Vote Lib Dem for a Blackheath that is…
Clean
Lewisham has the third-highest rate of illegal rubbish dumping in the country. Labour promised to get tough in their last manifesto, but the problem has just got worse.
Your Lib Dem team is petitioning for a whole new approach, with increased enforcement, extended opening hours at Landsmann way waste centre and regular Community Skip Days to make it easier and cheaper to dispose of bulky waste. These measures and more have been successfully used by Lib Dem councils elsewhere in London where fly-tipping rates are much lower.
Sign the Petition [HERE]
- We will complete the rollout of Food Waste Recycling - including to estates - supporting both the environment and helping reduce food bills.
- Our Town Centre Strategy will investigate installing pest-proof permanent bins in commercial areas to support businesses and residents keep the pavement clear of rubbish bags and multiple wheelie bins.
Sustainable
Public transport is key to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and improving air quality. Successive Labour mayors of London and Lewisham have said they support extending the Bakerloo Line to Lewisham. This could be transformational for our community, but there has been no actual progress. Lib Dems are calling on both the Council and the Mayor to take concrete action to deliver a Tube connection.
Sign the petition [HERE]
- Lib Dems in parliament have ensured all new-build housing will include solar energy for lower emissions and cheaper bills. As your Blackheath councillors, we will push for retrofitting of solar and other renewable tech on all Council-owned buildings and ensure the savings are passed on to residents.
- We will make it easier and quicker to install EV charging points and drop kerbs for electric cars.
- As your Blackheath councillors, we will act as custodians for local green space - promoting pocket parks where possible and defending the Heath itself from threats to its Green Flag status.
Affordable
Many residents have seen their Council Tax hiked by up to 23% since the last election, but much of it seems to go on spurious consultancy fees and inefficiency.
- As councillors we will help keep Lewisham affordable by ensuring developments only get approved with a minimum percentage of Social Housing.
- We will reform Lewisham Homes' maintenance regime to get things fixed quickly, before a small repair becomes a big expensive one.
- Lib Dem councillors will always push to make sure residents are consulted about changes to their homes - whether they are tenants or leaseholders. Information and consultation for leaseholders in Council blocks is currently particularly bad and we will make special efforts to consult this group, especially where they will be expected to make financial contributions.
- It is also not acceptable for the Council not to pay a reliable living wage. We will seek to ensure that all staff employed on council contracts are paid at least London Living Wage, whether they work directly for the Council or not.
Safe
- Lib Dems would adopt a public health approach to crime - based on successful models used in Glasgow, Cardiff and other cities - to reduce crime and violence before it starts.
- We will work with City Hall and the Met to deliver a more visible and accessible police presence that engages with communities.
- Lib Dems will prioritise keeping our pavements clear and well lit. We will work to install CCTV cameras in areas vulnerable to crime.
- We will regularly review Council contracts with dockless hire bike operators to make sure bikes are parked and ridden responsibly and any abandoned bikes removed quickly. Cycle Hire is a really useful addition to local travel options and we must make it work for everyone.
- We will promote cycle safety across the borough - both in the form of high-quality bicycle lanes and parking and by promoting Cycle-Safe courses in local schools for all who want them.
- We will work with TfL to add pedestrian crossings and redesign road junctions like the one at the bottom of Belmont Hill, to keep pedestrians safe.
Thriving
With more and more transactions moving online, our high streets are under pressure - just one or two major brands moving out of the Town Centre could be disastrous. But Lewisham has no overall masterplan for sustaining and improving the Town Centre. This must change.
- We will develop a comprehensive masterplan to keep Lewisham Town Centre's vibrant mix of leisure, retail and hospitality businesses and the jobs they support. We will particularly emphasise measures to “Amazonproof” the local economy.
- We will work with developers and major retailers to make sure Lewisham retains a thriving Town Centre, accessible to all.
- We will promote a responsible evening economy for shopping, restaurants and pubs that keeps the central area active and reduces opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour.
- We will reopen Lewisham Central Library and promote it as a community and cultural asset.
- We will work with the new licensee to make the much-delayed new cinema a success and ensure future new developments also include cultural and community spaces.
- We will work with local businesses, residents and Greenwich Council to have a unified strategy to preserve and improve Blackheath Village and its unique character.
Led by You
Labour Lewisham has become a classic one-party state - Arrogant, complacent and undemocratic. We will bring back open politics.
We will bring back the Blackheath Ward Assembly, allowing councillors, residents and officers to discuss local solutions to local issues.
We will devolve local budgets to local areas, including some funds to be directly controlled by the Ward Assembly.
We will reverse Labour's cuts to public and opposition questions at Council meetings.
