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Less austerity, peace on earth and love for one another – I hope – but as we approach Christmas and the New Year I thought I would write a blog to round off the year.

Nick, Tim and I were so grateful that the wonderful residents of Beddington re-elected us to represent them with the London Borough of Sutton – we thank you for giving us your trust.  Our strapline “Residents first, always” is as relevant now as it has ever been – with the undemocratic actions of the Administration in Sutton, probably more so.

What have we been up to since re-election in May 2022?   Well, we have continued to challenge the proposed building of a new SEN school on the small Sheen Way Playing Field.  The sticking point for the last 18 months has been the construction logistics plan which lays out the plans to bring a 12 metre articulated trailer plus a lorry cab around the narrow corners of the High View Estate. 

At  the start of all this in 2018 it was suggested that a “trial run” would be done but the Project Manager from the Department for Education has recently confirmed categorically that they will not do this. 

They are all relying on something called a swept path analyses – computer generated plans – but as has recently been the case at the Stafford Road/Sandy Lane South traffic lights these analyses are not always correct.  We are very concerned about this and are trying to establish a web of responsibility.  If something goes wrong we will know who to hold to account.

The people of the Highview Estate cannot be accused of nimbyism – just look at it from the children’s point of view.  They will be moved from a beautiful 33 hectare site with green spaces and trees (good for soaking up CO2 which emits from the incinerator).  They can improve their life skills by using the cafe in the park, walk safely to Hackbridge railway station or Croydon Road for buses, to access public transport and use the park for nature studies and recreation. 

There will be no cafe nearby unless they walk the Stafford Road to Morrisons and they will have to cross the Fiveways junction to walk to Waddon station. 

The roads to access the High View Estate are always busy, Croydon Road/Plough Lane/Stafford Road are frequently jammed and the school travel plan has yet to be submitted.  Journeys for the mini buses will take longer, that is inevitable. 

The site of the proposed new school will have very little room for an allotment as they have now, there is certainly going to be no room for car boot sales and the area will definitely not take car parking should there be a Christmas Fayre held on the premises.  If the school wishes to have a car boot sale as they do now they will have to pay to hire Beddington Park like every organisation does.  These special needs children deserve a new school in an area not surrounded by industrial estate, houses and a railway line (14 trains an hour). 

The Sheen Way Playing Field has been recognised by the London Borough of Sutton as a surface water flood plain and residents are rightly concerned that concreting over it will increase their risks of flooding.  Every document I have read about this in relation to the school says the school building will be protected but what about residents?  Flood enough, and you can’t get flood insurance so who will pay to protect them?

On another tack I have served on the Conservation Access Management Committee for the last four years.  It is this committee that is tasked with working with Viridor and others to complete the Beddington Farmlands Nature Reserve.  I was re-elected to serve on the Committee at the AGM in July 2022. 

Imagine my surprise when, via a third party, I learned that Sutton Council through its Committee Services Department have chucked me off so they can bring in a Councillor from the ruling Liberal Democrats who does not live in the ward and has no connection with residents or their views.

Since being elected in 2018, I have never treated anyone I come into contact with – Residents, Councillors or Officers – disrespectfully and I do not expect them to treat me any differently. 

I wish to stress here and now that Tim Foster as Chair of the CAMC continues to hold those who appear to be delaying the process accountable.  It has been an honour to serve alongside Tim as well as local residents and others as a Councillor on the CAMC and if the Restoration is not complete by 31st December 2023 it will not be down to that Committee but rather a lack of commitment by some major players – after all the CAMC was established in 2013 what actually happened in the first 5 years?

Other aspects of my work as a Councillor include dealing with residents’ problems and trying to get satisfactory solutions for them.  This is my bread and butter work which I take seriously and I hope residents recognise that I always do my best. 

If anyone is worrying about the cost of living crisis and heating their homes there is a lot of information on the Sutton Council website.  If you can’t access this please contact me :

Email me: jillian.green@sutton.gov.uk ,

Message through Facebook

Or call me on 020 8770 4978.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Jillian

After the May election, Sutton Liberal Democrats decided to marginalise residents in the North and East of the Borough, those  most radically hit by the effects of the Viridor Incinerator, who dared to elect Independent or Labour Councillors. 

