(Left to right):
Lyn Toogood - Area Tenancy Manager - Orbit South Housing Association
David Leeves - Head of Neighbourhood Deveopment - Orbit South HA
Rosemary White - Chair of Larner Road Residents Association
Maureen Holkham - Assistant Director of Community Services – Bexley Council
John Austin MP
Vivien Knibbs - Managing Director - Orbit South HA
Sgt Stuart Grist - Colyers Safer Neighbourhood Team
Cllr David Hurt - Bexley Council
Erith & Thamesmead Labour Party was in good spirits at its Annual General Meeting held at the Abbey Wood Community Centre on Friday night. The meeting was addressed by Labour’s Greater London Assembly Member for Greenwich and Lewisham, Len Duvall OBE AM and by local MP, John Austin.
Len Duvall, who leads the Labour Group on the GLA and is also Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority pointed to Ken Livingstone’s success, as Mayor, in getting more police on the streets and improved bus services and his efforts to tackle climate change. Len Duvall told the meeting “We now have more police in London than at any other time in history; dedicated teams of officers in every neighbourhood and 21 new Safer Transport Teams working to make public transport safer in London’s outer boroughs”. He referred to the overall reduction in crime and violence in London but acknowledged the need to tackle “the resistant problem of gang-related knife and gun crime”. He stressed the need to invest in more facilities for young people and said that the Mayor and the government would be providing an additional £79 million for youth activities.
John Austin said that although the government had gone through a difficult period, the tide had turned with Northern Rock. He said: “The Tories under David Cameron have shown themselves to be little more than a school debating society. They are devoid of policies. They criticize, as they did over Northern Rock, but they had no alternatives to offer. The government acted to protect ordinary savers and homebuyers whereas the Tories would have left them to go to the wall. And recent polls show that the majority of public opinion blames the financial institutions for the problem, not the government, and more people trust Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling to run the economy than David Cameron and his untried and untested team.”
The meeting discussed plans for the forthcoming London Assembly and Mayoral elections. Both Len Duvall and John Austin predicted a win for Labour but urged people not to be complacent and stressed the need for a big turnout to prevent the British National Party gaining a foothold.
Elections were held for the local Party’s officers and the following were elected:
Chair: Frank Lerner (Abbey Wood Ward)
Vice-Chairs: Janet White (Belvedere Ward)
Pete Willsman (Plumstead Ward)
Secretary: John Pegg (Thamesmead East Ward)
Treasurer: Anne Price (Abbey Wood Ward)
Delegate to Annual Conference:
Edward Boateng (Northumberland Heath Ward)
