South London Weekly - January 5th 2024

SouthLondonWeekly.

Community matters

what does 2024 hold For london's three most southerly boroughs?

Issue 31 ∙ 50p ∙ January 5 2024 ∙ www.southlondon.co.uk

over See to yew sport

health risk See pages 14-15

disabled woman stuck in home For two weeks 'due to broken liFt'

See page 12

'third winter without borough-wide bus shelters' See page 13

violence against doctors, nurses and other hospital workers appears to be rising in london, data suggests See page 9

thousands Flocked to london's 'most christmassy lane' See page 11

2 NEWS Contents NEWS Pages 2-15

Family restaurant loses alcohol licence after becoming home to ‘escalating crime’ Local Democracy Reporter

from the police and licensing team.

A Ghanaian restaurant on Thornton Heath High Street has had its alcohol licence revoked following years of what Croydon Council described as a ‘clear and consistent breach’. Police callouts to Efie Ne Fie increased in frequency and severity since it was awarded the licence to sell alcohol from 10am until 10pm on Monday to Sunday in 2016.

Representing the Met Police’s team at the licensing sub-committee last week, Claire Nevin said: “If anything, the level of crime and disorder has only escalated at the premises with the passing of time.”

The issue was compounded by the licence holder, Roberta Asafu-Adjaye, who consistently failed to install working CCTV on the premises. This omission meant three investigations into crimes on the premises were dropped. These crimes included a knife attack on one male attendant and the theft of a young female’s phone.

Despite persistent efforts from the Met Police and Croydon Council’s licensing team, which included letters and site visits, Adjaye ‘consistently’ failed to correctly install working CCTV at the premises. This meant they were not meeting the licensing objective of ‘preventing crime and disorder.”

Police were first called to the address at 50 Thornton Heath High Street on December 19, 2019, following an allegation of common assault and theft by a customer at the premises. On arrival, officers observed there was no CCTV installed at the premises. They also found no evidence of staff training records or the refusals register required by their licence.

PC Garrod and council licensing officer Kay Jones visited the address in January.

Following a talk with Adjaye, it became apparent that all five licence conditions were being breached. Adjaye was invited to address these issues on a number of follow-up visits and in frequent emails

Prior to the first lockdown in 2020, Adjaye emailed the police to tell them of their recently installed CCTV system, however, police did not visit until the restaurant reopened in the Summer of 2020.

‘huge fight’ were received. It transpired that Adjaye had rented out the back room for a private party, which became rowdy following a noise complaint.

After Adjaye kicked the revellers out of the restaurant for smashing her window, a fight broke and one girl was knocked unconscious after a bottle was smashed

complaints come through but it’s not like we haven’t complied with it. We had trouble with the cameras due to the changing of the layout but it wasn’t intentional.

“We recently bought a new HD CCTV, which we set up. However, we didn’t know that the one terabyte memory

Following the post-covid reopening, police received a report from a 21-yearold female. She said an older man had made sexual comments that made her uncomfortable so to avoid this man she left the restaurant, accidentally leaving her phone inside to be stolen. When police arrived to investigate, it turned out that there was no CCTV in working order, despite what Adjaye said before the lockdown.

The third incident occurred in July of this year when police were called to the premises by a male who said he had been the victim of a knife attack there.

Upon arrival, police observed he had a laceration on his right hand, which was about 2 to 3 centimeters long. The police once again found that the restaurant lacked working CCTV, meaning they had to drop the investigation.

While this incident encouraged the licensing team to call Efie Ne Fie’s licence into question, it would not be the final incident. On October 13, officers attended Efie Ne Fie after reports of a

over her head. Despite having called the police to the restaurant, Adjaye refused to aid the police investigation.

Unsurprisingly, Croydon’s licensing team lost faith in Adjaye’s ability to uphold her licence conditions. During the licensing sub-committee, Nevin said: “It is a serious thing to revoke somebody’s licence and we fully acknowledge that, but we’ve taken the stepped approach recommended in the guidance and not jumped to this as our first step. We have tried and tried again to explain and liaise with the licence holder but it has been unsuccessful.

In further justifying their decision, the listening team referred to the already above-average level of crime in Thornton Heath and the pressing need to prevent further crime and disorder.

The restaurant is also half a mile away from Selhurst Park and sees a sharp increase in footfall on matchdays.

Adjaye’s son, Aaron Ezu, who also works at the restaurant, told the committee: “We have heard several

meant it didn’t save footage after 30 days. We had to buy a new one terabyte CCTV camera because the one terabyte was draining too much battery. We have also placed challenge 25 stickers everywhere and have a training book.”

He added: “It is a mother and son business, problems happen here and there but now everything is up to date.

Anyone can come and have a look to see.”

Before delivering their decision, Adjaye told the committee: “ I’m running this business to feed my family. I have learned from my mistakes and my son has tried to keep everything up to date.”

Despite being stripped of its licence, Efie Ne Fie remains open as a restaurant.

By Harrison Galliven

PROPERTY Page 16

Arts Page 17

CLASSIFIED Page 18

Public notices Pages 19-20

SPORT Pages 21-24

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SouthLondonWeekly.

Community matters

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Issue 30 ∙ 50p ∙ December 22 2023 ∙ www.southlondon.co.uk

'LIVES MADE HELL BY MOULD'

Page 6

CRITICS DON’T KNOW JACK S**T

See sport

BEC IN BUSINESS Tooting lido will re-open to public this spring, after major £4million revamp

O2 ACADEMY CRUSH: IMAGES OF PEOPLE POLICE HOPE TO IDENTIFY

See page 10

See page 2

'STOP THE HGV RATRUN DANGER'

See page 18

Left image: Efie Ne Fie used its backroom to host unlicensed parties, one of which ended in a 'huge fight' Credit: Google Maps

Locals say they want to see more police on the streets in Thornton Heath. Credit: Grahame Larter.

The South London Weekly is an independent newspaper covering all of south London and beyond Community Matters Media has been running independent newspapers since 1987, and now boasts the weeklies: South London Weekly, Southwark News and Greenwich & Lewisham Weekender, as well as the lifestyle magazines The South Londoner and Bermondsey Biscuit & Rotherhithe Docker.

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NEWS 3

Schoolgirl Sophia, 4, was operated on at king’s hospital before she was even born

By newsdesk

Four-yearold Sophia is enjoying her first Christmas school break

Four-year-old Sophia is enjoying her first Christmas school break, having beaten the odds to complete her first two terms at school following successful pioneering surgery at King’s College Hospital before she had even been born.

In July 2019, whilst 29 weeks pregnant with Sophia who had been diagnosed with Spina Bifida, mum Emma underwent innovative surgery which allowed surgeons to operate on her unborn daughter using a keyhole approach to close her spinal defect while still inside the womb.

The minimally invasive surgery (Fetoscopic Closure) was so new that, at the time, Sophia was only the third child to undergo the procedure. Surgeons believe King’s College Hospital to be the only hospital in the UK where such closures, using a keyhole approach, are performed.

The surgery was necessary in order to prevent Sophia’s spinal cord and nerves from suffering further damage, which risked preventing her from ever being able to walk or move her legs or feet, along with a range of other disabilities.

Open neural tube defects, commonly referred to as Spina Bifida, are a group of defects where the spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb,

resulting in a gap where the nerves are exposed and become damaged.

The defect or ‘gap’ is usually repaired immediately after birth, by which time much of the function in the legs is lost.

‘My heating hasn’t worked for over two years’ Dulwich pensioner claims

By Isabel Ramirez

A Dulwich pensioner, 84, claims he hasn’t had working heating in his living area for over two years and has to sit with a blanket over him every day in a room full of condensation.

John Spencer has lived in the same threebedroom flat on Overhill Road for 40 years - but in recent years he has not been able to heat the house properly.

He claims the issue stems back to October 2021, when a mains pipe blockage led to his home being continuously flooded by waste from all fifteen flats above.

Mark Spencer, John’s son, who had first discovered the flooding, said: “Everything was damaged in the property so they had to rewire the whole house.”

Before the flood, which ended up lasting for weeks, John had gas heating, which he said ‘wasn’t perfect but it did the job.’

“So after the flood,” Mark said, “we were told central heating would be too expensive to put in. So they put electric heaters in but the trouble is, this one is not connected properly so it doesn’t work.”

Mark commented that even if it was connected properly the wattage is not high enough, so it does not heat the room - which is a large open-plan living area with no doors separating it.

He said he has been contacting Southern Housing - who owns the property - ever since but claims all they’ve done is send out a surveyor once who checked the heater and said it is ‘fine.’

“We got a response this summer from them saying ‘It’s summer you don’t need heating now’ but it has been a problem for over two years.”

John said: “They also gave us a small plug-

in heater which could never heat a room of this size.”

The 84-year-old widower, who has heart problems, told us: “I have to sit with a blanket over me every day and I had to buy a temporary heater to put by my legs.

“It’s so cold.”

The effect of not being able to heat the room also means it’s damp. “The ceiling and the windows are always wet.”

Mark added that he is concerned about his dad’s health.

Since we got in touch with Southern Housing for comment they said they will replace the heaters in John’s house.

A spokesperson from Southern Housing said: “Although Mr Spencer has had heating in his home, we’re sorry he’s been unhappy with the warmth this has provided.

“Our contractor is visiting Mr Spencer on Friday (22 December) to upgrade his heaters and we’re confident these will provide more warmth in his home.”

That is why surgeons in select centres around the world have developed the expertise to make the repairs whilst babies are still in the womb, which improves function and reverses some of

Blood on your hands Arts page 17

the changes seen in children with Spina Bifida. That procedure usually involves making a cut in the womb which carries risk to the mother and future pregnancies.

The team at King’s therefore began

using a minimally invasive (keyhole) approach using a small camera and instruments inserted into the womb to repair the ‘gap’, improving the outcome for unborn babies whilst also reducing the risk to mothers and future pregnancies.

Sophia’s mum, Emma Shaw, from Stokeon-Trent, said: “Sophia is a wonderful child, so headstrong and determined!

She’s come a long way and has a great outlook on life. Her father, Alessandro, and I are so proud of her. When we reflect on all we’ve been through as a family, especially at Christmas time, we couldn’t be more grateful to Mr Zebian and the whole team at King’s.”

This ground-breaking Fetoscopic Closure has been performed by the King’s surgical team so far in a total of 29 procedures since September 2018, with the 30th on the horizon.

Paediatric and Adult Neurosurgeon Mr Bassel Zebian, who led the neurosurgical aspect of Sophia’s surgery alongside Professor Kypros Nicolaides and his Fetal Medicine team, explained: “It’s heartwarming to see Sophia doing so well.

“I am eternally grateful to her and her parents as well as all our other children and their parents for the trust they place in us to allow us to operate in this novel way which is increasingly proving to be better for babies, their mothers and future pregnancies.”

4 NEWS

Quadruple bermondsey killer who slaughtered entire Family guilty oF murder Joshua Jacques’ girlfriend Samantha Drummonds

Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo

Dolet Hill and Denton Burke

Joshua Jacques

By court reporter a CaNNaBiS addict who killed three generations of his girlfriend’s family when years of smoking pot turned him into a homicidal maniac is facing life in jail.

Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, her grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s husband, chef Denton Burke, 58, were all stabbed to death by Joshua Jacques, 29.

The ‘bloodbath’ took place at Mr Burke’s and Ms Hill’s home on Delaford Road, Bermondsey, southeast London, in the early hours of 25 April last year.

Jacques had been smoking pot from the age of 12 and hours before the killings Ms Drummond had phoned her best friend several times to raise concerns about his mental state.

In a voice note she said: ‘Josh is basically getting to the point where he could basically have an episode, like I don’t know what’s triggered him.’

After killing the family Jacques made a FaceTime call to his mother in the locked bathroom and said: ‘I’m ending it, I’m gonna make a sacrifice.’

He was told armed police were at the house and he should come out with his hands on top of his head.

Jacques, emerged naked and prostrated himself in a praying position, shouting: ‘Allah, take me!,’ ‘Kill me now,’ ‘Get rid of me,’ and ‘God please forgive me.’

He had denied four counts of murder

but an Old Bailey jury convicted him on each charge today (Thurs).

Jacques had admitted four counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Sentencing is expected to be adjourned until the new year.

Jacques had been hospitalised in a psychiatric ward in 2018 and diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Dr Nigel Blackwood, a forensic psychiatrist for the prosecution, said the symptoms of manic behaviour displayed were caused by the large amount of cannabis he had consumed.

He told the court: ’The defence psychiatrists maintain there was a serious mental illness which recurs in the context of cannabis use.’

He said it was his view that the symptoms ‘could be entirely produced by the cannabis use he was using at that time’ without an underlying condition.

Jacques was a cannabis user from the age of 12 and became a drug dealer.

Dr Blackwood said he believed drug use was also the cause of Jacques’ behaviour in 2018 and that he did not have bipolar disorder.

‘The symptoms were consistent with a manic episode but to me, it was driven by his drug use at that time,’ he said.

He said what Jacques experienced was a ‘drug induced mania with psychotic features’.

Jacques had also been taking MDMA, a form of ecstasy, in the days leading up to the killings.

Giving evidence for the defence,

pychiatrist Dr Raman Deo said Jacques was ‘manic and paranoid on a number of issues’.

He said: ‘My opinion is that on balance the abnormality of mental function arising from bipolar disorder would have been a significant factor in the killings.’

Tom Little, KC, prosecuting, had described what police officers found when they entered the property shortly after 2am.

‘The first police officer to enter the house tried to open the porch door.

