Newsletter May 2006

Published on Sat 20th May 2006

Newsletter May 2006

The last few months have been the busiest I can remember. First, there was the Lib Dem leadership election campaign, when I spent a great deal of time in Ming Campbell's headquarters helping to run the operations side of the campaign. Next was the local election campaign, where Jim and I delivered vast quantities of leaflets, which enabled our candidates in Hampton to spend more time canvassing on the doorstep. I never want to see another leaflet or newspaper for quite some time! But it was all worth the effort - Ming won the leadership election and we regained control of Richmond upon Thames council, winning all three seats in my ward.

While all this was going on, I was still doing my 'day job' on the London Assembly and one of the issues on which I have been working for months was finally resolved this week.

1. EASTWAY CYCLING CIRCUIT

With mountain biking now an Olympic sport, this circuit is the premier site in London for mountain bike training. It comprises 26 hectares of rugged terrain between Hackney Marshes and Stratford. It is the only site in London to offer a road circuit, cyclo-cross events (where riders cycle on surfaced and unsurfaced courses), mountain biking and BMX tracks, and is used by 25,000 people a year.

The Eastway Users Group asked for my help to fight the proposal by the London Development Agency to re-locate the circuit to Rammey Marsh in Enfield, to make way for the Olympic park. Although the group accepted the need to move, it considered Rammey Marsh to be totally unsuitable for a variety of reasons. The group preferred a move to Hog Hill in Redbridge.

After months of campaigning, detailed negotiations and two formal consultations, the LDA finally announced this week that, together with British Cycling (the cycling national body), it would now support the move to Hog Hill. The campaigners had worked tirelessly for this outcome and the decision demonstrates yet again how effective local campaigns can be if properly managed.

I spent last Saturday morning at the circuit and would like to thank everyone there for the tremendous welcome I received. I met many of the young cyclists and heard of their hopes and aspirations of taking part in the 2012 Olympics.

2. CLAYS LANE

Within the Olympic Park site, there is currently a housing estate on Clays Lane - a housing co-operative with a mixture of accommodation for around 250 people. Some of these people live in shared accommodation with, 4, 6 or 10 people per house. Over the years, Clays Lane has become a community and many of the residents want to move to the same location when they are relocated. I have been fighting to ensure that these residents are given appropriate housing, and I'm having discussions with the London Development Agency to make sure this happens.

3. POLICING ISSUES

I have finally completed my visits to all the Metropolitan Police's borough commanders in London and am just finalising my report. A number of local parties have asked me to raise issues with their borough commander and between us we have managed to get many of these resolved. This has made it a very worthwhile exercise and I have really enjoyed visiting every London borough, some of which I had not visited before.

4. TRANSPORT FOR DISABLED CHILDREN

The London Assembly committee that I chair (Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism) has been conducting a scrutiny into how the Paralympic Games in 2012 can encourage sports participation amongst people with special needs and disabilities. During this scrutiny, we discovered that one of the biggest barriers to participation is the lack of suitable transport.

Most disability sports clubs operate outside school hours, but the transport provided for children at special needs schools is inflexible and does not cater for after-school clubs. Another problem is that distances travelled are usually longer because special needs schools have much larger catchment areas than mainstream schools.

As part of the scrutiny, our committee visited Camberwell Gymnastics Club, which looks as if it has not had a coat of paint for 30 years! But we forgot all about the décor when we met Russell Haynes, an inspirational sports coach who runs a club for disabled children. Russell told us that he can take only ten children at a time and has a waiting list of more than two years. The local health centre, the Sheldon Centre, also refers children to the gym, and it can take a long time for a space to become free.

We saw children, some of whom were severely disabled, running, jumping and climbing. The look of sheer exhilaration on their faces will live with me for a very long time. Most of these children need one-to-one coaching and the staff were just brilliant. I spoke to a number of the parents, who said how much the club had helped their children's confidence and social skills. What a pity that, because of the lack of transport, large numbers of disabled children don't have access to this kind of club.

I am campaigning to raise the necessary money to provide transport that will give such children an equal opportunity to take part in sport. I am approaching various different companies, predominantly in the transport sector, to raise money for this cause. The proceeds will be channelled through an existing disability charity, with the condition that the money is dedicated to funding special transport.

I have also raised the issue at Mayor's Question Time and the Mayor offered to join me in trying to resolve the issue of transport. Let's see if he translates his words into action - I will keep you posted!

5. FILM PRODUCTION IN LONDON

Whenever a film is made in London locations, it not only brings income during the production but also can act as great publicity for London and inspire many tourists to visit us. In June, my committee will be looking at the issues surrounding film production in London, and what factors can affect a decision to locate film production here.

The committee has already held an informal meeting with film producers, location managers and studio owners. We heard that some of the main problems involve parking and cost - and the very differing attitudes of the London boroughs towards filming.

We will be holding a formal hearing on 13 June, where we will hear from expert witnesses, and we will also be conducting site visits. We are likely to visit one film studio, and also visit a location shoot within London.

A report on this scrutiny should be published in October 2006.

6. FORTHCOMING REPORT LAUNCHES

During June and July, a number of reports are due to be published by my committee:

· Childcare provision in London

· Apprenticeships

· The London Cultural Consortium

· How the Paralympics can encourage sports participation amongst people with disabilities

Please let me know if you would like an electronic copy of any these when they are published.

7. LOCAL PARTIES

I have been invited by a number of local parties to talk about the Olympics. I'm keen to discuss how local parties can get more involved with Olympic and police campaign issues. If you would like me to attend any of your meetings or fundraising activities, please get in touch. I have some interesting slides showing how the event will develop and what the Olympic structures will look like.