Irrespective of their own reduced vote and an overall 3 seat majority, they set about ensuring that every Standing Committees had a 2 seat Liberal Democrat majority and that Labour and Independents should share one seat on all except Strategy & Resources.

The Conservative majority opposition group voted against this but Committee  Services endorsed its unfair application.

But surely the Constitution will protect the people of Sutton and ensure proper scrutiny – after all, on the Council website  it states:

The Constitution includes “the rules that the Council must follow”

The Housing Economy and Business Committee (HEB) had approved the redevelopment of the Beech Tree Place site on St Nicholas Way budgeted at £30 million. It had passed Planning Committee but then a hiccup appeared in the guise of full tenders for the work.

It necessitated a meeting of the Urgency Committee – a properly constituted committee consisting of just two Liberal Democrats, the Leader and Deputy Leader and one Conservative member.  In the event, a second Conservative member, a member of the HEB Committee was allowed to attend to ask questions but not to vote.

What was the hiccup?  Well rather than the £30 million projected cost, the meeting was to approve an increase of expenditure to a whopping £44.2 million – very close to a 50% increase.  The Urgency Committee approved the increase.

The Independents have no representation on HEB and therefore no oversight, Cllr Vestey for Labour is on HEB but had no invitation to pose questions to the Urgency Committee.  Concerned when the residents of Sutton, like those round the country, are facing tough economic times, Labour and the Independents looked to the Constitution and thought they had found the answer in section 23.4 which states very clearly:

Definitive action on any decision of any Council committee (except in relation to planning) will be delayed if any four members of the Council give notice in writing to the Chief Executive before 10:00am on the third working day following the meeting that they want to requisition that decision. The written notice must also state:-

• the reason the decision is being requisitioned;
• to which Council body the requisitioners wish the matter to be referred, i.e. either the Full Council, committee, panel, forum, or working party; and
• the outcome the members are seeking from this action.

We complied with the terms of that section and our suggested outcome was that the matter be debated at Full Council as the only area where Labour and Independent Councillors are able to contribute and awaited confirmation.

You guessed it – the Monitoring Officer has rejected the requisition.

It is strange because a requisition is, as you will note, not a request to be considered, but four elected Councillors requisitioning a decision.

Of course, whether you are an elected Liberal Democrat Councillor or  someone who voted for  them, you may like the idea of spending an additional £14.2 million in these straightened times – after all, it isn’t real money it is borrowed. 

And if you think building 93 flats in Sutton represents good value in a housing crisis, that same budget would buy 130 flats on the market today.  In fact the unit price of the accommodation will preclude any idea of shared ownership – they can only be rented and 50 years of rent  will not pay down the debt!

We asked for scrutiny, we asked for possible deferment within our requisition but the Monitoring Officer said no.  He added that the decision was not political and conveniently the Chief Executive is on vacation.

It makes a nonsense of democracy, it makes a nonsense of the Constitution and it makes fools of residents of the London Borough of Sutton.

I hope everyone is coping with this heat whether you are on holiday, sunning yourselves in the garden or sitting indoors with curtains drawn and lights off. 

What a mess the country seems to be in with the rising cost of living and energy bills, now we have been told officially about drought conditions and with the threat of a ULEZ scheme being brought in by Sadiq Khan the Mayor of London there could be great hardship to many, not least residents of the London Borough of Sutton and Beddington Ward. 

Fear not about the ULEZ, Councillor Barry Lewis, Chair of Environment and Sustainable Transport Committee has written to the Mayor of London saying the Council cannot back the proposed ULEZ expansion to Sutton as currently proposed.  He does say the Council welcomes initiatives which may improve air quality and people’s health (that’s rich coming from an administration that voted for the incinerator which is breaking air quality targets on a regular basis made worse by granting Planning Permission for Viridor to install a new tank that will be used to house dirty diesel for use in firing up the boilers). 