‘He could not open it fully initially because it was blocked. The reason why it was blocked was on the other side of the door was Denton Burke’s body.

‘He was lying face down on a foldable clothes rail, between the porch door and the stairs.

‘His legs were directly behind the door, and his torso was in the hallway.

‘He was not breathing, and was unresponsive. He was removed from the property by police. A large cut to his throat was noted.

‘The same police officer then saw three women in the kitchen. He believed them to be dead.

‘He then went to the kitchen. The females were heaped together, and he and other officers then had to separate them.

‘Samantha Drummonds was wearing a top under a denim jacket, and was naked from the waist down.

‘The officer saw a stab wound to the right side of her abdomen, with her

intestines protruding, and noted that she had no pulse.

‘The kitchen area was cramped and so her body was moved outside.

Further wounds to her neck and back were noted, and there had been severe blood loss.

‘A paramedic and a police officer brought Dolet Hill, from the kitchen out into the hallway. She was wearing a pink nightdress and underwear.

‘The paramedic cut away her upper clothing to reveal multiple wounds.

‘A paramedic and police officers moved Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo away from the wall of the kitchen. Wounds were seen on her upper chest, neck, and upper back.’

Ms Hill was found to have sustained multiple stab wounds to her shoulder and chest, with the fatal injury being a 21cm-deep stab wound to the left side of her chest that had gone through her heart.

Mr Burke had suffered multiple injuries to his face, mouth and body, including a large cut to his neck, as well as a significant head injury and fractures to his face and jaw.

Ms Ofori-Akuffo died after suffering from a 12.5cm stab wound to the left side of her chest which had gone through her heart, as well as cut injuries to her chest, neck, back and left thigh.

Ms Drummonds died after sustaining multiple stab wounds to her back, side and neck, which caused internal injuries to her lungs, liver and right kidney.

Mr Little had told jurors there was ‘no dispute or issue other than that it was the defendant that killed all four of the victims and that he did so by attacking them.

‘In doing so he stabbed, cut and slashed all of them with a knife or knives.

‘The prosecution case is that this is a clear case of murder, indeed more accurately a clear case of quadruple murder.

‘We say that the defendant killed his victims with murderous intent and there’s no dispute about that, and that when he did so his ability to form a rational judgment and to exercise self-control were not substantially impaired by any psychiatric condition.

‘And indeed that his conduct on that night was brought about by selfinduced intoxication, here taking drugs and drinking alcohol.

‘This, we say, led to a transient psychotic disorder which does not meet the requirements for the defendant to make out a partial defence of diminished responsibility.’

Ms Ofori-Akuffo, also known as ‘Racquel’, was a qualified nurse while her mother Ms Hill had worked as a housekeeping assistant at Guy’s and St Thomas’s hospital in Westminster for 21 years before retiring in 2018.

Jacques, of Minard Road, Lewisham, admitted four counts of manslaughter but denied four counts of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility

NEWS 5

police name christmas eve stabbing victim, Driver arrested after cyclist kacey clarke, as teen charged with murder hospitalised in Peckham

By Herbie Russell

a woMaN stabbed to death in Bermondsey on Christmas Eve has been named as 22-year-old Kacey Clarke, as police charged a teenager with her murder.

Police were called to Peckham Road, near the Southwark Register Office, at around 1.50am on Saturday, December 16.

The cyclist was rushed to hospital for treatment. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and bailed to a date early in March 2024.

investigation.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 5855/24Dec. Information can

Mourners lay flowers outside Bermondsey block after tragic killing of 22-year-old woman

By Herbie Russell MourNErS haVE laid flowers and written messages in a heart-wrenching tribute to 22-year-old Kacey Clarke who was stabbed to death in Bermondsey.

One written message, attached to one of the dozens of bouquets, said: ‘R.I.E.P Beautiful girl Kaycee you will be so missed. Please look over your family and get them all through this hard time’.

Another note read: ‘KC you beautiful Angel. RIP my love you will be missed! Love you so much.’

‘To Our Beautiful Kacey many hearts are Broken from Losing you you were taken much too soon’, another griever wrote.

Old Southwark and Bermondsey

a driVEr has been arrested after a cyclist was hospitalised following a collision involving a bus in Peckham.

MP Neil Coyle said: “This awful tragedy has happened at the very worst time of year. A family is grieving and needs space to recover.

“I’m working with them and the police and hope the rest of the community will pull together as we do best in difficult times.”

also be shared online. People can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Peckham Road

First council homes on Canada Water Masterplan to welcome new tenants

Southwark Council, developer British Land and contractors McAleer & Rushe celebrated the completion of 60 new council homes and 19 shared ownership properties last month.

The plot of housing named K1 forms

some of the 3,000 new homes to be built former Canada Dock, 35 per cent of which will be affordable.

Most of the homes have two or three bedrooms and are located close to Russia Dock Woodland and Alfred Salter Primary School.

Cllr Helen Dennis, Southwark’s Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development, said: “I’m thrilled to celebrate the opening of the first new

homes of the Canada Water Masterplan, and proud that 60 of these homes will be council homes, helping to tackle the huge demand for truly affordable housing in our borough.”

In 2020, Rotherhithe residents crowdfunded over £30,000 to challenge the K1 development in the high courts but were unsuccessful.

Campaigners had argued that by setting K1 away from the main site, developer British Land had deliberately separated council tenants from private tenants.

They’d also feared the flats would plunge two schools, two nature reserves and residential flats into shade.

The £4 billion Canada Water Masterplan is a vast 53-acre mixed-use scheme expected to bring 20,000 workers to the area area.

Canada Dock was built in 1876, named so because cargo from the North American nation often arrived at the dock.

By the 1980s, most of the dock had been filled in, with much of the site covered by Surrey Quays shopping centre.

the menu.

The Deptford outlet has been listed thanks to its “characteristic shopfront and tiled interior, complete with benches, tables, terrazzo flooring, display counter and servers,” Historic England wrote.

Heritage officers also said the “rare and well-preserved” outlet represents “a distinct vernacular cuisine that formed a staple of working-class life in London”.

Set to retire in March 2025, Mr

Mascall, 64, said: “Maybe the next owner will keep it as a pie and mash shop but I certainly won’t be involved.”

Asked if he’ll miss the work, George said: “A lot of customers will be upset and they reckon they’ll have a tear in my eye when the shutters go down.”

“I’m certainly looking forward to retirement,” he laughingly added.

George and his family are related to the owners of M. Manze Pie & Mash - also Manze descendants - who run shops in Peckham, Bermondsey and

Sutton.

Manze pie shops in Islington, Peckham, Bermondsey and Walthamstow are already listed.

The Twentieth Century Society, which supported the Deptford branch’s listing, posted on X: “Manze’s Eel, Pie and Mash Shop in Deptford (1914) has just been Grade II listed, joining four other branches of the Manze family chain on the national register.

“The perfect venue for this week’s C20 Team Christmas lunch!”

Left to right: MP Neil Coyle, Cllr Helen Dennis and British Land Director Emma Cariaga cut the ribbon on the new properties

By Herbie Russell thE FirSt-EVEr council homes on the Canada water Masterplan have been officially opened.

Flowers laid outside Spenlow House

A Met Pet police spokesperson said: “Police were called at about 01:50hrs on Saturday, 16 December to reports of bus in collision with a lamppost and cyclist on Peckham Road, SE5.

“Emergency services attended.

The cyclist was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, which are not believed to be life-threatening.

Road closures were temporarily put in place.

“The driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and later bailed to a date in early March 2024 pending further enquiries.”

© Google

Kacey was killed at a residential address in Spenlow House, Jamaica Road, at around 10pm on December 24. A sixteen-year-old boy who is known to the victim was due to appear in court on Thursday, December 28 charged with her murder.

A post-mortem examination has given the cause of death as a single sharp force trauma to the chest.

Police were called to the property last Sunday evening to reports of a woman with a stab injury.

Paramedics arrived in less than five minutes and provided first aid but Kacey died at the scene.

Officers arrested the sixteen-yearold a short time later on suspicion of murder.

Kacey’s family is being supported by specially trained officers and has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are leading the

By Herbie Russell

A police sniffer dog works at the scene outside Spenlow House in Jamaica Road

Old-school Deptford pie and mash shop gets historical recognition

By Herbie Russell aN old-SChool deptford pie and mash shop opened in 1914 has been grade-ii listed.

Manze’s Pie and Mash Shop is run by George Mascall, a descendant of the early 20th-century Italian pie-making Manze family.

“It’s been there in the family for over 100 years so I’m not that surprised they’ve listed it,” he said.

“Inside, nothing’s changed. We’ve got

all the marble tables, wooden benches and tiled walls - all the original stuff.”

The pie shop has been in George’s family for over a century - after his ancestors migrated to south London from Ravello, southern Italy, in 1878.

The family has since been serving up fluffy mashed potatoes and meat-filled piles dowsed in the obligatory liquor for generations.

Eeels - a Cockney staple that was historically fished from the Thames and plonked onto dinner plates - are also on

6 NEWS

Modified CPZ proposals for Dulwich, Nunhead, and Queen’s Road released

By Herbie Russell

By Herbie Russell

driVErS haVE been asked to consider Southwark Council’s latest Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) proposals.

The council was previously set on introducing a borough-wide CPZ but scrapped the proposals last month.

However, the Labour-run authority is still considering CPZs in Dulwich Village, Nunhead and Queen’s Road - albeit smaller, more “focussed” zones than first planned.

Councillor James McAsh, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency, Clean Air and Streets, said: “We went to the drawing board and developed plans for more focused CPZ coverage based on the views of local people and parking pressures.

“I hope to hear from as many residents as possible to ensure we make a decision based on input from the whole community”.

Unlike previous consultations, residents are being explicitly asked whether or not they want a CPZ in their area.

This was a key demand of ‘Oppose the CPZ’ a local campaign group that threatened to mount a legal challenge against Southwark Council over its initial plans.

The consultation asks residents about parking pressure in their area, what hours would be suitable for parking restrictions F.A.A.

South London police officer found guilty of stalking his ex-partner after break-up a SErViNg south london police officer has been found guilty of stalking his ex-partner.

The new Nunhead cpZ zone (outlined in red) overlaid against the original proposal (coloured in red) and whether they feel CPZs would improve safety and public health.

Plans for CPZs in Dulwich Hill and Dulwich Wood have been scrapped entirely.

Roughly half of Southwark is already a CPZ seeing residents pay up to £300 to park their cars annually.

ULEZ-compliant vehicles cost £225 to park annually with discounts available to drivers of motorbikes, hybrid and electric vehicles. Disabled badge holders are also eligible for discounts.

Southwark Council insists that CPZs remain an important way of reducing the “dominance” of cars.

Cllr McAsh said the council’s principles of cleaner air and safer streets had “not changed one iota” as the council pushes for net zero by 2030.

The deadline for submissions is 21 January 2024. To take part please visit www.southwark.gov.uk.

PC Benjamin Bunsell “couldn’t take no for an answer” and “bombarded” the woman with messages after they broke up.

He was found guilty of one count of stalking without fear, alarm or distress on Tuesday, December 19.

PC Bunsell’s relationship with his victim ended on June 22 and, over the next ten days, he called and sent “incessant” text and WhatsApp messages.

The woman asked him to stop multiple times but police say he continued “bombarding his former partner” with messages.

She blocked PC Bunsell and changed her mobile number but he found her new number.

He then called it from a withheld number during the early hours of the morning until she answered.

From June 25, the victim started getting doorbell notifications in the middle of the night, the court heard.

She said she saw PC Bunsell walking past the front of her house and looking toward the property.

The victim reported PC Bunsell’s behaviour to police on July 3 and

F A ALBIN & SONS

he was arrested the following day.

He was rearrested on 28 July and charged the following day.

Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, responsible for policing where PC Bunsell is based, said: “PC Benjamin Bunsell was persistent, entitled and quite clearly could not take no for an answer.

“Even when she changed her number, PC Bunsell still found her new number and continued his barrage of calls and messages all at times to cause maximum disturbance to the victim. PC Bunsell couldn’t stop at incessant calls and messages, he had to go to the victim’s house too.

“PC Bunsell has been held to account criminally and he will also be held to account via the Met’s own misconduct processes.”

Bunsell, of Greenwich, will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 18 January 2024.

Anyone with information about a police officer or member of staff who works for the Met and is corrupt, abusing their position and power, can call the Anti-Corruption and Abuse Hotline, run by the independent charity Crimestoppers, on 0800 085 0000 or complete the online form at www.crimestoppers-org.uk.

Churchill’s iconic Thames funeral barge could be sold abroad

By Herbie Russell thE NatioN is getting wateryeyed after it emerged that winston Churchill’s funeral boat could be sold abroad.

Havengore sailed the wartime leader down the Thames during his 1965 funeral but is now on the international market, The Mail on Sunday reported.

A tidal wave of opposition has burst forth, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging a UK buyer to “step forward”.

“The Prime Minister strongly believes the history of remarkable British heroes like Churchill should remain in our public spaces,” a Number 10 spokesperson said.

Thames dockers famously lowered their cranes when the Havengore passed by carrying the nation’s favourite bulldog.

An individual reportedly purchased the wooden vessel in 2006 but hasn’t been able to find a British buyer.

Military historian and Churchill biographer Anthony Tucker-Jones reportedly called on the Imperial War Museum to take a shot at getting it.

Havengore’s iconic 1965 journey down the Thames was broadcast to an estimated 350 million viewers worldwide - one-tenth of the global population.

