused with “all internet traffic to political party sites”. (Thanks to Hitwise for confirming to me that looking at just these …

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Posted in News and Online politics | Also tagged , and | 17 Comments
Mark Pack

Labour, Lewisham and the BNP

By Mark Pack | Fri 20th February 2009 - 9:52 pm

As previously featured on LDV, Duwayne Brooks was running to be a Liberal Democrat councillor in one of yesterday’s by-elections. Duwayne, along with fellow candidate Jenni Clutten, won. Congratulations to them both.

Labour’s campaign was at times, shall we say, unusual, with a heavy emphasis in their leaflets of a plan of their to have the Union Jack* flying over Lewisham Town Hall. As Dave Hill has written over on The Guardian:

How does that work for you? It made me a little queasy. Shouldn’t Labour concentrate on exposing the BNP for what it is rather than pandering to the nationalism

…

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Posted in Conference, Leadership Election and News | Also tagged , and | 8 Comments
The Voice

Duwayne Brooks: “The smart young man with a clipboard in one hand and Liberal Democrat leaflets in the other”

By The Voice | Tue 17th February 2009 - 9:50 pm

Last month, LDV brought you the news that Duwayne Brooks, one of the best friends of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, will be fighting a council by-election for Lewisham Lib Dems on 19th February. Today’s Times carries a feature article about Duwayne:

Ten years ago Duwayne Brooks was known mainly for being the best friend of Stephen Lawrence. As a witness to the murderous attack on his friend, he found himself on a collision course with the police, the courts and even the Lawrence family. Now he is seeking a title that is decidedly more establishment-friendly: councillor.

This month marks not only

…

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The Voice

Duwayne Brooks to stand for Lib Dems in Lewisham

By The Voice | Fri 30th January 2009 - 1:50 pm

The Mirror today reports what visitors to Lewisham Lib Dems’ website knew last week – that Duwayne Brooks, one of the best friends of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence is fighting a council by-election for the Lib Dems:

Liberal Democrats have selected two people committed to working hard on behalf of Downham residents to fight the Council by-elections on February 19th, Duwayne Brooks and Jenni Clutten. They hope to join Cllr Julia Fletcher as the representatives for the area on Lewisham Council.

Duwayne, 33, is well known in Lewisham as a campaigner against knife crime and, if elected, will be working

…

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Posted in Local government and News | Also tagged , and | 1 Comment

Lewisham Lib Dems expel councillor from group

By the founding editor | Fri 16th March 2007 - 3:00 pm

“A LIBERAL Democrat councillor has been expelled from the party and is at the centre of a police investigation. Cllr Sera Kentman, who has represented Whitefoot ward in Lewisham since last May, was axed after breaching rules, which included failing to disclose her debts as a councillor.”

More 

Hat tip: Indigo

Posted in News | 8 Comments
Mark Pack

One Mayor, one pool, two views

By Mark Pack | Mon 13th November 2006 - 1:39 pm

There has been a successful campaign in Lewisham to save the Ladywell swimming pool.

The (Labour) Mayor, Steve Bullock, had these lovely words to say about the campaigners:

“I feel the passionate and enthusiastic campaign by Save Ladywell Pool, although challenging at times, is a great example of how local people can get their views heard. Their work is an example to all communities and shows how people can get together and make a real difference.”

What a shame then that on the same day as these words were uttered, the latest edition of Time Out appeared, with these words from the very same …

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2010 local elections in Lewisham could be held under PR

By the founding editor | Fri 27th October 2006 - 9:29 am

Cllr Mark MorrisThe 2010 local elections in Lewisham could be held under a system of proportional representation following widespread support to a Liberal Democrat proposal at a recent Council meeting.

Proposing the motion Cllr Mark Morris said “Lewisham Council have volunteered for various pilot schemes at previous elections, now that Scotland have agreed to fight next years local election by a fairer system, Lewisham should lead the way in England.”

The motion which had cross- party support agreed noted that the Scottish local elections were being fought by single transferable vote (STV) and called for the …

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