Councillors Column

SE22 Councillors

Councillor Jon Hartley | Dulwich Hill Ward | jon.hartley@southwark.gov.uk

Empowering Communities Local Meetings Our most recent Empowering Communities meeting took place on 5th Feb 2020 at Christ Church on Barry Rd and focused on the theme of ‘Health and Wellbeing’.

It was also the first meeting that we have held in Dulwich Hill as a single ward, rather than joint with other wards or as part of a multiword forum. The meeting was chaired by my colleague Maggie Browning and I and included a presentation from a council officer who gave an overview of the services and support the council provides to encourage residents to live an active lifestyle, including free Swim and Gym and the Cycle with Confidence programme.

We then heard from residents who spoke about action they had taken to foster a sense of community and well-being in their road or estate - such as a street party or community club. We also looked at the ways the council had supported them with this, usually through the help of a small grant from the Cleaner Greener Safer, Highways or Neighbourhood Fund, which we determine locally. Our next Empowering Communities meeting will be on 10th March and will focus on road safety and air pollution, if you’re a Dulwich Hill resident do come along.

Traffic Around Goodrich School Concerns about the level of traffic in the roads around Goodrich School have been growing amongst local residents, parents and school staff. Numbers of vehicles, along with some inconsiderate driving and parking are causing difficulties and safety concerns, particularly at the start and end of the school day.

At a recent meeting at the school, there were many examples given of the upset caused and agreement from all of us present that this problem needs to be fixed. As local councillors we are working with school staff and parents to get potential solutions from council traffic officers; such as crossings, patrols or short period street closures like Southwark’s School Streets scheme that have worked well around other local schools.

Southwark Budget 2020/21 Over the past few weeks councillors have been working through the council’s budget for the next financial year. Despite some additional funding being provided by the (then) Chancellor in his Spending Review last November we are still having to find some savings this year. However, once again we have worked to ensure that these savings have little or no impact on front-line services for our most vulnerable residents.

In order to set a balanced budget we do need to raise council tax by 1.99% and levy a 2% precept for Adult Social Care, this is in line with other London councils.

The impact will be to raise the average Southwark element of the council tax bill by 82p per week or 12p if you are on the our Council Tax Reduction Scheme, which remains one of the most generous in London.

Before the next budget in 2020/21 we expect the government to have introduced a new Fair Funding Formula for all councils, as well as undertaking a business rate revaluation. The combined impact of these changes is currently unknown, but they are likely to mean further savings will be needed in next year’s budget.

Council Housing Repairs I’m a member of the Southwark Housing Scrutiny Commission and this year we’ve been looking at how best to improve the council’s housing repairs service. Following the bringing back in-house of the repairs service, Southwark is now directly providing the vast majority of repairs to our council housing stock. We have looked at how effectively and efficiently these repairs are done.

We’ve talked to local residents about how the current system can be improved. Whilst standards are better than under previous contractors, too many residents have a negative experience trying to arrange repairs. We are now recommending that Southwark ends its internal client/contractor split and returns to a more traditional service model. We have also found more ways to make the service more responsive to our residents, including involving them in the sign off of the repair’s completion.

www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk | Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD | 020 8693 5254 Exhibitions & Displays British Surrealism UNTIL 17 May Gallery Yoga + British Surrealism Sunday 15 March, 8.30–10am £25; £12 Friends Try a yoga session with a difference, amongst our beautiful collection of Old Master paintings. Led by experienced British Wheel of Yoga teachers, each session is designed to stretch, strengthen and energize you. Followed by early access to British Surrealism. Ticket includes yoga, exhibition entry and a hot drink from the Gallery Café.

This exhibition marks 100 years since the birth of surrealism, championing the British artists that contributed to an iconic movement. See over 70 eclectic works from 42 artists including Leonora Carrington, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore and Paul Nash as well as lesser known figures such as Marion Adnams, Conroy Maddox, Reuben Mednikoff and Grace Pailthorpe. Journeys UNTIL 24 June Included in Gallery admission. Our latest display shines a new light on works from the Gallery's Collection and seeks to question the nature of migration from the 17th century to today. Journeys has been co-curated by a group of Community Curators, with personal experiences of migration hailing from all over the world. Courses & Workshops Inspired by the exhibition, British Surrealism Painting the Surreal Landscape Five Tuesdays from 3–31 March, 10am–1pm £155; £150 Friends & Concessions Explore the techniques and process of creating and capturing transcendent landscapes. Artist Nikki Gardham will guide you through exploring the colour palettes, paint application, and poetic imaginations of the surrealists. By the end of the course you will have a portfolio of oil sketches and finished paintings made in the gallery’s studio and grounds.