The vessel, currently moored at St Katharine Docks, Tower Hamlets, also sailed down the Thames for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

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NEWS 7

Families moved into new council homes - just in time For christmas

By Herbie Russell

Southwark Council led excited tenants around the housing project on Commercial Way earlier last month.

Sharlene Asmah said: “I’m really pleased to be in my new home which is spacious, clean and a treat for the whole family.

“It’s great to have moved in before Christmas and means we get to enjoy spending time here as a family over

the holidays.”

Completed in August, the housing development contains 74 council homes including eight specialised for wheelchair users.

There are also 35 shared ownership properties, plus communal areas, courtyards and play spaces.

Ten parking spaces are on-site including eight for wheelchair users and two for carpools.

Cllr Darren Merrill, Southwark’s Cabinet Member for Council Homes, said: “I’m delighted to welcome residents to these fantastic new homes in Peckham and see the

difference these high-quality properties are making to people’s lives.

“These homes are excellently located and provide an enormous boost to the

local area which has a high demand for truly affordable housing.

“I’m proud to hand over the keys to local residents and delighted to celebrate with them here today.”

gone on to support major artists like Tom Odell and The Libertines, with one artist even winning The Voice UK Kids.

Andry Gray, whose work was nominated for the BBC’s Make a Difference Award, said JOM was all about “making young people feel special”.

Together, the four events cater to musicians aged four to eighteen of all musical abilities.

There are opportunities for total

beginners as well as up-and-coming bands with experience of the local gigging circuit.

Some musicians have gone on to see incredible success after performing at JOM, including Sam Wilkinson who won The Voice UK Kids in 2019.

Other success stories include punk band PLAY DEAD, signed by Blitzcat Records and Lexi Caroll, who went on to support Tom Odell.

To sign up, email jomjunioropenmic@gmail.com. Event

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By newsdesk © Southwark-Council

happy FaMiliES have been welcomed into their new Peckham council homes - just in time for Christmas.

Second man arrested in connection with Peckham Banksy artwork theft

UK’s ‘biggest open mic night’ for kids returns to Herne Hill next month

By Herbie Russell thE uK’S ‘biggest open mic night’ for kids will return to Herne Hill next month.

JOM Open Mic Night sees young musicians treated to a fully-equipped, twelve-speaker setup and even help from a performer’s assistant.

Organiser Andy Gray has announced four events for the new year - two in January and two in February.

Performers at previous nights have

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a SECoNd man has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage in connection with the removal of a Banksy roadsign artwork, police have confirmed.

The artwork was unveiled on Friday, December 22nd, on the corner of Commercial Way and Southampton Way. It depicted three military drones on a red Stop sign, and has been interpreted as a critique of the war in Gaza. Its value is estimated to be around £500,000.

The artwork was removed with boltcutters not long after its unveiling, with a man shown on social media running off down the road with it.

Southwark Council appealed for information and a man was arrested on Saturday, December 23rd.

On Christmas Eve, Scotland Yard said a man in his 40s had been arrested on the 24th and was in police custody, with the man detained on Saturday, in his 20s, bailed pending further inquiries.

Both had been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage.

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8 NEWS

Historic Frost Fair returns for free to Bankside in January

By Isabel Ramirez The historic Frost Fair will return to Bankside in January for a long weekend of winter festivities, including horse and carriage rides, old street games and music.

Eight arrests made and police injured as ‘Eritrean protesters’ attack riot vans By newsdesk Eight people have been arrested, with four police officers injured, when a demonstration outside a theatre in Camberwell became violent on Saturday night, December 30th.

Around fifty protesters were seen fighting police during tensions reportedly over Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia

Police following a disturbance near to the Lighthouse Theatre in Camberwell Road, south east London. Picture date: Saturday December 30, 2023.

in Africa, near the Lighthouse Theatre in Camberwell Road.

Southwark Police commented: “Eight people were arrested in Camberwell this afternoon for offences including violent disorder, criminal damage, possession of offensive weapon and assault on an emergency worker. Four officers were injured, one of whom was taken to hospital and has now been discharged.

“Some officers, who were not in riot

gear, had their batons raised in defence as one member of the crowd threw a roadworks barrier at them.”

Police imposed a section 35 dispersal order in Camberwell Road until 7am on December 31st.

Back for the second year, the modern-day Frost Fair is a reimagining and celebration of an extraordinary period in London’s history which saw the River Thames freeze over 24 times between 1605 and 1814.

It will run for three days from Friday 26 - Sunday 28 January 2024 on Sumner Street, behind the Tate Modern.

Ride alongside the Thames in a horse and carriage, watch an outdoor screening of Dr Who while enjoying an ‘Old Tom Gin’ and get absorbed in a craft workshop.

The event will be free, but the BID is encouraging donations to help ‘freeze out homelessness’ for the Manna Society, a local day centre working with the homeless and vulnerable.

When the Thames froze over all those years ago, out-of-work sailors, bargemen and the local community responded by creating a unique ‘on ice’ fair where Banksiders hosted markets, played traditional games, gambled, and indulged in various entertaining pursuits on the frozen river.

During the last Frost Fair in 1814, an elephant famously walked across the ice alongside Blackfriars Bridge.

A myriad of entertainment and a diverse range of activities can be expected at the 2024 Bankside Frost Fair, including an elephant parade (with a life-size puppet elephant), historic street games, music and entertainment.

If you get peckish, there is the Frost Fair Fringe, where local Bankside businesses will recreate food, drink, and activities reminiscent of its past - think hot apples, gingerbread, mulled wine and hot chocolate.

To find out more about 2024’s Frost Fair, go to banksidelondon.co.uk/frost-fair/

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NEWS 9

Violence against doctors, nurses and other hospital workers appears to be rising in London, data suggests

By Noah Vickers

Local Democracy Reporter Violence against doctors, nurses and other hospital workers appears to be rising in London, new data suggests.

Met Police figures show that staff in the capital’s hospitals have endured almost 1,000 violent offences since the start of April 2022.

While 578 such offences took place between April 2022 and March 2023, the frequency appears to have increased in the months since April 2023, with 406 offences recorded in the eight months up to the end of November this year.

The figures do not include violence against security guards, but do include cleaners, porters and receptionists.

The highest number of offences in the first year of the data was committed in Lambeth, where 59 incidents were reported. The borough is home to St Thomas’ Hospital in Waterloo and King’s College Hospital in Camberwell.

Since April this year, the highest number of offences so far, 35, have been committed in Redbridge. Among other medical facilities, the borough includes the King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

A small number of offences included in the data do not necessarily include physical violence, such as sending letters or other written communications “with intent to cause distress or anxiety”.

The most frequent offence recorded was common assault and battery, comprising 234 of the 984 incidents recorded since April 2022 (24 per cent).

The statistics were requested by Dr Onkar Sahota, a Labour member of the London Assembly.

He said: “These figures are very worrying, and even more so when you consider that these are only the crimes

that have been reported – the true figures across London are likely to be higher.

“Patients should realise that staff are doing the best they can, often under very difficult circumstances, and there’s no justification for violence.”

Dr Sahota, who represents Ealing and Hillingdon at City Hall, added: “NHS staff are motivated to help people, but they cannot be expected to do this at the expense of their safety and wellbeing.

“I am worried that this level of violence, along with the known issues of overwork and underpay, is driving even more staff to leave medicine.

More than 1 in 10 positions in London are unfilled, meaning current staff are plugging the gaps as best they can.”

The Observer revealed in July that a record 170,000 workers left their jobs in the NHS in England last year, including more than 41,000 nurses.

The number of NHS staff who in 2022 quit their roles citing work-life balance

stood at 27,546 (including staff who may have moved to another job in the health service), which was more than those who left because they had reached retirement age (24,143).

Dr Sahota said: “We all suffer if NHS staff become so unhappy at work that they leave.

“I urge the Government to sit down with unions representing medical staff so they can introduce the right protections at work, along with proper pay and an end to the endless overtime

that is being used to plug the gaps in the NHS. “I also would like the Met to do more outreach to staff to encourage reporting so we can see the true scale of the problems.”

The Department for Health and the Met Police were approached for comment.

Photo: Dr Onkar Sahota, Labour AM for Ealing and Hillingdon. Credit: Noah Vickers/Local Democracy Reporting Service

South London library workers protest over pay

B y Joe Coughlan

Local Democracy Reporter South London library workers are protesting against their employer, claiming the contractor has “refused” to negotiate over pay. Unite workers’ union members working in libraries in Bromley and Greenwich staged a protest outside the Eltham Centre on December 21 against the service provider, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).

The demonstration comes after Unite claimed this week that library workers for GLL were experiencing “very low” rates of pay. They said in a statement on December 19 that some staff were being paid as low as £12.10 an hour. The real London living wage currently stands at £13.15 an hour. The union also criticised the 5per cent pay rise that GLL workers saw this year and claimed it had refused to implement an acceptable occupational sick pay scheme, which GLL has refuted.

Unite regional officer Mary Summers told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) at the protest: “It’s very difficult to ensure that everyone gets 5pc, it doesn’t

work out that way. And obviously 5pc at the rate of inflation at the moment, which is 11pc, doesn’t go even near the cost of living.

So we’re saying that our workers deserve more.”

She added: “If the libraries service in Greenwich and Bromley were actually in house still, they would be on better pay and conditions than GLL staff. We’re saying we want parity with that, which obviously affects pay but also their sickness.”

Ms Summers said the union had been involved in previous meetings with GLL but claimed the social enterprise was not

prepared to negotiate on pay rises. However, she said the contractor was looking into taking steps to improve its sickness policy for staff. The union said in a statement last week that 70 library workers for GLL in Greenwich borough had agreed to strike in the new year, which would lead to widespread closures of libraries across the borough.

A GLL spokesperson told the LDRS: “We are extremely disappointed by Unite’s decision to call for strike action amongst GLL library staff working within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. We have made every effort to engage with the union, listen to their

views and avert a strike.”

The spokesperson said Unite was proud to be an accredited Real Living Wage employer.

They said staff received a pay award value of 5pc this year and up to 12pc for colleagues at the lower end of their pay scales. They said the social enterprise invited Unite to complete a pay submission for 2024 to use for consideration on plans for next year, but that a submission was not received.

They said: “We have advised Unite that our sick pay scheme, which we consider to be generous in terms of length and quality of support, is under review and we will report

back on this in 2024. We again invited Unite to meet and clarify what would make a sick pay scheme acceptable to them. Unite did not meet us, nor did they submit a proposal.”

The spokesperson said all staff had the choice between permanent contracts or choosing when to work. They said staff transferred from local government always have the option of retaining their original employment contracts, though most choose not to do so.

They added: “We again invite Unite to engage with us in order to find a positive pathway forward that will avert this unnecessary walk out. A strike will impact many of the most disadvantaged amongst the local community who rely on their local library for crucial services such as internet access, free school meals, social interaction and a welcoming ‘warm space’ when domestic utility bills become unaffordable.”– Picture 1: Mary Summers, Unite regional officer, said the union feels that its workers deserve more. Credit: Joe Coughlan Picture 2: Eltham Library is based in the Eltham Centre on Archery Road. . Credit: Joe Coughlan

10 NEWS

Parents and former staff challenge primary school

By Joe Coughlan

Local Democracy Reporter Two parents and a former teaching assistant at a South London primary school have claimed its special educational needs department suffers from “systemic” issues that are putting children at risk, after a boy ran out towards traffic on a busy road. Gemma Ekrem, 39, had three children at Old Bexley Church of England Primary School in Bexley until the most recent school year, including her six-year-old son Harley who started in September 2021.

Harley has global development delay and an autism spectrum disorder, with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in place to address his needs. On March 30 this year, Ms Ekrem was called to the school to pick up her middle child, Hayden, while he was feeling ill, and arranged to collect all three of her children at the same time so she didn’t have to leave him alone at any point.

During the handover, she claims the school’s main gate and reception door were left open, and as Harley’s teaching assistant (TA) brought him to the office, Harley let go of their hand and ran out the door and gate when he noticed they were open. CCTV shows the moment he runs up the stairs and out of the school site, as his brother Hayden sprints after him, followed by their panicked mum.

Ms Ekrem told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I’m screaming for help so my son Hayden, who was being sick, came running out the office and gate to get Harley out of the road.”

She added: “It was horrible because when I looked up I saw two cars passing and I saw Harley go into the road… I thought he was dead and that’s what I live with now constantly – just the fear that I could have lost him that day. And I could have lost Hayden as well because Hayden went running out to get him. I could have lost two children that day.”

The mum said she injured her knee and ankle while running after Harley after tripping on the steps outside the school, leaving her kids hysterical. After submitting a complaint to the school – initially an informal measure as set out in the school complaints policy – she felt the issue wasn’t being taken seriously, and hired a solicitor to help with her complaint, which was escalated to a formal complaint after she claims her concerns were initially dismissed. Claiming her complaint was again dismissed, this time by a different staff member, she escalated it to stage three out of five in the school’s complaints process, this time involving the trust that runs the school, Amadeus Primary Academies Trust.

She said: “They tried to say it was an isolated incident and this rarely happens here.”

However, another parent claims she has witnessed a boy running up the road, chased by two staff members, in what she claims was one of a series of similar incidents. Polly Hutton, 36, claims to be aware of multiple instances of children

in her daughter’s class running out of the school during class time. She claims on one occasion she gave two members of staff a lift to help them catch up with a child.

Ms Hutton told the LDRS: “I had just dropped my child at school in the morning and was driving back to work. I passed two teachers running in the opposite direction of the school. I thought it was a bit odd but carried on driving. I then saw a boy running in the opposite direction of the school.”

