Today I led a delegation from the ENOUGH! campaign to the Treasury. ENOUGH! is a local campaign to make youth violence history. It’s a coalition of local people and organisations who are deeply concerned about the level of violence that affects young people in southeast London.

In the meeting with Yvette Cooper, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, we urged the Minister to ensure that new funding recently ear-marked for youth projects around the country, be targeted at existing youth organisations, which are tackling youth violence in southeast London.

There are dozens of great youth organisations in Lewisham, but many struggle for funding. We want to see this new money being prioritised for youth projects that are already doing important work to end the violence our young people suffer from every day.

Cllr Pete Pattisson

We know many of you are concerned about the impact of the play area on Shroffold Green, and we are writing to assure you that we are taking the issue seriously.

We have spoken with all the organisations involved, and they have agreed to take steps to minimise any problems.

Phoenix Community Housing have confirmed that a fence will be built around 3 sides of the play area before the end of the month, and rubbish bins will also be installed.

The Youth Service and the Street Wardens have been working on the Green over the past week and will keep up their visits over the coming weeks.

The police reported that crime in the area has not risen since the park was built, and there is no evidence that the youth shelter is being used for any illegal activity. They assured us that they will continue to carry out visits, monitor the situation and work with local organisations and groups to deal with any problems.

Everyone wants to see good facilities for young people and we are glad many of them are enjoying the play area, however we also want to respect residents’ right to privacy and peace. We suspect that once the initial interest in the play area wears off, things will quieten down. Nevertheless, we have asked all the relevant local organisations to continue to monitor the use of the play area, and should it continue to be a major concern, we will discuss further ways to improve the situation for everyone.

If you have further concerns, do not hesitate to contact:

Safer Neighbourhood Police Team – 020 8721 2487 (In an emergency always dial 999)
Phoenix Community Housing - 0844 264 2800

Cllr Pete Pattisson has met with the school council at Catford High to discuss ways to improve Forster Park. Top of the students’ concerns are safety, dog mess and the condition of the park’s paths.

Cllr Pattisson, himself a former Lewisham teacher says

It was great the meet the students and hear their ideas for making Forster Park even better. I will continue to work with them to make these ideas a reality.

We would like to say a big congratulations to Greenvale School for its excellent Ofsted Report. - clearly the result of very hard work by students, staff and parents. Read about here in the Newsshopper.