Twisted World: Writing Surrealist Poetry Saturday 21 March, 10am–5pm. £60 From William Blake to Lewis Carroll, British Surrealism draws on many writers whose works experimented with the bizarre, surreal and sublime. In this day-long workshop with poet Katherine Lockton of South Bank Poetry, explore a selection of surrealist poetry before creating your own. Suitable for all experience levels.

Drawing From the Subconscious Three Saturdays from 21 March–4 April £35 per session / £90 for all three; £30 / £85 Friends & Concessions Explore the therapeutic qualities of drawing and painting from dreams with artist Mary Herbert. Each week you'll encounter the work of a different British surrealist, using this as a springboard to discover the symbolism of dreams and the subconscious in your own practice. After Hours British Surrealism Late: Down the Rabbit Hole Friday 27 March, 6–10pm 18+, Free but ticketed (booking essential) Dive into the weird and wonderful world of British Surrealism in this special Late. See the exhibition after hours alongside pop-up performances, food and drink and collaborative art-making workshops – from creating a largescale ‘magnificent corpse’, to surrealist game play. Or why not try and make sense of your dreams in our Dream Surgery.

Dulwich Picture Gallery Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD Tel: 020 8693 5254 | (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) | Cafe: 020 8299 8717

Talks Surviving the Century With Professor Martin Rees Tuesday 10 March, 10.30am £12; £10 Friends & Concessions Humanity is threatened by two types of stress: firstly, the environmental and climatic stresses caused by the pressure of a growing and more demanding population: and secondly, the risk that some technologies are advancing faster than we can cope with them or effectively regulate them. Professor Rees addresses these themes in a lecture drawing from his recent book On the Future: Prospects for Humanity. British Surrealism: Sign Language Talk Thursday 26 March, 1pm. FREE BSL interpreter John Wilson leads this talk looking at highlights from the British Surrealism exhibition. This talk is for deaf and hard-of-hearing British Sign Language users - it will be delivered in BSL and does not include a voiceover. Book a free ticket by emailing: learning@dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk Engineering the Future With Lorde Browne Tuesday 31 March, 10.30am £12; £10 Friends & Concessions

Join Lord Browne, former Group Chief Executive of BP, to consider the new freedoms and opportunities technological advances provide us with. Lord Browne will examine key questions raised by the advancement of new technologies, including how the rise of social media affects our privacy, fake news, and if robots will take our jobs.

Early Years Mini Masterpieces Tuesday 3 & thursday 19 March,10-11am & 11.30am-12.30pm. £12 per adult and child Discover all of the different people, places and animals in the Gallery’s paintings in these interactive workshops. Each session begins with a journey through the Gallery, followed by an art-making activity. Ages: 6–24 months. Art Adventurers Friday 27 March, 10-11am £12 per adult and child Are you and your little one ready for an adventure? Each month join our Early Years mascot, Jerome the Lion, as he takes you on a journey through the Gallery. Dance, sing and play your way around our paintings, before enjoying a messy artmaking session. Our themes change monthly to keep your little ones engaged. Suggested age: 2-4 yrs. Music & Film Lunchtime Concert Series 4, 11 & 18 March, 1.30pm Free, Christ’s Chapel Talented students from local South London schools showcase their musicianship in these free concerts. Sunday Organ Recital Sunday 8 March, 7.45pm Free, Christ's Chapel Enjoy free recitals in this beautiful chapel. Play Misty For Me Monday 9 March Bar 7pm / Film 7.30pm £10; £8 Friends This psychological thriller was Clint Eastwood's directorial debut. Also starring in the film, Eastwood plays the role of a radio DJ being stalked by an obsessed female fan, played by Jessica Walter.