Councillor Lewis says in his letter “any expansion of the ULEZ must be accompanied by significant investment in public transport, better cycling and walking infrastructure, a fair and comprehensive scrappage scheme and extension of the planned implementation date”. 

At least he has written but whether a Mayor under such financial pressure will take notice is another matter especially as Sutton has always been at the bottom of the list when dishing out financial support and grants to London Boroughs.

In a Councillor Briefing issued to us last Friday we were told that residents will receive flyers with information about a range of support available through various agencies in Sutton as well as the ways residents can help others. 

I thought the Council meant they might just be looking at ways they could reduce various financial payments residents pay to the Borough including Council tax, rents and parking fines perhaps.  Someone will tell me that they can’t do this legally but as Sutton has one of the highest Council tax rates of all London Boroughs, a small cut might be a help.

Before anyone official gets on their high horse about my suggestions we have to do something to help those struggling in our Borough.  The saying goes ”for evil to prosper good men need do nothing”.

Complaints from us Councilors to the Council about the crisis that is Beddington Lane prompted a meeting with very senior officers from the Council.  It allowed Nick, Tim and myself to express our views on the total shambles that exists for residents and businesses alike. 

As Councillor Foster put it there was a great fanfare from the Council at the opening of the road and within 24 hours there were traffic queues because the roundabout is not being used properly and, yes, you’ve guessed it, another set of temporary traffic lights.

We expressed the view that the residents of Beddington (and indeed Hackbridge ward) are treated like third class citizens because in demonstrating their democratic right to vote for who they want to represent them they feel like they are being punished by the ruling administration.

The senior officers said this was not the case but we drew their attention to:

• Parking on Beddington Lane restricting the road in parts to single lane – the Officers have committed to a process to introduce double yellow lines from the Village to the Beddington Tram Stop.  Legally, this involves a 6-week consultation period and I would encourage all residents to participate.
• The dust and aggregate covering the road and houses – officers agreed to look into this and the permissions granted for the businesses causing the dust.  It was acknowledged that the hedgerows need attention as does the street cleaning to make the cycle ways and pedestrian paths safer.
• Therapia Lane – we once more focused on the rationale for the Council to properly adopt Therapia Lane – there were the normal platitudes about finance but it is just over a month since they announced the next £902,000 from the GLA grant to be spent on the Sutton Works Project in Sutton High Street.  We pointed out the £3+ million in Business Rates generated by this ward and also Section 106 monies – it is a matter of will not a matter of money.
• HGV ban: 4 ½ years ago, officers talked of an HGV ban in Beddington Village and we are still waiting. Croydon continue to object and it could finish up as a legal process.

Beddington and Hackbridge continue to be denied a proper voice on the Standing Committees in spite of cross-party efforts from ourselves, Labour and Conservatives. We understand that there will soon be a petition from residents looking to raise the matter once more at Council.

The Liberal Democrats have an overall majority of 3 yet have demanded – and been supported by officers – a 2 seat majority on every Statutory Committee and shared the representation that Independents had in the last Council between Labour and ourselves.  It is unfair and undemocratic and denies Beddington and Hackbridge residents a voice on these Committees.

Please support the petition when it is introduced.

Finally, I wish everyone all the best for the rest of the summer and to parents and pupils, all the best for the new school year.

Please accept my apologies for the long overdue blog. Firstly, thanks go to all our Independent supporters in Beddington who voted Nick, Tim and I back in to serve as your Ward Councillors for the next four years.  As our motto says “Residents first, always” and we will adhere to this to the letter.

It has been a very disappointing start to the Council year.  As most of you will know the Liberal Democrats have managed to maintain control of the Council by the skin of their teeth with a tiny majority of 3,

At Council meetings, this becomes a majority of 2 because the Mayor only has a casting vote and routinely abstains. 

However, with the collusion of Officers, they have sought to marginalise both Independent Councillors and the three newly elected Labour Councillors.  In the 2018-2022, through proportional representation, we Independent Councillors were represented on every standing Committee. 

