Thousands of EU nationals living in Lewisham have not been offered permanent residency in the UK, official figures just released reveal. The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of leaving local families from the EU in “legal limbo” and throwing people’s lives into uncertainty.

Of the 20,020 EU nationals across Lewisham who have applied for permanent residency, barely half (10,750) have been offered settled status. 6,030 have been granted pre-settled status, which only gives the temporary right to stay in the UK.

23 year old Ade Fatukasi has been selected as the new Liberal Democrat candidate for Lewisham East. This follows the Unite to Remain agreement between the Liberal Democrats and other Remain parties, which covers other constituencies.

Ade, who was born and bred in Lewisham, had previously been selected as the Lib Dem candidate for Dulwich and West Norwood but agreed to stand aside for the Green Party candidate as part of the Unite to Remain initiative.

Following today’s announcement that there will be a Snap General Election on 12th December, the Liberal Democrats message to Lewisham voters is clear: Vote Lib Dem to Stop Brexit.

Having topped the polls in the European Elections in Lewisham earlier this year, the Lib Dems are ready to elect its first Liberal Democrat MPs in the area. Our Prospective Parliamentary Candidates are:

New figures revealed in the London Assembly show Lewisham council has consistently failed to deliver the numbers of council and other affordable homes needed to address the borough’s housing crisis.

This is despite the Labour’s group’s promise in its 2018 council manifesto to build 1,000 social homes and to ensure that at least 50% of all developer led projects would be homes at genuinely affordable rents.

Lewisham Liberal Democrat campaigner Chris Maines has welcomed a 'U' turn by neighbouring Greenwich Council, which has now objected to the Mayor of London Silvertown Crossing plan which would drive a new motorway under the River Thames.

Planned as a private finance initiative the toll tunnel would cross between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks with substantial road links both sides of the river.

The local Liberal Democrats have slammed the Tories as “heartless” for starving the NHS of vital cash after revealing that Lewisham and Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust paid £1,853,752 in interest on outstanding debt over the last three years.

People's Vote campaigners have been urging Lewisham's residents to turn out in force for the march against Brexit on Saturday 19th October. Lewisham Liberal Democrats will be joining them and hundreds of thousands of others marching under the banner 'Let Us Be Heard'. It could turn out to be the last chance to prevent a disastrous No-Deal Brexit.

Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Lewisham Deptford said:

Liberal Democrat members have selected their candidates for the three Lewisham constituencies, ready for a snap General Election.

Bobby Dean has been selected for Lewisham, Deptford, Chris Maines for Lewisham East and Alex Feakes for Lewisham West & Penge.

Lewisham Lib Dems urge local people to defend Parliamentary democracy by signing the national petition to stop Parliament being suspended.

Lewisham Council’s proposals for borough-wide licensing of private sector landlords will be the latest empty promise on housing unless they prioritise “big action over big talk”, say Lewisham Liberal Democrats.

Welcome to this month’s roundup of what’s happening at Lewisham Council.

Last time we covered the problems at Lewisham’s flagship leisure centre, Glass Mill. This month we look at the problems of their flagship park scheme at Beckenham Place Park.

Lewisham is our home and Lewisham Liberal Democrats want both Glass Mill and Beckenham Place Park to be a success.

Unfortunately, both show similar problems of a lack of transparency and a failure to listen.

London Assembly candidate for Lewisham and Greenwich, Ade Fatukasi, has called on Lewisham council to do more to reflect the diverse community it serves, after figures showed the council failing to increase the number of BAME officers in its most senior grades.

• 46% of Lewisham population is from BAME communities [i]
• Only 10% of the Cabinet’s 10 portfolios are held by non-white councillors (compared to 21% of councillors who are BAME)
• Only 18% of officers in top grades are BAME (compared to 43% of staff overall)
• More BAME candidates rejected in application process compared to white candidates

Lewisham Liberal Democrats are selecting their prospective Parliamentary candidates for an early General Election. The Liberal Democrats came top in the recent European Elections in the borough of Lewisham and across Greater London.

New figures released by Lewisham Lib Dems show Lewisham Council is failing to sort out their own emissions, despite declaring a “climate emergency” in February and committing to zero carbon emissions. 1

The figures were revealed in Freedom of Information request and show that of the commercial property managed by Lewisham council, barely a quarter have energy use compatible with the UK reaching “net zero” emissions. The Committee on Climate Change say that only properties with an energy performance certificate (EPC) of C or above would meet their recommendations for reaching net zero by 2050. 2

23 year old Ade Fatukasi has been selected by the Liberal Democrats as their candidate for the London Assembly seat of Greenwich and Lewisham.

A ‘born and bred Londoner’, Ade grew up and went to school mostly in Lewisham. He passionately believes that someone needs to speak up for young people in our area. Ade wants to give young people and the wider community a real voice on the London Assembly.

PHOTO: Ade Fatukasi (second from left) with Siobhan Benita, Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of London, Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem London Assembly member, and Chris Maines, a former Lib Dem councillor in Lewisham and a current list candidate for the London Assembly.