She added: “I stopped on Hurst Road and when the teachers drew level with me, I offered them a lift to catch up with the

child. Both teachers got in and I drove up to Glenhurst Avenue. We could no longer see the child and the teachers got out to search a nearby street. I continued round the bend in Glenhurst Avenue and saw the boy was now walking slowly along the road. I immediately turned around and went back to find the teachers. I explained I had seen him, they got in my car again and I drove back round the bend and dropped them just ahead of where the boy was.”

Stacy Katwala, 50, said she also sent her children to Old Bexley and worked as a teaching assistant (TA) for the

SEN department for two years. She claims the department was “constantly overwhelmed” in her time at the school and lacked proper management and resources. She added that she was aware of an occasion when a certain child escaped the school three times due to their TA being asked to work with another child, leaving them unattended.

She said: “The lack of support and trained TAs led to numerous incidents where pupils did indeed escape from school premises or locked themselves in classrooms so staff were unable to get in or out. On one occasion, a member of staff was locked in the quiet room, unable to get out for some period of time.”

Ms Katwala called the quiet room in the school a “depressing place” and claimed issues such as children walking out of school or injuring themselves were not isolated incidents. She said around 20 parents of the school sent a collective email in June 2022, claiming there was a “systemic” issue in the school of the SEN department appearing persistently underprepared and under-skilled. She claims they didn’t even receive a response to that email.

In response to Ms Katwala’s claim, an Old Bexley spokesperson told the LDRS: “A written response was sent to Ms Katwala on June 28, 2022. The parents involved were invited to engage with our complaint’s procedure.”

Speaking about what she claims is an occasional shortage of staff in the SEN department, Ms Ekrem said: “[Harley] had a funded teaching assistant from his EHCP budget. When the school was short staffed, [the TA] was deployed to other classes to help teach. So [Harley] used to get placed in the quiet room frequently… He doesn’t like it. He’s nonverbal. He comes out really distressed, has a meltdown and it just goes on for hours when he’s at home because he’s so frustrated.”

The mum said an emergency annual review of Harley’s EHCP in the weeks following the incident on March 30 concluded it was a serious safeguarding breach which correspondence seen by the LDRS appears to support. Despite the school detailing actions it has taken to ensure a similar incident does not happen again, in its response to stage three of the complaints process, Ms Ekrem escalated it again, feeling blame was being put on her for not reporting that the door and gate were open.

The mum said: “[The person from the trust] basically just parent blames me. She [suggested] on the email that I should have notified a member of staff that the gate was wide open and the doors were open. That’s not my responsibility, it’s safeguarding at the school. If you’ve got an autism unit practically adjacent to the school office, you shouldn’t be having all these doors open when so many kids have escaped.”

While the letter does make reference to Ms Ekrem not reporting that the door and gate were open it also acknowledges that staff didn’t either, and points out that actions have been taken to prevent a repeat.

Ms Ekrem is speaking out nine months

after the incident involving her son as she still feels the school is not taking full responsibility. However, in a response seen by the LDRS, the school said it has replaced the main door so that it cannot be held open on a mechanism and closes automatically.

It also states that the gates will not be put on a timer for open events, and that every visitor will have to buzz for entry.

Ms Ekrem said she would like for the incident on March 30 to be investigated further and for her to be reimbursed for the counselling and legal fees she has accrued in the process. But a response to her stage four complaint – involving the CEO of the trust – received this week states that if she wants to pursue compensation, she needs to bring her formal complaint to an end and do so via a legal route, which she is considering doing.

She said her kids’ lives have turned “upside down” since the incident in March and that they’ve since lost friendships at their old school because one of her children has moved schools due to his distress. She said Harley is still off school as he doesn’t want to go back there and she hasn’t secured him a place anywhere else. Her eldest child has since started secondary school.

An Old Bexley Church of England spokesperson told the LDRS: “For confidentiality reasons, we are not able to comment on specific details relating to an ongoing matter. However, addressing any concerns raised by our parents is of utmost importance to us.”

They added: “Our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all members of our educational community is unwavering. We take every complaint seriously and handle them in accordance with our comprehensive Complaints Policy. Safeguarding remains our top priority and we work diligently to ensure a strong and focused approach in this regard.”

The Old Bexley spokesperson said the school is dedicated to continuously improving safeguarding practices and prioritises the safety and wellbeing of students and staff. They said the school collaborates with an external company that independently oversees safeguarding measures. They added that the findings of complaints are viewed as an opportunity to enhance protocols.

Old Bexley was rated ‘Good’ in all areas in its most recent Ofsted inspection, published in July this year. The school was praised for quickly identifying pupils with special educational needs and disabilities and breaking down long-term aims into manageable steps.

The spokesperson said: “The complaint in question was shared with the Ofsted team at the time, and the findings confirmed that our safeguarding measures are effective.

This positive validation from Ofsted reinforces our commitment to maintaining the highest standards in safeguarding throughout our educational institutions.”

Picture: Gemma Ekrem, 39, said she constantly lives with the fear that her son could have died. Credit: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon

NEWS 11

ThouSANDS PASSED THROUGH LOWER MORDEN LANE TO SEE WHAT HAS BECOME LONDON'S 'MOST CHRISTMASSY LANE'

By Harrison Galliven

Local Democracy Reporter Everyone has their traditions at Christmas. Alongside turkey and telly is the annual display of Christmas lights adorning houses across the country. Yet it’s fair to say some take this tradition more seriously than others.

Lower Morden Lane has earned its reputation as the go-to destination for Christmas lights spotting in London. For the last 25 years, the Merton street has seen thousands of people pass through to catch a glimpse of some of the capital’s most impressive lighting displays.

This long-running public support has meant the residents of Lower Morden Lane have been able to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the local hospice, St Raphael’s. Residents hope they can continue that trend this festive season.

Lower Morden Lane resident Martin told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS): “It’s become a real tradition for us.

We’ve had people who have moved away but drive up from Brighton or Portsmouth just to drive along Lower Morden Lane on Christmas Eve and soak it up.

“People who came as kids are now bringing their own kids and we just get all sorts of people around here. We’ve got a little old guy that comes up and knocks on Dave’s door every Christmas Eve and gives him a donation. We’ve got kids bringing up their piggy banks in bags and tipping it all out into the bucket.

“It’s been going for about 30 years but around 25 years ago one of our previous residents Sylvia, who lived at 55, got it more organised. We raised over £250,000, which is absolutely bonkers, and it all goes to the local hospice St Raphaels. Sylvia passed away about a year and a half ago and ended up in the care of St Raphaels.

“Me and my neighbour Dave do bucket collections most weekends over Christmas. We also do hot drinks, teas and coffees. The hospice set up on the other side of the road and did mulled wine and baileys, which all went down very well.

We have a few people that go out and dress up as well. Sylvia used to have a whole team of people she could call on.”

Dave, Martin’s neighbour and fellow Christmas lights enthusiast spoke about what the hospice means to the street. He said: “St Raphael’s is a cause that resonates at this time of year. It is remarkable what respect the Hospice has around here.”

“The atmosphere is brilliant, with thousands of people walking up and down the lane talking to each other, which doesn’t happen very often in London. As well as fundraising, the Christmas lights have helped to build a sense of community on the street. It’s a fantastic spirit that you won’t find anywhere else.”

Dave boasts a display that some see as the pride of the street. With his front driveway display showing Santa on his sleigh among a raft of other festive characters it was no wonder that his house was recently chosen as the backdrop for a recent Good Morning Britain report.

When asked if the annual tradition can get competitive, Martin joked and pointed to David’s display next door, saying: “You can’t compete with Dave’s house, there is no competition. But seriously, we bought these lights when we moved in. In January,

we’re not buying clothes we’re looking for cheap light up reindeer.”

“We drop off donated lights to people that have just moved in so they’re not caught by surprise. For example, if someone’s just had a baby and couldn’t get any lights we would drop some round. It’s cooperative, not competitive.

It’s a really lovely street. It’s a nice simple once-a-year thing. It all seems to come together around Christmas. There’s no real resident’s association it just happens.”

While Dave and Martin’s stretch of

the road near the Morden Brook pub hosts some of the road’s most visually striking displays, wander further down the road towards Morden and you find yet more Christmas wonder. Near the entrance from the A24 road, you will find candy canes, an army of Santas, and a giant penguin guarding the doorway of Vincent’s house.

Self-confessed Christmas fan Vincent echoed Dave and Martin in his love for the road and its sense of the community. In fact, it was the road’s sense of community that led him to move to the street twenty

years ago.

He told the LDRS: “I’ve been here twenty years and the lights have always been going. I used to live down the other end of the road behind the Morden Brook. I used to joke that when a house came up on this road I would move there because I’d love to live on Lower Morden Lane. Then one day I managed to do it.”

Pointing to the penguin, Vincent said: “The penguin is the first to go up. Years ago kids would come up to it and say it’s pingoo, when happy feet they started to say it was happy feet.”

He added: “I’ve already got some stuff for next year in the sales. Now is the best time to look for Christmas lights, especially if you’re looking forward to next year. I want to get more lights up at the top. We’re also planning to get an extension and knock the garage through and place lights across the new round window.”

“It’s not competitive, no one says look at that I’ve got to beat that but you do have to make an effort. Pretty much everyone does it, it’s a good laugh. It only takes a day out of my time and if it makes the kids happy it’s all worth it.”

12 NEWS

Disabled woman stuck in HER home for more than two weeks due to broken lift

By Ben Lynch

Housebound

cockroaches and bedbugs. Little by little they’ve reduced everything that made that place a nice place to live.”

A spokesperson for C&C told the LDRS the trust is aware of the bed bugs, and that it has a treatment programme in place, with the situation slowly improving. Residents can get involved in a range of activities at Ada Court, including things like Zumba and singing groups, they added, saying they run activities and trips off-site based on interest and demand.

In early November, Ms Hainsworth said matters became worse when she was unable to leave Ada Court for more than two weeks due to a lift being out of action. Living on the second floor, Ms Hainsworth said she is reliant on one larger lift to get out, as it is the only one which will accommodate her mobility scooter. While three other lifts are available, she said she cannot use them on her own. The LDRS witnessed Ms Hainsworth struggling to get into the smaller lifts when visiting Ada Court.

“So I have to use the service lift, and I have been doing so since I moved in there,” she said. “But apparently…the service lift was vandalised on the first floor. Because it was vandalised, they were in no hurry to fix it.

So effectively that made me housebound. I couldn’t leave the second floor.”

Ms Hainsworth claims during this time, she struggled to speak to anyone working for C&C in the Ada Court office to understand when the repairs would be carried out. She said she tried to explain she needs to take her dog, a 14-year-old Staffy, out for a walk, but to no avail. Ms Hainsworth also told the LDRS she was unable to wash any of her clothes during this period, due to the launderette being on the ground floor.

Asked about the problems with the lift, a C&C spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the recent issue with our service lift and understand Ms Hainsworth’s concerns.

The welfare of our customers is extremely important to us, and our team is available on site every day at Ada Court. Customers can also get in touch in several ways, including calling the office number, their emergency call lines which are fitted inside each home or by emailing the team.”

They added: “While the lift in question was not working, three other passenger lifts were available which are large enough for our customer to access with their mobility

Member for Planning and Economic Development, said: “Local supermarkets are staples of daily life, and it is well known that there are fewer places in Central London for grocery shopping. That is why I am pleased we can mark this supermarket

in Soho as an asset to the community, acknowledging that it is serving local people by providing space for a wide range of affordable food.”

The Soho Society was also approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication. The Dean

Local Democracy Reporter A disabled woman who spent Christmas alone and unwell has spoken of how a litany of issues with her flat as well as the removal of communal facilities is making her social isolation even worse.

Barbara Hainsworth, 63, claims she and her fellow residents at Ada Court in Maida Vale, West London, feel they have been “left to die” by the company managing the homes.

She said the complex in which she lives has been hit with a series of problems over the last two years, including a broken lift that left her unable to leave the property or wash her clothes for more than two weeks. The housing trust which oversees the accommodation, Central and Cecil Housing Trust (C&C), took so long to fix the lift that Ms Hainsworth was admitted to hospital after falling unwell before it was functioning again. She said: “It feels like we’re just waiting for Godot. We’ve just been left to die. And I’m not at that age that I’m prepared to do that yet.”

Ms Hainsworth moved into Ada Court four years ago. She had to leave her previous home, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), due to her landlord deciding the property was to be pet-free, posing a problem for Ms Hainsworth who lived with her dog. Facing potential homelessness, Ms Hainsworth said it was her support worker who suggested Ada Court, a housing complex providing sheltered accommodation.

According to Ms Hainsworth, for the first couple of years, Ada Court was a pleasant place to live. However, since C&C, which manages the homes, joined housing association Aster Group in January 2022, Ms Hainsworth claimed things have gone considerably downhill.

“There used to be things going on, there

used to be coffee mornings, lunch groups, outings and things like that which no longer take place,” she said. “We used to have a hairdresser that came there on Fridays – all that sort of thing. There was a lovely sort of living room area where people could congregate, and they’ve taken all of the furniture out of there.”

The issues go beyond the removal of activities and spaces, Ms Hainsworth added. “It’s all a big mess really. The whole place is disgusting, it’s running alive with

Soho Tesco granted protection as a community asset

By Ben Lynch Local Democracy Reporter A Central London Tesco saved from demolition by local councillors earlier this year has been granted additional protection from any future applications. Westminster City Council has formally recognised the Dean Street store in Soho as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) following a nomination from the Soho Society.