What the ruling Group have done is to claim a two-seat majority on every standing Committee and share our positions on Standing Committees between ourselves and Labour

So, as it stands, I have no opportunity to speak out for you, dear resident, because I am allocated a seat on Licensing and Scrutiny neither of which have much to do with residents’ problems. 

To say I am angry about this is an understatement.  It will be of no surprise to those of you who follow local politics that the Liberal Democrats rejected the two proposals, one from the Conservatives and one from Labour backed up by the Independents to extend the membership of some of the Committees which would enable true democratic representation. 

We accept that the Liberal Democrats should have a majority on each Committee but the Conservative proposal offered a majority of one on each Committee but with representation by Labour and Independent and involvement in every debate – that is what the residents of the North East of the Borough voted for.

As usual they quote the Constitution.  This increasingly worthless document was written when they had a huge majority in a two party Council –  there is now representation by four distinct groups and we have asked the Monitoring Officer to recognise that but  there is little interest in change.

Democracy in Sutton died the night of 5 May 2022.

We will fight on – challenging where we can and holding the administration to account for some of the dreadful statements they make publicly. 

In their manifesto which only few will have seen, they say to make walking and cycling easier they are going to look at restricting HGV’s in residential areas.  Wonder how that works as for 60 months or more the High View Estate is going to be inundated with heavy goods lorries and an 80ft crane being manoeuvred round roads that are narrow and were built nearly 100 years ago. 

Councillor Dombey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats actually admitted to residents who were in attendance at a meeting in 2017 that access to the Sheen Way playing fields would be very difficult. 

And as if to reinforce these contradictions, planning permission has been granted for Social  Housing on Beddington Lan when the promised HGV ban in Beddington Village looks unlikely to happen any time soon.

Funnily enough, at that same Planning Committee, the 6 Liberal Democrat members voted for an increased volume of pollution by supporting Viridor’s application for a new diesel tank which will free off existing storage for a high sulphur content fuel for the incinerator.  Invest in the Cancer Hub in Belmont and cause Cancer in Hackbridge and Beddington!

That is all I have to tell you at the moment but as Colombo says “just one more thing”. 

At some time in the near future the Local Plan is up for review.  I implore you all to keep an eye out for this and any consultations that may come up. 

If the residents of the High View Estate had known earlier about the proposals in the Local Plan and been consulted regarding the destruction of the beautiful Sheen Way Playing Field we might have been able to fight it a lot earlier. 

The Liberal Democrats say they want to keep green spaces so be prepared to put up resistance if they want to take yours – just look what they are destroying on Sheen Way

Well that is the Local Elections over for another 4 years and with the opportunity for change and improvement in the hands of the local residents/electors, it is a real commentary on the state of National and Local politics that over 60% of those eligible to vote in the London Borough of Sutton did not bother to vote.

Is it really any surprise that the political shenanigans in Westminster where the only difference between the Labour and Conservative appears to be the choice of a glass of Chablis or a pint of Durham Bitter.

I think the Independents in Beddington at least proved that Local Elections should be about – service to and involvement with the residents.

An early opportunity to participate directly in change comes next Thursday 19th May at 6.30 pm and the Annual General Meeting of the Beddington North Neighbourhood Forum (BNNF) at The Change Foundation Cricket Ground, Plough Lane, Wallington, SM6 8JQ.

It is the opportunity to elect – or for that matter put yourself forward – for Chair and other officer responsibilities.

The BNNF has a potentially critical part to play in Beddington with development of a Neighbourhood Plan, direct involvement in the planned access to the Beddington Farmlands when it opens to the public after December 2023 and of course a forum for direct briefing by Council officials.

All residents are welcome and it is a real opportunity to make a difference – don’t leave it to others, you may not like the results.

Finally – as someone observed on the local Facebook page – Beddington, especially in the Beddington Lane is getting to be a mess. Let’s try to keep our own little piece tidy and the impact will spread!

What do they mean to voters?

