From 12th January 2015-August 2016 trains to Charing Cross will not be stopping at London Bridge. Southeastern services from New Cross, Deptford and St Johns to Charing Cross will be diverted permanently to Cannon Street and some services from Lewisham and other stations will also be diverted.

From August 2016-early 2018 the situation will be reversed and Cannon Street services will not stop at London Bridge.

There are also various temporary changes taking place around Christmas.

Clearly these changes will have a major impact on people's journeys, so I am advising any constituents who need to travel on one of these routes to check the Thameslink Programme website at www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk. You can enter the name of the station from which you are travelling and the site will tell you how your journey is going to be affected.

The NHS has never been more vulnerable than under the present government. The Tories wasted £3billion on an unnecessary and damaging top-down reorganisation. The new rules allow hospitals to earn up to 49% of their income from private patients, which risks pushing NHS patients to the back of the queue. New competition rules also force doctors to open up services to competition from the private sector.

Clive’s bill would end the creep towards NHS privatisation, bureaucracy and red-tape and put patients back at the heart of the NHS. Labour has pledged to invest the millions of pounds saved by scrapping competition red-tape in ensuring people can get a GP appointment within 48 hours, or on the same day if they need it.

At the vote 241 MPs supported Clive’s bill and only 18 voted against. Unfortunately we have to expect that the Government will block it at the next stage. The only way we will repeal the measures in the Health and Social Care Act is by having a majority of MPs in the next parliament who are willing to do so.

As many of you know I am standing down in May 2015, but I very much hope my successor will be in a position to repeal the act.

The service receives a staggering 35,000 emergency calls a week and while one time-waster is on the phone another Londoner could be dying. We all know that time is of the essence in treating those who have suffered a heart attack or a stroke which is why the 8 minute target was set for ambulance arrival for the most seriously ill and injured. This year the service has only met its target on 64 occasions out of every 100. This is absolutely unacceptable and London Ambulance Service are determined to improve.

They are changing the way they respond to 999 calls. They will be directing people to NHS111 for advice on how to get more appropriate assistance or giving additional clinical advice over the phone. It’s also vital that people register with a GP as this should be the first line of enquiry.

In addition to changing responses the service needs to recruit more front-line staff. UK advertising has not brought a sufficient response so jobs have been offered to 140 paramedics in Australia and New Zealand. In an effort to retain staff more attention will be given to career and educational opportunities. 

Saving lives means more people are living and working longer. Saga have produced a very interesting piece of research showing that this extension of peoples’ working lives has surprisingly enhanced the employment opportunities of all age groups and in particular young people. Rather than blocking jobs for the young, older people’s spending and taxes support some 5.7 million full time equivalent jobs in the UK including 878,000 16-24 year olds. The reason for this is that again, perhaps surprisingly, older people spend more of their earnings than any other age group. They also spend a higher proportion on services that employ younger workers.

So things are not always what they seem. And on that note, perhaps UKIP could acknowledge the huge contribution East Europeans are making to keeping London’s vital public services going for the rest of us.   

FreeSport is part of the Mayor's £22.5million Sports Legacy Programme and since its launch in 2009 has benefited more than 350,000 Londoners. 

It aims to provide support to about 600 sports clubs and organisations over the next two years. Sports clubs, youth groups and community organisations are invited to apply for grants to run free sporting activities. 

Successful applicants will be awarded £1500 to support them in delivering sporting activities between January 1st and April 12th 2015. 

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Monday 27th October. To apply or find out more information, visit www.london.gov.uk/freesport 

The Mayor states that analysis to date shows a positive case for the extension of the Bakerloo line to south east London and he is therefore keen for TfL to explore the options further. The London Borough of Lewisham is supportive of the plans and meets regularly with TfL, along with the London Boroughs of Bromley and Southwark.

Funding is the key challenge. The estimated cost of the extension is between £2billion and £3billion and there would need to be significant third-party funding contributions.

As most of you will know, TfL is investigating a number of possible routes for the proposed extension. One option would connect Elephant and Castle via a new tunnel to New Cross Gate and Lewisham, where it could connect with existing rail services towards Bromley and south east London.This would have the potential to serve the Old Kent Road area, recently designated an Opportunity Area for jobs and homes in the Further Alterations to the London Plan. An alternative option is to run services, again via a new tunnel, from Elephant & Castle via Camberwell and Peckham Rye, New Cross Gate and Lewisham before heading to Hayes. A third option would be to take the Old Kent Road option described above and add a link from Beckenham Junction to Bromley town centre.