Councillors sitting on the local authority’s planning committee voted four to two in October to reject plans to knock down the Tesco and an Art Deco building and replace them with office space and retail units. Chair Cllr Ruth Bush said to members there was “no concept” behind the submission, while locals raised doubts about the

need for offices and an ‘art bazaar’ in place of the supermarket. Resident David Bieda said: “You can’t buy your fruit and vegetables with a bit of public art.”

Following the committee’s decision, the Soho Society, which works to promote and protect the iconic London district, nominated the Tesco to become an ACV due to its contribution to the local community. The council has since agreed to recognise the store as such, describing it as offering the “best range of products and price points” in the area.

The designation of the Tesco as an ACV means if the property it occupies goes up for sale, the community will be offered the chance to purchase it first.

It will remain an ACV for five years.

Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet

scooter and a member of staff helped her to use them when she asked for help. All four lifts at Ada Court are now fully operational.”

‘Waiting for Godot’

Before the lift was fixed, Ms Hainsworth was taken to hospital after suffering a fall due to becoming light-headed. She is now out and back home after spending more than three weeks at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, though must remain an outpatient for the rest of her life, due to the discovery of a blood clot on her lungs.

Ms Hainsworth said upon returning to Ada Court, she continued to struggle to speak to anyone at C&C, spending Christmas alone as planned but struggling with ill health she didn’t anticipate.

However, she has since said she has heard from the Trust, which asked about her hospital stay.

A C&C spokesperson confirmed this, saying: “We have spoken directly with Ms Hainsworth. She has assured our team that she has no outstanding issues. We have reassured Ms Hainsworth of the best ways to get in touch with the team if she has any concerns in the future.”

On her experience over the last couple of years living at Ada Court, Ms Hainsworth said: “We are just being pushed away. We’re not cared about anymore basically. It feels like we’re just waiting for Godot. We’ve just been left to die.”

Cllr Gillian Arrindell, Lead Member for Air Quality and Disability Champion at Westminster City Council, who has been in touch with Ms Hainsworth regarding her recent issues, said she “was very concerned when I saw her pleas for help on social media. It is very important that providers of sheltered accommodation such as Central and Cecil Housing Trust take their responsibilities seriously, and that residents are able to get the support that they need.”

Street Tesco becomes the sixth active ACV in Westminster. The others are The Coach and Horses pub in Greek Street, the nightclub Heaven, Queen’s Park Hall/All Stars Boxing Gym in Harrow Road, Prince’s Square Gardens, and the Curzon Cinema in Mayfair.

NEWS 13

norbury residents 'furious' as they face their third straight winter without borough-wide bus shelters

By Harrison Galliven

Local Democracy Reporter Residents of Norbury are ‘furious’ with the council as they face their third straight winter without borough-wide bus shelters. While Croydon council has announced the installation of four TfL-funded shelters, many bus users may have to brave the elements for the foreseeable future.

The lack of shelters has led community groups across the borough to petition the council to reinstate the old TfL shelters that were taken down three years ago. Although the council has today announced the implementation of new shelters residents complain the lack of a comprehensive bus shelter network is hitting the elderly and disabled the hardest.

Speaking to the local democracy reporting service (LDRS) on Norbury High Street, regular bus user Valentine said: “There definitely is a lack, and they’ve got to do more. I never could understand how governments can quickly get rid of things that people need but never replace them. Instead, they give us everything we don’t need.”

Another bus user, Ibrahim, commented: “It’s not bad now but when it rains, there’s nowhere for us to go. We’ll all get soaking wet just waiting for the bus to come. It’s not right, especially at this time of year.”

The reason for the missing shelters stems back to a contract dispute between Croydon and an offshore company called Valo. In early 2021, the previous Labour administration entered into a deal with the company, which would provide 185 new bus shelters, complete with Wi-Fi and CCTV. However, it transpired Valo had no prior experience in building shelters and never honoured its commitment.

Croydon’s current TfL-operated shelters were unaffected by the deal and remain in place.

According to Councillor Scott Roache, Cabinet Member for Streets and Environment: “Council officers have undertaken a range of actions since then to try to get Valo to deliver on the contract, including issuing two default notices earlier this year, but to no avail.”

The LDRS understands the council has now terminated the contract and is considering pursuing Valo for damages for their failure to deliver on the contract.

Being on the edge of the borough, with minimal tram access, Norbury relies heavily on buses. Local residents and members of the Love Norbury group, Ann Creighton and Michael Woodruff, both feel strongly that the community has been let down by the local authority on this issue.

Speaking to the LDRS, Ann said: “All we want was a shelter, no bells and whistles needed. Initially, we didn’t notice they had been taken down until about six months after it. We didn’t realise we needed it until then.”

“We realised around September, but we didn’t do much at the start because we were told they were coming in September and then the next September, by which time we all got really cross because it was clear that they weren’t. To be honest, we don’t have a huge degree of faith that all the shelters will be there next year either.”

Michael added: “I don’t really need the shelter, but it’s affecting school children and the elderly, disabled and the most. The massive delays caused by traffic on the road only exacerbate it.”

Ann also spoke of their frustration with the council’s mishandled dealings, which they both saw as a drain on the public’s purse.

Ann said: “There are 14,000 bus shelters in London, 12,500 of which

are run by TfL. The other 1500 are in Camden and Croydon. They are the only councils that manage their own bus shelters. I wrote to the former deputy mayor for transport to ask if she had any idea why there was this disparity, and she didn’t know or know who I could ask.”

When asked why Croydon entered into the deal with Valo instead of accepting the standard TfL shelters built by JC Decaux, Ann said: “Their first excuse for not having the shelters built was COVID, then it turned out that the town hall department charged with sorting the new shelters was digital services, not the usual street services.”

“Digital services had never put a contract out for bus shelters, but it was thought it would make a lot of money because they would put the electronic advertising in. The council hoped they could turn a profit.”

Michael added: “I don’t know if the company ever had any intention to fulfill the orders. I can imagine Croydon thought this would mean they would get a better deal than they would have done with TfL.” The Love Norbury group, along with other groups across Croydon have since petitioned the council for what they see as an unsatisfactory response to a problem that has been allowed

to go on for too long. When asked about the council’s engagement with the group, Ann said: “The mayor’s statements are pure hot air, they say it’s going to happen at some point.

There are no dates.”

The group has persistently questioned the progress regarding the return of the bus shelters, including at the most recent council meeting last Wednesday. When the group asked for an update on the current status of the shelters, Councillor Roache replied: Clearly this is a very unsatisfactory position.”

“We have to reflect on how past decisions allowed a contractor who had no track record of delivering a contract like this in the UK to win it, and why the existing bus shelters were allowed to be removed before the new contractor was in a position to replace them.”

“We have asked officers to prioritise moving forward to secure alternative arrangements for getting bus shelters back in the borough as soon as possible, and they have been working at pace to find alternative ways of doing this.”

Following last week’s council meeting, Croydon Council announced the immediate return of four new bus shelters in the borough. The locations

of the new shelters are as follows: Wellesley Road, outside of Appolo House Brigstock Road, outside #32 (pictured) London Road, opposite Fairholm Road Whitehorse Road, opposite Devonshire Road Executive Mayor of Croydon Jason Perry said: “I am delighted to announce that in partnership with Transport for London, four new bus shelters have just been installed in high-traffic areas of Croydon – with more to come in the new year.

“We are pleased to finally be able to take action on this incredibly frustrating situation, which stems from decisions taken before I took office to allow the removal of all existing bus shelters well in advance of new shelters being delivered. Council officers have made several attempts with the contractor to deliver, but as it became apparent this was futile, we are now considering all options available – including pursuing damages.

“Getting bus shelters in place is a key priority for me – and while we welcome these new ones, I want to assure residents that this is only the beginning, and we have more work to do.”

14 NEWS

What 2024 looks like for London's

By Harrison Galliven

Local Democracy Reporter 2023 has been an interesting year for South London. The boroughs of Croydon, Sutton, and Merton have each experienced their highs and lows. However, with 2023 slowly fading into the rearview mirror, the local democracy reporting service casts an eye forward to what will be a busy 2024 for London’s southerly boroughs.

Here’s a brief round-up of the biggest council-focused stories to keep an eye on in 2024.

Croydon

Levelling Up funding The borough welcomed the news that Croydon was chosen to receive £18.5m as part of the latest wave of funding from the Department of Leveling Up. However, the borough will likely see the money spent on its Reconnected Croydon plan in 2024, after the council has undergone a ‘validation check’.

This plan will see the borough spend millions on regenerating the town center, making it more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. There will be a particular focus on greening up the streets and integrating East and West Croydon.

Croydon Council’s asset disposal list

As part of its continued effort to balance the books, Croydon Council is undertaking a mass consultation on the disposal of its property assets across the borough. This has already seen Croydon sell off a number of its buildings to generate income following its multiple bankruptcies in recent years.

The council has categorised this process into three tranches. Having currently completed its second tranche worth £24.6million, the local authority is now moving on to dealing with its more sensitive assets. The council has already come under fire for its apparent lack of communication with charities using the buildings they are planning to dispose of.

With high-profile properties like Croydon Athletic’s Mayfield Stadium and several golf and tennis courts also on the list, this is certainly not the last we will hear of Croydon’s asset disposal.

Progress on the Purley Pool

The redevelopment of Purley Pool was one of Mayor Jason Perry’s big campaign promises during his 2022 mayoral bid. He promised to rebuild the run-down Purley leisure into a community space, complete with a gym, pool, cafe, and elderly residential living. While a developer partner, Polaska, has been found, progress around planning permission has been slow. However, according to the council’s website, Polaska is now preparing to submit a planning

application to the council.

Croydon blitz cleans

Following the success of the Norbury bitz clean-up, the borough has made clear it intends to bring this initiative back in 2024. The councilorganised clean focused on removing flytipping and graffiti from the streets of Norbury back in August of this year.

The council has pledged the cleans will return to high streets across Croydon in the new year.

Sutton

Beddington Farmlands Consultation Valencia Waste Management, the owners of the Beddington Farmlands site, will consult with the neighbours over updated suggestions for the 120-hectare historic landfill site in Sutton’s final restoration plan. While neighbouring Croydon and Merton also have an interest in the site’s future, the farmlands will be on Sutton land.

The original plan, to turn the acidic grassland behind the industrial park into a conservation area, was one reason why Valencia was permitted to build the Beddington plant in the first place. The persistent lack of progress with its development has led many residents to question whether the site will ever be built. For this reason, all eyes will be on the results of the current consultation, which is set to conclude on January 5.

The consultation can be found here

https://beddingtonfarmlands. co.uk/

NEWS 15

three most southerly boroughs Last year saw Sutton Council update residents on the latest stage in its plans to redevelop the town center. In October, the council announced that it is looking for a developer partner to renovate the current St. Nicholas shopping center, Civic Offices, Gibson Road parking lot, and the empty Secombe Theatre space.

In addition to council offices and a new town center library, Sutton Council hopes to build a brand-new Civic Hub on the High Street that will house public services offered by the Council and its partners. In 2024 we can expect to see the authority secure and partner and add to the progress they have already made with developments like the new Oru Space on Sutton High Street.

Merton

The controversial AELTC Wimbledon Park expansion Last year saw the All England Tennis Club’s plan gain national attention for its ability to galvanize the local Wimbledon community in opposition. The plan could see the tennis club build a 500-seater stadium, 38 practice courts, and a number of maintenance facilities built on the historic Capability Brown-designed Wimbledon Park.

The plan’s proposed location will fall under the jurisdiction of both Merton and Wandsworth. Merton council, which holds the lion’s share of the park and benefits from massive AELTC business rates, unsurprisingly voted for the plans to go ahead.

Conversely, Wandsworth who doesn’t enjoy these benefits, sided with the

Save Wimbledon Park campaign group and blocked the plans.

This impasse over these decisions and negligible chances of any compromise means the plans currently sit with Sadiq Kahn’s

deputy mayor for planning, Jules Pipe, who will decide whether to stop the plans entirely or call them in for review. Whatever the outcome, we can expect this debate to drag on well into 2024.

The future of St Helier Hospital The ongoing saga around the possible closure of services at St Helier hospital has left many residents in Sutton and Merton feeling concerned. The plans, first proposed in 2019, would see maternity and A&E services stripped out of St Helier Hospital and centralised at a proposed new hospital in Belmont.

Despite being in Sutton, Merton Council issued an independent report that found around 50,000 Merton residents will have to be absorbed by St. George’s, Kingston, and Croydon hospitals if the plans were to go ahead.

In a letter to the secretary of state, Council leader Ross Garrod said: “I believe this decision would be to the detriment of local people who rely on these vital services at St Helier Hospital, and that especially following the unprecedented increase in pressure on local healthcare systems following the pandemic.”

While the public sentiment is aligned with Epsom’s Chief Medical officer that St Helier is currently an ‘unpleasant environment,’ most residents reject the proposed move to Belmont, instead favouring new development on the fields opposite.

We can expect to see further developments in 2024, especially if a new general election brings a change in government and health strategy.

When approached for comment, a spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Merton’s sickest and most seriously ill patients will be cared for by specialist doctors and nurses in a new state-of-the-art hospital, and will have faster access to the best care and treatment.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, backed by government, to build a new multi-million pound emergency hospital while also making significant improvements to Epsom and St Helier hospitals, where 85% of patients will still receive care.”