One of the features of this election is the impact political funds have had on the attempts of the major parties to fight even a Boroughwide campaign and of course what the fact that 16 Liberal Democrat Councillors not seeking to stand again signalled about the difficulties the establishment parties face.

Paid for deliveries either through the Post Office or leafleteers by the local Liberal Democrats and Conservatives. Newspaper wraps of the Sutton & Croydon Guardian and paid for Facebook inserts by the Labour Party.   But most especially an absolute profusion of “paper candidates” by all three major groups.

So, what is meant by the term “paper candidate” – well in local elections, unlike General Elections, there is no financial cost for registering as a candidate.  All that is needed is a proposer, seconder and support from local residents.

That means that a major party can register candidates in a ward that they have no realistic chance of winning but at the same time appear to their traditional voters to offer the opportunity of continued support.

In these straightened times, it also allows them to focus their scarce resources on areas where they have a chance of representation whilst giving the impression of being capable of forming the next administration.

Is that fair to voters? Probably not!

For those of a certain age, remember the song “Paper Roses” and its chorus verse:

Paper roses, paper roses

Oh how real those roses seemed to me

But they’re only imitation

Like your imitation love for me!

For Paper Roses, read Paper Candidates – they aren’t properly canvassing, some don’t even live in the Borough, let alone the ward and if they can’t be bothered to work at that, why are they worth your vote?

When we were elected in 2018, we never realised the hard work needed to do the job properly and there is really no point in standing if you aren’t prepared to do the hard yards. The secret is, we know what is involved and the rewards are heart-warming and that is why we are standing in Beddington and are encouraged by other community minded colleagues standing with us!

Therefore, on Thursday, as your pencil hovers over the choices of three candidates, ask yourself – did I just get a generic paper like the Beddington Champion or the Carshalton and Wallington Gazette on paper as thin as their candidates – or do I think there are three people who are going to work hard for me and my family?

In the Beddington and Wallington – the answer is that if you vote for the three Independents in your ward you will get proper representation at Committees and at Council as well as strong allies to deal with any shortfall in the services you expect from your Council.

Right now, our news bulletins are full of the horrors of war in Ukraine where a people who have known the taste of democracy are fighting to avoid the yolk of dictatorship. 

Watching the news last night, I have to confess tears when the video of a laughing baby was shown against the background of the news that its life had been cut short at 3 months along with the life of its Mother and Grandmother.

It brought to mind the often misquoted “One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic”, but the Father’s reaction of continuing the fight for democracy was a reflection of the importance of the ability to vote for the Government of your choice.

That same news bulletin carried the news of President Macron’s victory in the French election and this morning the bare statistics of that victory are published.  The headlines offer the news that he won with 58.54% of the vote versus Le Pen’s 41.46%.

But the real story is the 28.01% of the voters who did not vote – it means that realistically, President Macron leads one of the most powerful countries in Europe with just 42.14% of the French voters wanting him!

It is the flaw of democracy if people do not get involved – as we approach the Local Elections on May 5^th it becomes very relevant to everyone on a local level.  And for people on the eastern side of the London Borough of Sutton, we only need to look over the border at bankrupt Croydon to understand why we need to think hard about what faces us and who we vote for.

And let’s just analyse the last bit of voting we had locally. That was  at the by election in 2019 for Wallington North where the winning vote represented 38.24% of the votes.  But with a turnout of 31.36%, that winning vote actually represented a shade under 12% of the voters of Wallington North, or put another way, Wallington North is represented by someone that 88% of the voters did not vote for.

Not knocking the individual, that is not the object – it is an electoral system that was established for universal suffrage but one where politicians have set their own agenda thereby creating voter apathy.

Why bother when they all sound the same?

That in turn has allowed us to get to a situation where those same politicians can align themselves with a small, special interest group (sometimes radical) to deliver the small margins that get them elected.

There is only one solution – if you want your opinion to count, use your vote. 

In Sutton, we have had continued rises in Council Tax – the ruling Liberal Democrats blame Central Government but if that were the case, Sutton’s rises in Council Tax would not be the 4^th highest in Greater London, if it was the Government’s fault, we would all be in the same boat!