Discussions are ongoing and, as I mentioned in my news item on 2nd October, interested parties are invited to give their views as part of the current consultation (due to close on 7th December).

In his letter the Mayor also notes our concerns regarding overcrowding in the Lewisham area. He says:

"The fleet being introduced as part of the upgrade to Thameslink will enable Southeastern to lengthen its local trains from a maximum of 10 cars to 12 cars by 2019. I continue to press that TfL should become the contracting authority for the local Southeastern rail services operating out of Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, and there is an opportunity for this to be considered when the franchise is re-tendered in June 2018. Such devolution would lead to an improved customer experience in general and mean that TfL would have a more direct role in planning increases in train capacity and frequency across south London." 

It is now beginning to remove trees and other vegetation from locations believed to pose the highest risk to the safety of passengers and/or the punctuality of trains. The aim is to establish a clear five metre wide corridor on either side of the track (possibly further in areas where trains commonly accelerate and brake).

With these aims in mind Network Rail is currently seeking to finalise an agreement with the Tree Council which would ensure the work is carried out in the most sensitive way possible and to develop a replanting strategy.

Should you have any concerns you can contact Network Rail 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the helpline (08457 11 41 41) or via the Contact Us section of the website.

I have long supported these plans and I know that this extension would be extremely welcome. Although the Overground has helped at the stations it serves, the addition of the underground in South East London would greatly assist with reducing the overcrowding my constituents face on Southern and South Eastern trains.

The current consultation focuses on determining the level of public support for extending the line and provides an opportunity for people to comment on potential routes for the extension. 

So far, TfL has identified two options for alignments and stations between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham: one service Old Kent Road and the other vis Camberwell and Peckham. Beyond this, the extension could connect with the existing rail line to Hayes. Further options could involving extending the line to Beckenham Junction or Bromley town centre.

Details of the proposals and further information are available at www.tfl.gov.uk/bakerloo-extension, where you can also leave your feedback.

The consultation will run until 7th December 2014. 


 

This is not a decision I have taken lightly but I am confident that my caseworkers will provide the usual standard of service in my absence. They will of course discuss any actions with me as necessary after the surgery.

On Friday 5th September Parliament debated and voted on the second reading of the Affordable Homes Bill, a Private Members' Bill put forward by Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George.

I have been contacted by many Lewisham Deptford residents who are struggling to cope with the hated bedroom tax, which was introduced by the Coalition Government. In London alone 48.989 people have been affected by this unfair policy. Unfortunately Mr George's bill would not abolish the tax, but if passed it would protect the most vulnerable people, such as those with disabilities and people for whom the local council in unable to find suitable alternative accommodation.

The Labour Party has been clear and consistent in its opposition to the bedroom tax from the outset. It is an unfair and unworkable policy that causes misery to thousands of people by forcing them out of their homes.

Up to now the Liberal Democrats had repeatedly backed the Tories over this policy, but on Friday many of them voted with Labour. I was in the House to vote for the bill and the results were as follows:

Closure Motion (to stop the bill being talked out on Friday):
Aye: 304
No: 237

Second Reading (to progress to the next stage):
Aye: 306
No: 231

In spit of Conservative attempts to talk the bill out or to derail parliamentary process, the bill will now proceed to the committee stage. Labour will now seek to amend and strengthen the bill and we remain committed to scrapping the bedroom tax entirely if we win next year's general election. 

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is celebrating the achievements of its “unsung” local healthcare professionals with the Trust’s first ever staff awards scheme.

The Trust is asking local people to nominate “healthcare heroes” who they feel have gone the “extra mile” and made a difference to their lives.  

Claire Champion, Director of Nursing and Clinical Services, said:

“We have around 6,000 staff working at University Hospital Lewisham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich, Queen Mary’s Sidcup and in a range of community settings in Lewisham.

“We know from patient feedback that we have hard working and caring staff who make a real difference to the lives of patients and their families.  I am proud of this organisation, and it’s important that we celebrate the good work that happens on a daily basis.”

If you would like to nominate a member of staff – or a team – for this award, please email your story to communications.lg@nhs.net  or write to: FREEPOST LGT.  You can also download a nomination form from the Trust’s website - www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk -  or pick up a copy in  patient waiting areas and main reception desks around the Trust.  Please call 020 3 192 6555 if you would like information.

The closing date for nominations is 19th September 2014.