Top left: Croydon Town Hall The maintained nursery school consultation is part of the council\'s wider effort to balance the borough's books Credit: Harrison Galliven

Bottom left: CEO Emma Turner outside Croydon Mind\'s address at 26 Pampisford Road, which it has occupied since 1967 Credit: Croydon Mind Top right: CGI of the grounds including the show court during the Wimbledon Championships CGI of the grounds including the proposed show court during the Wimbledon Championships. Credit: Allies and Morrison/All England Lawn Tennis Bottom right: Sutton Council Civic Offices Sutton Council Civic Offices, as shown on St Nicholas Way. Permission for use by all LDRS partners. Credit: Google Earth

16 NEWS

ARTS 17

what’s on

Blood On Your Hands Grace Joy Howarth’s Blood On Your Hands is a searing journey into the lives of slaughterhouse workers and is presented by up-and-coming activist theatre company Patch Plays.

and writer Phillip John Jones as Dan, Ukrainian - Vietnamese actor, Ivan Doan as Kostyantyn, Megan Louise Wilson as Eden, Ukrainian actress Kateryna Hryhorenko as Nina, and Mountview alumni Jordan El Balawi as The Man/Callum.

Patch Plays is a theatre company devoted to staging new writing that explores environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and their intricate connection.

This production contains discussions around addiction, war, animal cruelty, and suicide. It also contains visual depictions of blood.

This is the story of the forgotten victims of the meat industry. Examining the human impact on those who work in slaughterhouses, it centres around Ukrainian refugee, ex-veterinarian Kostyantyn who, arriving in a sleepy Welsh town, finds work in an abattoir.

Here he befriends Dan, a happy-go-lucky Welsh lad who cracks too many jokes for his own good. All the while, Kostyantyn’s wife and daughters are home in Ukraine, and Dan’s activist ex-girlfriend won’t stop pestering him at work. Can these two men endure the harsh realities of their everyday lives and their bleak, bloody working environment?

A study of human strength, connection, and hope in pitiless surroundings, Blood on Your Hands is directed by Anastasia Bunce and features award-winning Welsh actor

Recommended for ages 16+ Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD from 17th January - 3rd February.

Times: Monday to Saturday at 8pm; Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 3.30pm. Admission: £10 - £18 Booking: 020 7407 0234 https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Unfriendly Friend is Coming Back

Witchcraft and Treachery at the Donmar Referred to in theatrical circles as the Scottish Play, a superstition having arisen after multiple opening night mishaps, Macbeth has been performed countless times since it would have first graced London stages in the early 17th century. David Tennant now takes on the titular role of Macbeth in this Donmar Warehouse production, writes Christopher Peacock.

The cast is led by award-winning comedian and actor Lee Mack (Would I Lie To You, Not Going Out, Inside No. 9) as Peter, Sarah Alexander (Jonathan Creek, Green Wing, Smack The Pony and Coupling) as Peter’s wife, Debbie, Frances Barber (Silk and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool) as Elsa Jean Krakowski and Nick Sampson (Witness for the Prosecution, Anthony and Cleopatra) as The Neighbour.

They are joined by Muzz Khan (Behind The Beautiful, Ten (Stop The War)) as PC Junkin, Maddie Holliday (Afterlife, The Unfriend at the Criterion) as Rosie and Jem Matthews as Alex in his West End debut.

The company is completed by Christopher Jordan (Hedda Gabler at The Old Vic, The Unfriend at the Criterion) as understudy Peter/The Neighbour, Cathy Walker (Witness for the Prosecution, The Unfriend at the Criterion) as understudy Debbie/Elsa, Charlie Richards (The Play That Goes Wrong, Four Score Years And Ten) as understudy Alex/

Photo by Manuel Harlan

The West End return of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ record breaking collaboration The Unfriend is playing at the Wyndhams’ Theatre.

PC Junkin and Poppy Shepherd (Our Generation) as understudy Rosie.

While on holiday Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She’s less than woke but kind of wonderful, so they agree to stay in touch - because no one ever really does, do they?

When Elsa invites herself to stay with the family a few months later, they decide to look her up online.

But it’s too late: on learning the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski, the deadly danger is already on a flight to London! What began as a casual holiday friendship is suddenly a threat to all their lives.

Peter and Debbie now face the ultimate challenge of the modern world - how do you protect all that

you love from mortal peril without seeming a bit impolite?

Because guess who’s coming… to MURDER. The Unfriend is designed by Robert Jones, with lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Ella Wahlström, video design by Andrzej Goulding and casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG. The Unfriend by Steven Moffat was originally developed by Playful Productions.

Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA until 9th March.

Times: Monday - Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday 2.30pm.

Admission: £63.50 - £150 Booking: www.theunfriend.com

This production, directed by Max Webster, certainly poses a fresh take on one of the world’s most famous tragedies and does so by wanting to connect further back in time to the 11th century Scotland whose protagonists would have inspired Shakespeare to weave this tale of witchcraft and treachery.

Cush Jumbo takes on Lady Macbeth and this production does not just hang on the talents of its two big name leading actors. What the design team has done with the show is to create an intimate and more immersive experience. At the heart of this is Gareth Fry’s sound design. Each audience member has a pair of headphones to wear for the whole show that feed in the binaural score alongside mic’d up performances from those on stage.

The accompanying Celtic music, which is excellently executed by the actor-muso quartet, and the singing of Gaelic psalms from Kathleen MacInnes, hang around in your ear to create the landscape that the sparse set denies you visually.

In terms of performances, being

literally plugged in to the sound, this does open up more nuanced and subtle moments from the performers. Whispered tones and the intimacy between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are heightened, asides can be whispered in plain sight and the switching between internal thought and dialogue can be expressed in more simple vocal adjustments. Both Jumbo and Tennant maximise the use of this as their characters battle with their own inner turmoil.

The whole production is confident in its execution, the upstage glass box of the Rosanna Vize set design adds another layer of stage/off stage, letting us see beyond, in the same manner that some of the sound we hear is from the off stage dealings. Whilst bringing you in and keeping you engaged, the concept works, that is, of course, if you don’t mind wearing a headset for two hours. I can imagine that for anybody who dislikes or finds the lightly-padded headset uncomfortable, it may become a distraction.

Tickets for Macbeth have now sold out.

Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LX UK until 10th February.

Times: Mon – Sat evenings 7.30pm; Tues, Thur & Sat matinees 2.30pm.

Admission: £25 - £69.

Booking: 0203 282 3808 www.donmarwarehouse.com/events/ macbeth/

18 CLASSIFIED

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Walworth Living Room Surrey Square London, SE17 2JU Contact 020 7703 3803 walworthlivingroom.org info@pembrokehouse.org.uk SCAN ME Scan the QR code or visit linktr.ee/pembrokehouse to discover our activities and register to hear about news from our work in the neighbourhood.

Elim House Day Centre

YOU MATTER TO US programme started Tuesday 9th May. 100 Day programme combating loneliness within our elders

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PUBLIC NOTICES 19

LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (CARVER ROAD, COLLETT ROAD, PECKHAM RYE) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC) 1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various works to be carried out, it made, an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

2.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in: (a) Carver Road, at it’s junction with Herne Hill (b) Collett Road, between Keetons Road and Storks Road (c) Peckham Rye, between Scylla Road and Nunhead Passage

Notice of Application for a Premises Licence made under Section 17 of the Licensing Act 2003 Please take notice that I / we Chi Shing Tang Have made application to Southwark Council for a new Premises Licence in respect of Chi Chinese Restaurant, 71 Lordship Lane, London, SE22 8EP The relevant licensable activities and proposed times to be carried on, or on from the premises are

Opening hours:

Days

Start time

Finish time

Sunday to Thursday Friday & Saturday

12:00 12:00

22:00 23:00

A register of all applications made within the Southwark area is maintained by: The Licensing Service, Hub 1, 3rd Floor, 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH A record of this application may be inspected by visiting the office during normal office hours by appointment on 020 7525 2000; details are also available on our website at http://app.southwark.gov.uk/licensing/licenseregister.asp

3.

The alternative route for affected traffic (2a) Herne Hill, Half Moon Lane, Ruskin Walk, Herne Hill (2b) Storks Road, Clements Road, Drummond Road, Tranton Road (2c) Peckham Rye, Forest Hill Road, Brenchley Gardens, Brockley Way, Ivydale Road, Cheltenham Road

4.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

It is open to any interested party to make representations about the likely effect of the application on the promotion of the licensing objectives. Representations must be made in writing to the Licensing Service at the office address given above (or by email via licensing@southwark.gov.uk) and be received by the Service within a period of 28 days starting the day after the date shown below.

5.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or the direction of a police constable in uniform.

Note: It is an offence to knowingly or recklessly make a false statement in connection with an application. A person guilty of such offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

6.

The works will be in operation for (2a) 15th January 2024 (2b) 18th January 2024 – 16th April 2024 (2c) 13th – 14th January 2024

Date of application: 22nd December 2023

7.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

Dated this 4th January 2024 Ian Law Traffic Manager London Borough of Southwark Network Management Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX Ref: (2a) WF5DNP3F (2b) BER5-CORO117-01 (2c) LBSCR13173-1 LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1) (GERVASE STREET, NEPTUNE STREET, REDCROSS WAY, TANNER STREET, VERNEY ROAD) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFI) # 1.

The Council of the London Borough of Southwark hereby gives notice that to enable various works to be carried out, it intends, to make, an order, the effect of which will be to prohibit vehicular traffic from entering part of the above named roads.

2.

Whilst the works are in progress, or whilst the authorised traffic signs/road markings are displayed, no person shall cause any vehicle to enter, proceed, stop, wait, load or unload at any time in: (a) Gervase Street, at it’s junction with Old Kent Road (b) Neptune Street, between Lower Road and Moodkee Street (c) Redcross Way, between Park Street and Southwark Street (d) Tanner Street, between Riley Road and Maltby Street (e) Verney Road, at it’s junction with St James Road

3.

The alternative route for affected traffic (2a) Old Kent Road, Asylum Road (2b) as indicated by the signs displayed (2c) as indicated by the signs displayed (2d) as indicated by the signs displayed (2e)

4.

The existing ‘one-way’ working in Gervase Street, between Old Kent Road and Asylum Road, will be made ‘two-way’ for access and egress purposes.

5.

Exemptions will be provided in the Order to permit reasonable access to premises, so far as it is practical without interference with the execution of the said works.

6.

The restrictions will not apply to any vehicle being used in connection with the said works, or for fire brigade, ambulance or police purposes or anything done with the permission or the direction of a police constable in uniform.

7.

The works will be in operation for (2a) 19th – 22nd January (2b) 25th January – 7th February (2c) 21st – 22nd January (2d) 23rd – 24th January (2e) 19th – 26th January

8.

Further information may be obtained by contacting Road Network Management at ttmo@southwark.gov.uk

Dated this 4th January 2024 Ian Law Traffic Manager London Borough of Southwark Network Management Environment, Neighbourhoods and Growth 160 Tooley Street PO Box 64529 London SE1 5LX Ref: (2a) 81079841 (2b) LCND00925H (2c) SLS000812394230135 (2d) LBSCR13324 (2e) P11229

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Kingsdale Foundation School Statutory Consultation on Admissions Arrangements for 2025-26 Entry Kingsdale Foundation School Admission Authority is currently consulting on admission arrangements for the Academy for September 2025 entry. We would welcome your views on the proposed change to our Admission Policy.

An explanatory letter, draft proposed policy and relevant supporting documents can be accessed via our website at www.kingsdalefoundationschool.org.uk by contacting the school's Admissions Office Tel: 020 8670 7575 or by Email: admissions@kingsdale.southwark.sch.uk Please send all comments or queries for the attention of Ms O. Otubu, Admissions Officer, by email via admissions@kingsdale.southwark.sch.uk by 31st January 2024 when this consultation will close.

STATUTORY CONSULTATION FOR ST THOMAS THE APOSTLE COLLEGE The Governors of St Thomas the Apostle School would welcome your views on the admissions arrangements for 2025/2026.

Please visit www.stac.uk.com to view the policy.

Any comments or queries should be emailed to Mrs I. Sarsoza at enquiries@stac.southwark.sch.uk.

Please respond by 30th January 2024 when the consultation period will end.

What happens next?

The Governors will consider all the responses to the consultation. They will then decide whether to implement any changes and if approved the changes will be introduced for September 2024 entry.

20 PUBLIC NOTICES LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 (as amended) PLANNING (LISTED BUILDINGS AND CONSERVATION AREAS) ACT 1990 (as amended) The planning applications listed below can be viewed on the planning register at https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/ You can use facilities at your local library or 'My Southwark Service Points' to access the website.