They praise their initiatives in SDEN, the London Cancer Hub, Sutton Works etc – but it is the residents are underwriting those initiatives to the tune of £100+ million. A great legacy for our children and grandchildren! 

It is a signal that change is needed – the agenda needs to be set by the residents not politicians – but the only way to change that is to use your vote.

You may have noticed a distinct lack of posters and other election paraphernalia – it is because the Ruling Group want you to stay at home so they can get their small number of supporters to deliver their comfortable seats.

Let’s surprise them and turn out in numbers on the 5^th May and VOTE!

Views of an Independent Councillor Jillian Green

I can’t believe it has been 4 years since I was entrusted, along with my fellow Independent Councillors, Tim Foster and Nick Mattey, by the residents of Beddington North Ward to be their elected representatives on the Council. 

It has been a real privilege to serve the residents, not just of Beddington North but Borough wide, who, in accordance with our mantra, we have always put first.  We have listened to problems, taken action to try and get resolutions, spoken up against situations that were unjust and held the Council to account.

What have I learnt? 

Well it has been an eye opener that is for sure.  Full Council meetings have seen proper debate stifled, rarely did a Liberal Democrat Councillor vote against any resolutions or motions that were put before Council by their group but by observing their body language it showed on many occasions the “sheep” were most uncomfortable in voting “yes”, or, “no” if it was an opposition motion. 

I have always voted on resolutions or motions as I felt fit and being an Independent meant I did not have to play party politics.  Those of you who have listened to Council meetings will know my stock sentence has been “Why can’t we work together for the good of the Borough?”  The Liberal Democrats always adopt an attitude of “We know best” and do not really like working cooperatively with other groups – “Our way or no way” is their mantra.

It was a huge disappointment that the building of a SEND school on the old Sheen Way Playing Field is going ahead.  Now don’t get me wrong, not one person on the estate is against a new school for the SEND children, but the small playing field at the end of a cul de sac with only one way in and out is certainly the wrong place. 

Despite a fantastic performance by Tim Foster as a Rule 6 participant at the Planning Enquiry, the Planning Inspector recommended it go ahead and the then Minister of State, Robert Jenrick, agreed.  I have written numerous emails and letters to Ministers for Communities and Education pointing out why the siting of this school is so bad for the SEND pupils. 

To move them from beautiful Beddington Park to a small plot surrounded by railway, houses and industrial units will do very little to enhance their education or wellbeing.  They will have to get up earlier to cope with the increases in traffic jams.  Those of you who know the Croydon Road and Plough Lane can attest to the problems faced.  

Tim and I battle on, and will continue to do so if re-relected, making sure the residents of the High View Estate are treated fairly and the conditions put in place by the Planning Inspector are adhered to. 

One question I ask myself repeatedly was the inclusion of Sheen Way in the Local Plan fair – answer no.  No consultation took place with the residents of High View Estate, in my opinion is was just a case of let’s stick a pin in and that will do.  If the school does get built the residents can expect another 300 traffic movements a day so not only are we dealing with air pollution from the incinerator and the current school traffic but more added by the mini buses and cars from the school travel plan.

The question frequently asked is what will the Council do with Carew Manor?  With the experience of the sale of the Lodge in Beddington Park for a song, one cannot but feel that this glorious local asset is not safe if the current administration retains power after May’s election. 

Let us not forget about that dark shadow over Beddington, the incinerator! Recent events have shown that the current Administration has very little control over those private companies they get into bed with.  Now the landfill has been sold by Viridor and not only were the Council unaware until the last minute of this transaction they have no idea how this is going to impact on the future of the farmlands and surrounding areas. 

One thing that has struck me as I continue working for residents is the fact that not only do ruling parties like low turnouts at elections, so do the Council Officers as this means the current administration is likely to get re-elected and their work just continues as before. 

If you are reading this please vote, it is vital that residents have their say at the ballot box and a low turnout will pretty much leave things as they are.  In addition to Tim, Nick and me there are more Independent candidates standing in the Borough, all with the same philosophy as us. 

