Meeting overview
The first local assembly meeting held on 2 July received an excellent turn out from local residents. 85 people in total attended the assembly, represented by most members of the community, who came together to discuss the issues of the area as well offer positive solutions.
Feedback from the assembly was largely positive, most attendees found it an opportunity to meet new people living in the area, from different backgrounds and learn about local issues, there was also a lot of enthusiasm to get young people involved in the next assembly.
‘I think you need some separate forums - e.g. for younger people - and to ensure the voices of excluded people or in vulnerable circumstances through other means.’
What we agreed
A wide variety of issues came out of the assembly which will help inform the priority plan for the ward. The top ten most commonly mentioned issues were:
| Issues raised |
Total |
% |
| Traffic parking/roads and pavements |
48 |
26.1 |
| Dirty streets |
42 |
22.8 |
| Lack of facilities in the area |
17 |
9.2 |
| Noise |
12 |
6.5 |
| Crime antisocial behaviour |
10 |
5.4 |
| Lack of youth provision |
10 |
5.4 |
| Public transport and stations |
10 |
5.4 |
| Lack of disabled access |
10 |
5.4 |
| Poor council services |
6 |
3.3 |
| Lack of community cohesion |
3 |
1.6 |
During the meeting, residents raised a number of suggestions to tackle these issues.
Some of the solutions suggested for tackling lack of disabled access:
- disabled ramp at Honor Oak
- signage for disabled access at Crofton park
- consultation about access needs with residents by TFL and the council, organised by the council.
Some of the solutions suggested for tackling dirty streets:
- education and publicity about what you can and can’t recycle
- free cycle areas
- walkabout with residents to highlight problem areas of the ward
- offer free pooper scooper bags / dog bins for streets.
Some of the solutions suggested for tacking lack of youth provision:
- workshops and for young people, canvass young people, involve them in user groups
- teen cwhere and young people and older generations and share problems, knowledge and skills.
What’s happened
An interim coordinating group of local residents and local workers was established at the end of the meeting. The group, chaired by Cllr Scott, will meet between now and the next assembly with the purpose of examining the issues in more detail and to plan the next Assembly meeting, which will be held on Monday 13 October. The Coordinating Group had their first meeting on Monday 4th August.