How to comment on this application: You should submit your comments via the above link. Comments received will be made available for public viewing on the website. All personal information will be removed except your postal address. Online comments submitted without an email address will not be acknowledged and those marked 'confidential' will not be considered. Written comments can be submitted to; Southwark Council, Chief executive's department, Planning division, Development Management, PO Box 64529, London SE1 5LX. Reason for publicity. The applications are advertised for the reasons identified by the following codes: AFFECT - development affecting character or appearance of a nearby conservation area; OR development affecting setting of a nearby listed building(s); DEP - departure from the development plan; EIA - environmental impact assessment (these applications are accompanied by an environmental statement a copy of which may be obtained from the Council - there will be a charge for the copy); MAJ - major planning application; STDCA - development within a conservation area; STDLB - works to or within the site of a listed building; FLAT A 230 OLD KENT ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 5UB (Ref: 23/AP/3454) Extension of the basement, ground and first floor and new mansard loft to re-model 3no existing flats and provide 1 new flat (Within: Thomas A'Beckett And High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Anna Poulose ) 28 BOROUGH HIGH STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 1YB(Ref: 23/AP/3491) Listed Building Consenst for internal refurbishment with external redecorations and new signage (Within: Borough High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Sandy Ng 020 7525 5000) 28 BOROUGH HIGH STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 1YB(Ref: 23/AP/3493) Display of replacement 3no. illuminated fascia signs, 2no. hanging signs and 1no. nameplate sign (Within: Borough High Street CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Michèle Sterry 020 7525 5453) 81 STRADELLA ROAD LONDON SOUTHWARK SE24 9HL(Ref:

23/AP/3486) Construction of a single storey rear extension following the demolition of the exisitng single storey rear extension. (Within: Dulwich Village Stradella Road CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Susherrie Suki ) 152 EAST DULWICH GROVE LONDON SOUTHWARK SE22 8TB(Ref: 23/AP/3458) Demolition of two detached dwellings, erection of two buildings for relocated Pre-Prep school including pedestrian access, external play space and hard and soft landscaping (Within: Dulwich Village CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Abbie McGovern 020 7525 0254) 18 WHEAT WHARF 27 SHAD THAMES LONDON SOUTHWARK SE1 2YW (Ref: 23/AP/3378) Listed Building Consent for the internal reconfiguration of the flat (Within: Tower Bridge CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Catherine Jeater 020 7525 5375)

Transport for London Public Notice

5 ETHEL STREET LONDON SOUTHWARK SE17 1NH(Ref: 23/AP/3535) Proposed rear and side return extension, new roof terrace above existing outrigger and other minor external modifications to Victorian terraced house. (Within: Larcom Street Walworth Road CA) Reason(s) for publicity: STDCA (Contact: Chloe Rimell 0207 525 1397) DAUNCY HOUSE WEBBER ROW ESTATE WEBBER ROW LONDON SOUTHWARK (Ref: 23/AP/3381) Listing Building Consent for the installation of a fibre optic network externally. Reason(s) for publicity: STDLB (Contact: Sandy Ng 020 7525 5000) Dated: 02 Jan 2024 - comments to be received within 21 days of this date.

STEPHEN PLATTS Director of Planning and Growth

Transport for London Public Notice

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

THE A3200 GLA ROAD (SOUTHWARK STREET, LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC AND STOPPING) ORDER 2024

THE A200 GLA ROAD (TOOLEY STREET, LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK) (TEMPORARY PROHIBITION OF TRAFFIC AND STOPPING) ORDER 2024

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it has made the above-named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the order is to allow manhole cover and frame replacement works to take place on the A3200 Southwark Street. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle; (1) except cycles from turning right from Borough High Street into Southwark Street; (2) from stopping in the taxi only bay outside No.1 Southwark Street.

The Order will be effective between 9:00 PM on the 15th January 2024 and 5:00 AM on the 16th January 2024 or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibitions will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

3. The prohibitions will not apply in respect of: (1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes.

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

4. At such times as the prohibitions are in force alternative routes will be indicated by trafc signs. Borough High Street; Newington Causeway; St Georges Close; Waterloo Road; Stamford Street; Southwark Street to normal route of travel

1. Transport for London hereby gives notice that it has made the above named Trafc Order under section 14(1) of the Road Trafc Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose specied in paragraph 2. The effect of the Order is summarised in paragraph 3.

2. The purpose of the order is to allow new telecom connection works to be undertaken on the A200 Tooley Street.

3. The effect of the Order will be to prohibit any vehicle from stopping in the Parking and Disabled Persons’ Vehicles bay outside No. 160 Tooley Street.

The Order will be effective between 9:00 PM on the 9th January 2024 and 11:59pm on the 9th January 2024 or when the works have been completed whichever is the sooner. The prohibition will apply only during such times and to such extent as shall from time to time be indicated by trafc signs.

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To place a notice, please email em@ cm-media. co.uk or call 020 7232 1639

4. The prohibition will not apply in respect of: (1) any vehicle being used for the purposes of those works or for re brigade, ambulance or police purposes.

(2) anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform or a person authorised by Transport for London.

Dated this 4th day of January 2024.

Claire Wright Co-ordination and Permitting Area Manager Transport for London, Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

Dated this 4th day of January 2024 Claire Wright Co-ordination and Permitting Area Manager, Transport for London Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ

LICENSING ACT 2003 APPLICATION FOR A PREMISES LICENCE (Section 17) Notice is hereby given that B & M Retail Limited has applied to the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council on 18 December 2023 for the grant of a Premises Licence in respect of B&M Store, (Former Wilko), Cannon Retail Park, 6 Twin Tumps Way, London SE28 8RD to allow off sales of alcohol and opening hours from 07:00 to 23:00 7 days a week.

A record of this application may be inspected by appointment.

Other persons may make representations to the Council on this application by no later than 15 January 2024.

Representations can be made in writing, by email or fax using the contact details below: Licensing Team, 4th Floor, Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ. Tel: 020 8921 8018; Fax: 020 8921 8380; Email: licensing@ royalgreenwich.gov.uk Representations can only be made on the grounds of one of the four licensing objectives, namely: • Prevention of Crime and Disorder • Prevention of Public Nuisance • Public Safety • Protection of Children from Harm Any person who makes a false statement in connection with an application is liable on summary conviction to a maximum fine which is unlimited.

(ROW/MJG) KEYSTONE LAW Solicitors 48 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1JF

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SPORT 21 DULWICH HAMLET FC

Hakan Hayrettin’s side defeated for just the second time in fourteen league games

Luke Wanadio was on target last weekend

By John Kelly dulwiCh haMEt had a deflating start to the New year after Chatham Town came from behind to score a last-minute winner at the Bauvill Stadium.

The Dulwich boss had to contend with a number of absentees against Chatham

After a goal-less first half in front of a 2,588 attendance, Adrian Clifton gave Hakan Hayrettin’s side the lead in the 53rd minute.

But the Chats hit back through Chris Dickson on the hour and Reece Butler earned all three points for the hosts in the 90th minute.

Luke Wanadio went close to giving Dulwich the lead against Town in the fourteenth minute only for his attempt from range to go just wide.

Former Millwall midfielder Alfie Allen had the game’s first shot on target as goalkeeper Ben Bridle-Card saved his long-distance effort.

Dulwich were on top and Manny Parry was next to threaten but the Chatham goal survived intact.

The Hamlet spurned another opportunity seven minutes before half-time when Bridle-Card saved form Clifton.

The hosts then went close to making a breakthrough when Dickson shot from a tight angle and Will Lakin saved.

Dulwich finally beat Bridle-Card when Clifton headed home Wanadio’s cross.

But then the game was turned on its head in the 60th minute when this time

Dickson went around Lakin to finish into an empty net.

Eight minutes later, Lakin tipped Jack Evans’ volley from 30 yards around the post.

The much busier Lakin then denied Ash Nzala before being beaten late on.

A free-kick into the Dulwich box wasn’t fully cleared and Harvey Broad’s shot landed at the feet of Butler who tapped in from three yards.

It was only Dulwich’s second defeat in their last fourteen Isthmian League Premier Division games and their playoff hopes have taken a hit as they are now nine points off seventh.

Dulwich drew 1-1 against Horsham last weekend. Luke Wanadio equalised for the hosts a minute before the break

Bermondsey club’s youngest wrestler wins gold

Photo by Tokei

By sports reporter BErMoNdSEy toKEi club’s youngest member claimed a gold medal in a competition in Slough just before Christmas.

Ruben Mkrtchiyan, aged nine, produced the “standout achievement” at the event.

Wrestlers from the Tooley Street martial arts club had the opportunity to win an extra Christmas present at the Southern Area Wrestling Championships.

Competitive wrestling in the UK is either Freestyle or Greco-Roman and with the exception of athletics, is recognised as the world’s oldest competitive sport. The rules for the two disciplines are almost identical, except that in Greco-Roman a wrestler may not attack an opponent below the waist or use their own legs to execute holds. This competition was under the Freestyle rules which tends to be more popular.

Not all the wresting members who train at Tokei want to do competitions, and some only train in Greco-Roman, but Tokei had four wrestlers travelling down to Slough with their supporters and head coach Mohammed Shahin to give mat-side advice and last-minute

in front of an attendance of 2,796 at Champion Hill.

Charlie Hester-Cook had given the visitors the lead in the 43rd minute.

Meanwhile, Miquel Scarlett, Hussein Siklawi and Jack Ruddy all departed the club late last month.

Hayrettin said: “I’d like to thank all three of the lads for all they’ve done for the club this season. Whilst it hasn’t worked out here at Dulwich, I have no doubt they’ll go on to have good footballing careers elsewhere.

“I’d like to wish them all the best going forward and look forward to following their individual career journeys from afar.”

The Hamlet host Hashtag United in the league this Saturday at 3pm.

Jumo nets worldie in Fish draw

By John Kelly

FiShEr ClaiMEd a point at Sutton athletic in their last game of 2023 to end the year in eighth place in the SCEFl premier division table.

Ruben Mkrtchiyan in action tips.

In the competition there were eleven different age and gender categories, plus weight groups for each category.

This guaranteed everyone was able to compete and test themselves against people who were a fair match for them.

The club said: “There was at least one win for everyone on the day, but

the standout achievement was Ruben Mkrtchiyan.

“Ruben took the gold medal in the under-9 years’ old group. It was also his first competition. He put in a very spirited performance, smiling throughout, even looking up taking advice from his coach and family who were calling out encouragement in the

final.”

The wrestlers who train at Tokei’s purpose-built dojo range from Ruben aged 9 to much older players in their 50s. They train on Monday evening from 8pm to 9.30pm and Saturday afternoon 2.30pm to 4pm. New players of any age and returners to the sport are always very welcome.

Flavio Jumo scored a goal-of-theseason contender to earn a point for Michael Williams’ side.

The Fish made a strong start and Michael Sarpong, on his first appearance of the season, went close but it was the hosts who took a tenth-minute lead through Mariano Banjoko.

It took the visitors just seven minutes to level when Sarpong sent Jumo in behind the defence and after checking back with a flick he fired into the top corner from 25 yards.

Defences dominated after that explosive start, with Mark Chadi commanding the Fish back-line and seventeen-year-old goalkeeper Samuel Nwabuko tipping over a header in firsthalf injury-time.

Sarpong had a goal ruled out for offside after the break and Nwabuko made a late save to ensure a share of the spoils.

Fisher play Corinthian in the league at St Paul’s this Saturday. Kick-off is at 3pm.

Photo by Rob Avis

hamlet suFFer new year hangover

22 SPORT

By Paul Green JordaN ayEw spoke of his delight about signing off for Crystal Palace ahead of the africa Cup of Nations with a vital 3-1 home win over Brentford last weekend.

over to yew

Forward helps Eagles to vital win before AFCON departure

© Action Plus

The Ghanian provided the fourteenthminute assist for Michael Olise to equalise and cancel out Keane LewisPotter’s early opener.

Eberechi Eze put the Eagles ahead shortly before the break and Olise grabbed a second on 58 minutes to give Roy Hodgson’s side a vital victory, their first since early November.

Ghana play Cape Verde, Egypt and Mozambique in Group B from January 14 to 22. Palace play Everton in the FA Cup and Arsenal in the league in that time.

“It was a big game for us. We haven’t won for two months and it was important to win,” Ayew said.

“Obviously [it] is my last game because I will be off to the African Cup of Nations.

“I wanted to go with a win. It was the last game of the year as well at home, so it was important to win and to give the supporters something to cheer about.”

He added: “It has been a good year – ups and down. It is normal because we have a young group and these type of things happen, but we are improving and we have a good staff behind us as well.

“They are doing a good job. We were unlucky in the last four games. Apart from the [Manchester] City game, in terms of performances, it was really good. City was a good performance, we got a draw.

“But apart from that game, the rest of the games we could have won it. “[Against Brentford] we were rewarded and I think we were the better team.

“When you keep on working and keep on pushing you get rewarded. I want to congratulate the boys, the team, the squad, the staff, and the medical team as well, because they’ve been brilliant.”

Ayew’s cross for Olise certainly paid off in style, although the man himself was keen to downplay it afterwards.

“It is not because I tried to look for Michael or anything like that,” he said.

“We always speak before the game and we have good communication – all of us, all the forward players – and we try to help each other on the field.

“It has been working and I’m happy.”

Pressure had been building going into the Bees game, with Palace anxiously looking over their shoulders at the relegation places.

The 3-1 result eases those fears as

Crystal Palace’s Ghana international Jordan Ayew

the Eagles are now six points clear of the danger zone, with Ayew hoping his team-mates build on the winning feeling while he is away.

Ayew said: “It is important because it is much more than three points.

“It gives you confidence, it gives you belief.

“When you win it is totally different, no matter how you play.

“It is always good to win when you play good football and stuff but sometimes

you need to win scrappy.

“I think we won but we won it with a good performance.”

Palace are in FA Cup third-round action this Thursday at 8pm when they host Everton at Selhurst Park.

Nicolas Jackson played in Palmer on 70 minutes for a brilliant finish as he rolled his left foot over the top of the ball to go past Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski before evading two defenders and tapping in from six yards.

Chelsea were seemingly in complete control at this point.

Luton, however, twice gave notice they weren’t done yet with Elijah Adebayo seeing a header chalked out for offside and then hitting the woodwork.

Former Blues midfielder Ross Barkley pulled one back with an 80th-minute header from a corner.

And then Adebayo tapped in seven minutes later after Alfie Doughty’s header was pushed out by Djordje Petrovic to set up a grandstand finish.

But Chelsea held on, leaving manof-the-match Palmer to reflect on the potential success which is still to come from Mauricio Pochettino’s newlyassembled squad.