This is not about national party politics but about electing Councillors who truly care about the Borough and who want to see it flourish and be a place we can all be proud of.   Does the London Borough of Sutton really deserve another four years of the Liberal Democrats? 

A party who have gone ahead breaking their own policies, for example, a tower block of flats in Sutton High Street of 20 storeys, going against their Local Plan. We are losing green spaces, despite saying they want more; we have had the parking debacle, the low traffic neighbourhoods and school streets (which just throws more traffic onto other roads causing increases in air pollution), the partnership with other Boroughs for waste which is brought into Beddington to be incinerated causing increase in air pollution for residents and the children attending nearby schools. 

Then there is bingate, still ongoing, lack of street cleaning and grass cutting of verges done as the schedule says.  It doesn’t matter if it’s pouring with rain and the grass gets torn out.  The cuttings are then blown into the road and down the drains.  Doesn’t make sense does it?  I have to say common sense and this Administraton does not go hand in hand. 

We have improved communication in the ward, we have supported the Beddington North Neighbourhood Forum, 500+ pieces of “case work” helping individual residents on anything from planning, to housing and schools – we hope we have done enough for you to vote for us again on May 5^th.

There is still so much to do, challenging what is wrong and ensuring that residents of Beddington continue having a voice that will represent their interests and fight for them.  I am more focused than ever on what needs to be done and if change was needed it is now. 

Please vote for the Independents.

2018 was when the last Local Elections were held here in Sutton – and what 4 years it has been.  From a National or International perspective, there has been unprecedented change – a General Election, Brexit, a Pandemic and now a War – change beyond what anyone could have foreseen.

How is the way you vote in these Local Elections going to change those huge issues – truly it will have no impact at all.  

Voting for a particular party to “send a message to Whitehall” – well every Government expects a mid-term downturn so any message will be diluted, excused by media and the politicians alike.

So, what can change with your vote?

What about the way that this Borough treats Special Needs Education (SEN)?  Are we happy with the performance of Cognus, a stand-alone company set up by the current administration to run education services?  Well, the parents of SEN children aren’t, one of the highest rejection rates for EHCP applicants and telling parents that there are not enough therapists to offer one to one Speech Therapy in the Borough but then sell the same services out of Borough!

Then there are the long-term contracts with waste companies, Viridor and Veolia.  Viridor treat this administration as a VERY junior partner in business – selling the Beddington Farmlands without reference and applying to the Environment Agency for an increase in waste volume without consultation.  More traffic, more pollution and does anyone care about Sutton residents – clearly not this administration!

A recent fly tip on Richmond Green reflected the appalling management process – if it was on the south side of Richmond Green, that was parks and idVerde were responsible, on the north side, it would be Sutton Housing Partnership (SHP) and on the roadway, Veolia.  Is it any wonder that the Borough needs volunteer litter pickers to keep it clean!

But when we say SHP, that is a bit of a misnomer, because they have a charge they levy from tenants for bulk disposal!  And on the subject of “Affordable Housing” – that much trumpeted development on Richmond Green is not only charging substantial rents, some of those homes are in Council Tax Band E meaning high payments and denial of access to the £150 contribution to help with rising living costs.

Like so many claims of the current administration – there is a lot of gloss but the substance does not match the rhetoric!

There are six of us Sutton Independents standing in Beddington and Wallington North – but we are not the only ones – there are a total of thirteen independent candidates putting themselves forward on May 5^th.

And there are some strong Labour candidates in Hackbridge and St Helier and some very good Conservatives on the western side of the Borough – all committed residents looking to change the face of this Council.

I have heard the expression “paper candidate” used on a number of occasions this campaign – candidates entered with no intention of winning or, in some cases, even campaigning. They are not worth your vote!

Certainly, the level of commitment needed for an Independent means that you can be certain that an Independent candidate is here to do a job.  We have shown in Beddington that three Independents can do a great job.

Make sure you are voting on local issues – they are the ones that matter to every resident.

