SE22 Councillors
Dulwich Hill Councillor Maggie Browning | maggie.browning@southwark.gov.uk
Royal Mail Christmas Chaos As local councillors, we have been inundated with stories about the poor postal service throughout the Christmas period. When I was out knocking on doors in Dulwich in January, residents spoke of no post for up to 4 weeks; of missing Christmas cards and gifts, letters for hospital appointments arriving late and of waiting for important bills and documents. As many residents will know, Royal Mail chose to close their delivery office on Silvester Road in 2018. This has left SE22 and the wider Dulwich area without a delivery office able to meet the needs of the community. We, along with Helen Hayes MP, opposed the closure at the time but our concerns fell on deaf ears. Since then the service has gone from bad to worse. We have consistently raised the issue of the poor postal service in Dulwich with Royal Mail but again no action has been taken. We know our postal workers are working extremely hard in very challenging circumstances, challenges that have been further exacerbated by the pandemic. Your local councillors in Dulwich and your local MP Helen Hayes have relaunched our campaign on the postal service in Dulwich. We are starting out with a survey so we can get a clear picture of the scale of the problem. If you haven’t already, please fill out our survey and encourage your friends and neighbours to do the same: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/royal_mail_2022
Royal British Legion East Dulwich Branch centenary celebration In December, it was a pleasure to take part in the ceremony for the centenary celebration of the Royal British Legion East Dulwich Branch on Barry Road. My ward colleague Cllr Jon Hartley and I were joined by the Mayor of Southwark Cllr Barrie Hargrove and by Helen Hayes MP. There was an amazing turnout of local residents and the ceremony was very moving. The RBL building has recently undergone a major refurbishment, organized by volunteers and with support from the central Royal British Legion, and it looks fantastic inside. I will be working with the branch and volunteers to see how we can further commemorate this important anniversary. 24 | SE22 - February 2022
With Cllr Ochere and Cllr Hartley outside Parkside Café on Forest Hill Road.
Supporting Local Businesses in Dulwich Hill It was a pleasure to welcome Cllr Jason Ochere, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Businesses and Town Centres, to Dulwich Hill in December to meet with businesses on Forest Hill Road and to discuss what more we can do to help businesses thrive. Several businesses we spoke to had been supported by the council to apply for support grants during the pandemic and were keen to share further ideas for how we can continue to support small businesses in Southwark.
Back to Business Fund open to applications The Back to Business Fund, a collaboration between Southwark Council and the Greater London Authority, is now open to applications. Delivered through the Pay It Forward London crowdfunding platform, the fund offers up to £5,000 in match funding to small and independent businesses based in Southwark to help them build future resilience. Businesses can use the fund to upskill employees, digitise, diversify their business model, or innovate and adapt to new ways of trading through the recovery period. If you’re a small business that has been adversely affected by COVID-19, this fund can help your business become better equipped for the future. https://payitforward.london.gov.uk/fund?utm_ content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_ source=govdelivery&utm_term=