“We just need to work with each other every day,” Palmer said. “We’ve been together four months so it is a short period of time.

“I think on the training pitch we need to gel together, even off the pitch so we can work each other out. When we do that, we will start creating more chances and scoring more goals.

“Everything takes time. If you’ve just put something new together it is not going to be free-flowing straight away.

“We just need to keep pushing and building.

“Everyone knows it has been a difficult year so to get three points after the other game as well [against Palace], we just ned to try and build on that.

Palmer added: “It’s a really tough place to come so get three points here in a difficult stadium, good fans – I’m delighted.

“We knew what they were about – long balls, set-pieces, the crowd on top of you. We had to manage the game well and I think we did.

“It was very physical. They started pushing towards the end.

“In the last 20 minutes, they scored two goals which made it difficult, but we hung on and hopefully in 2024 we can keep pushing and building.”

Palmer, 21, has scored ten goals in

Michael Olise, right, grabbed a brace

Cole brilliance sends Blues into New Year on right note

By Paul Green

ChElSEa’S douBlE goal hero Cole Palmer thinks it is only a matter of time before the Blues show their true quality after last weekend’s 3-2 victory at luton town.

The Blues made it back-to-back wins at following their success over Crystal Palace, with Palmer playing a key role in all three strikes.

He took full advantage of a poor Issa Kabore clearance on twelve minutes to fire the visitors in front with an angled shot from just inside the box.

Palmer turned provider eight minutes before the break with a fine pass to Noni Madueke, who grabbed his second goal in as many games.

22 games for Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea since his £40million move from boyhood club Manchester City last summer.

In a whirlwind few months, Palmer made his senior debut for England in November, featuring in Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

“Hopefully this is just the start,” he said. “I’m still adapting to a new life, new team-mates, new city. The manager gives me trust and freedom so I’m very grateful to him and hopefully I can adapt as quickly as possible and keep repaying him.”

Chelsea host Championship Preston North End in the third round of the FA Cup this Saturday at 5.30pm.

ThE efl championship Bristol C - 0 Millwall - 1 Hutchinson 90' +2 Date: Monday 1 January 2024 Attendance: 21,755 (600 away fans) Man of the match: Shaun Hutchinson Referee: Tom Nield

By Kiro Evans A STUNNING stoppage time strike

by Shaun Hutchinson saw Millwall grab all three points against Bristol City in their opening game of 2024.

In complete contrast to just a few weeks ago, things finally seem to be going the Lions’ way as they edged this tight contest with a late goal that came out of nowhere.

Hutchinson, who was already the star player of the match with his bullish defending, suddenly saw his chance in the 93rd minute of the game as he latched onto a Billy Mitchell header from the edge of the box.

The 33-year-old, not known for his finishing, swivelled in the area and his left-footed volley took a slight deflection that sent it flying into the bottom corner.

The moment had clear parallels with Bristol City’s victory at The Den back in August, when Matty James scored a spectacular effort in stoppage time to win a nothing game.

Millwall can feel less guilty about their triumph given they were the far better side in the second half.

The late goal means the Lions now have three wins in a row for the first time since October 2022 and four clean sheets in a row for the first time since March 2022.

It represents an extraordinary Christmas turnaround which now leaves Millwall closer to the play-off positions than the relegation spaces.

Their newfound defensive stability and renewed spirit has completely changed the complexion of their season and Joe Edwards’ short reign.

Bristol City were limited to just one real chance in the game when Matija Sarkic had to make a save from Jason Knight during the first half while Millwall’s best chance before stoppage time saw Murray Wallace head over from inside the box.

Defences were on top during a first half that promoted the organisational skills of Robins boss Liam Manning and Edwards. Both teams came into this game unbeaten in four and barely gave

The Lions Late Show Shaun Hutchinson strikes in stoppage time to give Millwall New Year Day win

each other an inch.

Bristol City’s possession often amounted to little as they struggled to find a way through Millwall’s sturdy defence before Sarkic was required to fend away Knight’s header from the edge of the six-yard box.

And just five minutes later, half a chance presented itself to Millwall. Head tennis from Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Duncan Watmore caught out the Bristol defence and Bradshaw found a yard of space as he charged into the box.

But Zak Vyner managed to recover to block an effort from the in-form Welsh international, who has scored four times

By John Kelly TOM CAIRNEY said “it means everything to me” after the club captain signed a new Fulham contract until the summer of 2025.

That would bring Cairney, who will be 33 later this month, up to a decade at Craven Cottage after he

It was Shaun Hutchinson’s first goal since March 2021

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE P

W D

L

GD Pts

1 Leicester City 26 21 2 3 36 2 Ipswich Town 26 16 7 3 15 3 Southampton 26 15 7 4 15 4 Leeds United 26 14 6 6 20 5 WBA 26 12 6 8 12 6 Sunderland 26 12 4 10 8 7 Hull City 26 11 6 9 4 8 Coventry City 26 9 10 7 10 9 Cardiff City 26 11 4 11 1 10 Watford 26 9 9 8 6 11 Bristol City 26 10 6 10 2 12 Middlesbrough 26 11 3 12 -1 13 Norwich City 26 10 5 11 0 14 Preston North End 26 10 5 11 -13 15 Millwall 26 8 8 10 -3 16 Swansea City 26 8 8 10 -4 17 Blackburn Rovers 26 10 2 14 -9 18 Plymouth Argyle 26 7 8 11 -2 19 Stoke City 26 7 8 11 -7 20 Birmingham City 26 7 7 12 -11 21 Huddersfield Town 26 5 10 11 -18 22 Sheffield Wed 26 6 4 16 -19 23 QPR 26 5 6 15 -16 24 Rotherham United 26 3 9 14 -26

65 55 52 48 42 40 39 37 37 36 36 36 35 35 32 32 32 29 29 28 25 22 21 18

against the Robins previously.

The Lions took the initiative early in the second half and suddenly found a spring in their step while the hosts floundered.

George Honeyman took advantage of Tommy Conway slipping to drive to the byline and dink a cross in for the latearriving Wallace, who headed just over from ten yards out.

The improvement in the second half underlined the how much control Millwall seem to have in matches in recent weeks, keeping it tight in the first half before choosing to open the game up at their own pace.

After 70 minutes, Flemming had a

New deal for Cottage captain joined from Blackburn Rovers for £2.8million.

Midfielder Cairney has made 305 appearances and scored 45 goals for the Cottagers.

“It means everything to me,” Cairney said. “Ten years is a hell of a long time in football, a very rare thing. I said from quite early on that Fulham feels like home. A lot of players say that and then move on, but I feel like it’s obvious that I meant it as I’ll still be here ten years later.

“For all the ups and the downs, I’ve enjoyed every single minute of playing for Fulham, being at the Cottage.

“Captaining Fulham is an incredible honour that I’ll never take for granted. I just want to keep on enjoying my football, keep on playing well, keep on helping the

SPORT 23

club, and then who knows how far we can go or where that can take me.

“To get to ten years is an incredible achievement and one that I’ll be very proud of, so I’m delighted that we could extend it and keep this journey going. Hopefully there’s more memories to make and, who knows, maybe even lift another trophy at some point.”

Cairney helped Marco Silva’s side to a superb 2-1 victory at home to Arsenal on New Year’s Eve. Bukayo Saka put Mikel Arteta’s side in front in the fifth minute before the hosts turned it around through Raul Jimenez’s 29th-minute equaliser and Bobby Decordova-Reid’s winner in the 59th minute.

Fulham host Rotherham United in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday at 7.30pm.

promising header blocked a couple of yards out from the goal line before Cooper appealed for a penalty after hitting the deck in the box.

With ten minutes to go, it increasingly felt like neither team would find a breakthrough but then substitute Kevin Nisbet forced a corner in stoppage time.

And it was from that corner that Hutchinson’s goal would arrive with Billy Mitchell getting an assist. Both players might have found themselves on the bench if not for injury absences to Wes Harding and Casper De Norre and George Saville being suspended.

But with the seconds ticking away, club

captain Hutchinson came up with the finish to send hundreds of travelling Millwall fans into meltdown in the away end.

Bristol City: 4-2-3-1: O’Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Williams, James (Gardner-Hickman 55’); Weimann (Sykes 55’), Knight, Mehmeti (Bell 72’); Conway (Wells 72’).

Millwall: 3-4-3: Sarkic; Leonard, Hutchinson, Cooper; Norton-Cuffy (McNamara 85’), Mitchell, Honeyman, Wallace; Watmore (Emakhu 62’), Flemming (Longman 85’), Bradshaw (Nisbet 71’).

Bugiel backs Dons mates to make step-up

By John Kelly OMAR BUGIEL has backed his AFC Wimbledon squad-mates to “step up” during his and Ali AlHamadi's absences during this month’s Asian Cup.

Lebanon’s Bugiel and Iraq’s AlHamadi will miss at least four Dons games during the group stages in Qatar.

Al-Hamadi scored in the 1-1 draw at Forest Green Rovers last weekend as Johnnie Jackson’s side sit in the last play-off spot in League Two. “We’re a team, everyone can step up,” Bugiel said. “We saw it at Portsmouth [in the 5-2 EF Trophy win], people are going to play and

take their opportunities.

“When Ali and I return from the competition, we’re going to have to fight for the shirt again. I’m sure the boys will be fine, stick together and get a few results along the way.”

On his call-up, Bugiel added: “I’ve been away for about two or three years from that team. The manager gave me a call and wanted me back, having followed me over the past few months.

“Straight away he wanted me to get involved, so hopefully this is an opportunity to go away and prove a point with Lebanon.”

The Dons host Championship Ipswich Town in the third round of the FA Cup this Saturday at 12.30pm.

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auld Lang Sigh as addicks boss wants new signings to lift gloom

By Paul Green MiChaEl applEtoN believes “perspective” is needed after Charlton Athletic were booed off again following a third straight loss to oxford united at the Valley on New year’s day.

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The Addicks made the perfect start when Chem Campbell slotted home on five minutes after Corey BlackettTaylor’s initial shot was saved by James Beadle.

Oxford were back on terms midway

through he first half, a well-worked attack ending with Finley Stevens’ cross being converted by Mark Harris.

Chem Campbell really should have restored the home side’s advantage early in the second period but he headed off target.

There was to be a late sting in the tail five minutes from time as Oisin Smyth unleashed a stunning shot from outside of the box that flew past Ashley MaynardBrewer. The result leaves Charlton fourteen points off the play-offs.

There were more boos and jeers at

the final whistle, something Appleton accepts as inevitable but the under-fire boss also pointed out injuries to key players are also a big factor.

“Yeah, but there has to be perspective as well which there never is in football,” he replied when asked if he understood the reaction from the stands.

“You win, everything is fantastic, you lose and everything is not fantastic.

“That’s the business we are in, I get that.

“We’ve got nine injuries and probably six or seven are first-team regulars.

“In the first seven or eight games when we’ve been here, we never lost a game and we looked like we were going to roll teams over three- or four-nil.

“We are not having the best of luck with injuries, we are definitely not having the best of luck with injuries.

“The squad from a balance point of view, we’ve already addressed that that is something we will look to address this month if we can.”

Appleton also stressed any signings Charlton do make will have to be players who can fit straight into the side

immediately.

He added: “If we are going to improve that is why it is so important to get the right ones.

“You try and improve the team and the actual starting XI. “I don’t think we are in a position where it is about bringing players in to be squad players.

“They have to come in and try and be starters for us and that’s why it is so important to get the right ones.”

Charlton travel to Port Vale in League One this Saturday for a 3pm kick-off.

roy: coop yer mouth shut!

Palace boss has strong response to rumours

Roy Hodgson and Brentford manager Thomas Frank last weekend

By John Kelly roy hodgSoN said suggestions he was affected by speculation over Crystal Palace potentially making a managerial change was “disrespectful” - after reports last week linked Steve Cooper with the job.

It was claimed the Eagles could turn to former Nottingham Forest manager Cooper - who was sacked last month and replaced by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo - if Palace had lost to Brentford last weekend.

It didn’t start well for the hosts at

Selhurst Park as Keane Lewis-Potter gave the Bees a second-minute lead.

But Michael Olise’s double either side of Eberechi Eze’s goal earned Palace a first win in nine games to end 2023 on a positive note.

Hodgson’s side moved six points above the relegation zone as Thomas Frank’s Brentford slipped to a fifth consecutive defeat.

Hodgson was asked about the Cooper reports after the game.

“I’m 76 years of age. I’ve been working 47 years, I’ve got a CBE for my services and I’ve got a CV which is incredible,” Hodgson said. “So my final answer to you is that makes no difference or has any

interest to me at all, and to suggest that it should is disrespectful.”

Palace’s recent form had seen them drop to within three points of the relegation zone. Hodgson has had to deal with a number of injuries, including to his two most important attackers, Olise and Eze. “We think what we've done is we've dealt with the situation that's been put in front of us as best we can,” Hodgson said.

“We, the coaching staff, never lost belief in the team, and that this team is a good team, and will do well, and are certainly not relegation candidates.

“But, on the other hand, you are a relegation candidate when you start

slipping down the table and there's not many points between you and the teams below you.

“The people who matter to me in terms of their reflecting on our performances are the players and people around the club as well. That's the most important thing.

“When you're not getting points or when you're slipping down the table, I'm afraid you're going to come in for negative criticism. That's the way it is.

But we have to keep some sort of balance and perspective about it.

“But I'm happy [after the win]: happy for the players, happy for the club, and happy for the fans, because it's much

nicer to go into the New Year on a victory rather than perhaps another draw or even worse a defeat, which would've lengthened that spell when we weren't getting points.”

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