2008 News

Failed Government Policy is at the Root of the School Admissions Crisis 22nd May 2008

Over 200 four and five year olds have no school to go to in September because the Council has failed to provide enough places. Kingston Council failed to foresee a surge in demand for school places this year, and while other boroughs have had similar problems, the situation in Kingston is the worst in London. Despite knowing as early as January that they would face a shortage of places, Kingston Council failed to act. As a result one in seven children have no reception place. On top of this extraordinary situtation, the Council will face appeals from many parents whose children have not been offered a place in their preferred school.

On 22 May, Helen Whately and Cllr Nick Kilby met a group of parents to discuss what action can be taken. As well as discussing how the situation arose and the lack of action or communication from Kingston Council, the discussion focused on practical steps to tackle the situation. The immediate priority is to make sure every child has a place well in advance of the start of term on 3rd September, and that the lack of choice doesn't result in a trek half way across the borough for parents. Helen has been told that seven local schools have been asked to take extra students, but the final decision on these school expansions is in the hands of the school governors.

Some children are likely to end up being taught in portacabins. This can only be a temporary solution; these children must be provided with proper places, in permanent buildings with permanent teachers. The Council must also ensure that there is not a repeat of this fiasco when these children move to junior school, and that children are never left without a school place again. It has become clear, in Kingston and all around the country, that the education system needs radical reform to ensure something like this never happens again. We need to move away from the command and control approach that got Kingston into this mess in the first place. Good schools need the freedom to expand to meet demand and the process of setting up a new school should be much, much easier. This would give parents a real choice, which would not just be about choosing a school close to home but also choosing a school of the right size and ethos for each child.

At the opening of St Mary's Centre, Chessington 5th July 2008
On 5th July Helen attended the opening of St Mary's Centre, Chessington. The centre was officially opened by the vicar of St Mary the Virgin, the Revd. Sarah Oakland. The Reverend cut the ribbon in front of an audience of volunteers and supporters, many of whom had been involved in the work to get the centre ready for use. The Chessington Safer Neighbourhood Teams were also in attendance. The building has been painstakingly renovated after many years of neglect and will provide much needed facilities for events and groups.

Post Office ignored letters from residents 10th July 2008
The Post Office ignored hundreds of letters and petitions from residents when it decided to close five Kingston and Surbiton Post Offices in June. Helen Whately uncovered this dismissive treatment of local people after submitting a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Post Office. She has called for the consultation to be reopened and for the views of local people to be properly considered.

The response to Helen’s FOI showed that just 65 letters and one petition (of 120 signatures) were considered in the consultation on the five local Post Offices - Hook Rise, Surbiton Park, Norbiton Common, Burlington Road and Plough Green. This compares to over 200 letters and a petition of nearly 2000 signatures which Helen delivered in person to Post Office headquarters in central London. All five post offices were closed despite the strong arguments put to the Post Office about their importance to local communities.

Helen has written to the Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd. calling for an urgent meeting and proposing that the consultation should be reopened.
Helen commented “I was suspicious that Post Office Ltd wasn’t really concerned about the impact on local communities, but I am shocked to discover that they haven’t got any record of all the letters and petitions. Many of the letters provided important information for the consultation. These post offices provided vital services to local people, particularly for the elderly and disabled, as well as local businesses. Petitions were recorded for several other London Post Offices which were kept open as a result of the consultation. Would our post offices have been saved if our petitions and letters had been taken into account? I will do everything I can to make sure Post Office Ltd can’t get away with this.”

New arrival for Helen and Marcus 3rd August 2008
George Whately was born on 3 August 2008 at Kingston Hospital. He arrived at 3.31 in the afternoon and weighed 7lb11oz.

Boris Johnson takes Kingston and Surbiton a step closer to Zone 5 24 September 2008
Boris Johnson has taken action to bring about the rezoning of Kingston and Surbiton stations from zone 6 to zone 5. To show his support for hard-pressed local commuters the Mayor has offered to waive Transport for London's lost revenue from their share of the lower priced travel card. Helen welcomed this announcement, the first real sign of progress towards getting the stations rezoned. She has been speaking to Boris' office throughout the summer to find out what the Mayor can do in practice to bring about rezoning, and to keep Kingston's needs high up the mayoral agenda.

With the cost to London Transport no longer a barrier, the Mayor can now help us put pressure on the Train Operating Companies and the Department of Transport to carry out the rezoning . Unfortunately, taking the decision to rezone is not within Boris' remit. Helen said, "This is real progress towards rezoning Kingston and Surbiton. Ed Davey MP should apologise for attacking Boris for breaking promises - while Davey was criticising Boris, he was actually getting on with the job." Tony Arbour, Kingston's Assembly member said, "LibDems have a record for criticising Boris for not doing things that are not in his remit and then claiming credit for his positive actions. This episode shows that only Conservatives in office can bring about real improvement whilst the Liberals are no more than whingeing bystanders."

Helen visits Cloyda care home and Age Concern's Raleigh Centre in preperation for Older People's Day 25th September 2008
Helen spent Thursday morning speaking to some of the older residents of the borough in preparation for Older Peoples' Day. She visited Cloyda care home and Age Concern's Raleigh Centre in New Malden. She was accompanied by Cllr Ken Smith. Wednesday 1 October is Older Peoples Day, an opportunity to celebrate the contribution older people make to families and communities.

Helen commented after her visit; "I really valued the chance to speak to some of the older people in the borough. They have wonderful stories to tell and so much experience of life. It reminded me that I don't spend enough time with my own grandparents. Older Peoples' Day can help us focus on what we're doing for older members of our community. Many people work incredibly hard to care for older relatives and friends, but as a society we don't do enough."