It is an old quotation that in a war, that truth is the first casualty and whilst one hopes that analogising the May local elections to a war is an overstatement, the current Liberal Democrat administration fired the first shots of their campaign at this week’s Council meeting.

With a proposed motion entitled “Council recognises the significant achievements of this council in recent years……” – the leader of the Conservative group had questioned the Chief Executive and the Monitoring Officer over the legality of using the platform of a Full Council meeting to promote a political message.  That appeal was unsurprisingly rejected and I agreed to present a joint opposition amendment

For the record, the overwhelming majority enjoyed by the Liberal Democrats made their “achievements” a matter of record – I am sure that will be trumpeted somewhere but that is just to underline the current reality.

Because what was presented was an opaque, distorted version of the truth – a claim for credit for initiatives facilitated by the GLA or Central Government while ignoring the shortcomings that have been highlighted by very negative assessments from OFSTED and the Care Quality Commission, “Bingate”, cycle lanes, Low Traffic Neighbourhoods that blocked emergency vehicles and the recent critique of the SDEN business case.

I quote from that CIPFA report : “The basis on which the project was approved was not to the standard it should have been and the governance was not what should have been expected for such a novel project.”

One of the criticisms was that the Council had failed to follow the Treasury guidelines on investment following the “5 Case Business Case Model”.  Because like many Councils, the London Borough of Sutton has borrowed large amounts of Government money – £125+ million so far – to “invest” in order to generate revenue.  But there is a real danger in this easily accessed credit as we have seen from our neighbouring Borough of Croydon.

So to ignore Treasury advice is to risk the same – I asked with a Freedom of Information request, how many other investments from Opportunity Sutton, the London Cancer Hub, COGNUS, Sutton Works or the St Nicholas Centre had been assessed under this recommended “5 Case Business Case Model” and the answer is NONE of them. Yes, that is £125+ million invested without following treasury advice!

And when My London reports on social media about grand plans for Sutton High Street including a roof garden ( which no planning permission has been applied for), consider the response of a senior officer when asked what the plan related, for example, to the St Nicholas Centre investment after acquisition.

It was succinct and to the point “We have no plan….” – like so much of what we as residents have endured over the years, there is an ambitious plan, glossy marketing materials but an inability to manage the opportunity.

But focus on these “ambitious” plans is to FORGET what residents expect of their Council – they expect a Council to listen to the results of consultations and act upon those results, they want clean and safe streets, good education and healthcare. 

They would probably prefer their children to go to a new school rather than see them squashed into existing schools. Parents of SEN children would prefer their children to enjoy the 50+ hectares of Beddington Park than be squashed a school on 2 hectares next to a railway line a site declared at significant flood danger by the Council as far back as 2011.

And when your child is diagnosed as having special needs, do you want to fight for an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) because education services are on a profit target, or do you want your needs considered with empathy and understanding?

Do you want your Council to agree, in partnership with three other boroughs, that your Borough accepts more waste than the rest combined meaning more HGV’s and have twin chimneys sending a toxic flume to poison our children?

NO!

They find multi-million pound investment with slapdash financials a poor return compared with damning reports from OFSTED and the CQC, Bingate and a record number of appearances in Private Eye’s “Rotten Boroughs”.

We hope that the election in May will see a great turnout – low turnouts suit the ruling Liberal Democrats and if you want change, please use your vote. 

But we know some people question politics and politicians.

Well, there are three of us in Beddington – Jillian Green, Nick Mattey and myself – who thought exactly the same and stood as Independents in 2018 punching well above our weight in Council and Committees and if you want to know what that involved or want to do the same in your ward, then contact us.  We are going again in May and would be glad to hear from you.

Our Sutton Independent Residents Group states “Residents First Always” and that isn’t a bad starting point for anyone seeking to properly serve as a Councillor.

Nick Mattey – nickmattey@me.com  – 07860 673458

Jillian Green – jilliann1953@gmail.com – 07599 661 522

Tim Foster    – timfoster53@gmail.com – 07771 847290