Dear <<First Name>>,
 
Welcome to my e-newsletter

I have now received confirmation that the council's Strategic Development Committee will consider the application for the 30 storey building next to Westferry DLR. The meeting starts at 6.30pm at the Town Hall- please come if you can!

I was away on holiday and away with work during September, that there has still been a lot going on across Limehouse. The highlights of which are below. As ever, please feel free to get in touch about any concerns or issues you may need help with.
 

• I attended the Safer Neighbourhood Team Ward Panel last month to discuss with residents and the police about tackling crime and anti-social behaviour. The hotspots and comparative levels are below, you'll see that while crime was down this summer, but ASB was up.

• I attended the newly established Limehouse Youth Panel. This initiative brings stakeholders from across the ward together to support the work of Limehouse Youth Hub. I was also pleased to separately meet the new Manager at the hub - which has already inceased its hours of operation already and seen an increase in participants.

• I met THH CEO and Director of Asset Management about the recladding and refurbishment of Malting and Brewster Houses. I conveyed some residents concerns, particularly about patchy communication. We also discussed the Barleycorn Way blocks, about which there was a public meeting while I was on holiday.

• I met with Limehouse East Management Company, London Cycling Campaign and Canal & River Trust to discuss cycling in Ropemakers Fields. I'm pleased that the dangerous speed humps at the Northern entrance have now been removed. Speeds of commuter cyclists in the ward is still a concern however and I will soon be meeting with council officers, local residents and cyclists to explore options to tackle this issue.

• Lobbied the council to progress with plans to tackle the ASB hotspot at the bottom of Three Colt Street opposite Dundee Wharf. I'm pleased this area has been temporarily blocked off and the wheels are in motion to make this a permanent arrangement.

• I met with the CEO of Newlon Housing to reiterate the concerns of residents and discuss ways forward for the management of the blocks on Horseferry Road. This is an ongoing issue I am working with a range of residents on.

• Overview & Scrutiny - I have focused on the council's annual performance, Council Tax Support scheme and decision to close Local Authority Day Nurseries as part of this committee.

• The council's waste consultation has ended and I was pleased to attend the public consultation last week. Keeping the streets clean is a fundamental job and you can read the draft strategy by clicking here.

• I met with the council's youth service head and director to discuss the future of youth services across the borough as well as in Limehouse.

• Begun to look at the proposed Hackney to Isle of Dogs cycle path. I'm keen that this takes pressure off Regent's Canal and Ropemakers Fields park. This should be going out to public consultation by the end of the year - watch this space....

• I was pleased to see that government direction in Tower Hamlets has ended. Even when local government in the East End is frustrating it's important to remember we've come along way and are still going a long way from Lutfur Rahman's disastrous tenure.

 Coming up

• Thursday October 25th - Strategic Development Committee will consider the 82 West India Dock Road application
• Saturday 27th October - Community Feast +  Show and Tell run by Limehouse Social at the monthly market on the Basin
• Sunday November 4th - Annual Fireworks in Victoria Park
• Sunday November 11th Remembrance Service at St. Anne's Church
• Tuesday 20th November - Limehouse Safer Neighbourhood Team Ward Panel. Please email Chair Conor McDonnell for more information.

Yours sincerely,

James King
Labour Councillor for Limehouse
 
P.S. I want as many people in Limehouse to know how I’m working for them. Please pass this email on to your friends and neighbours and encourage them to sign up for future updates.