Labour bungling has subsequently delayed both schemes, meaning that two out of the borough’s three indoor pools could be shut for two years prior to 2010. Conservative Councillor Clare Whelan told the London Evening Standard: “I can’t believe that by now people aren’t swimming in a new pool in Clapham and Streatham. ”

So what went wrong?

Tesco-which promised to build a pool, ice rink, and homes in return for permission to build a store, halted the Streatham proposals in February 2009 and is in discussions with Labour Lambeth over a rethink. The leisure centre containing the Streatham pool was due to close last year. Tesco says no date has been set to re-tender the construction work.

Work on the Clapham pool, part of a £75 million development by the Cathedral Group, was meant to have started last January. The existing Clapham leisure centre is due to close in September.

Conservative Candidate for Vauxhall, Glyn Chambers, instructed 50 primary school teachers in writing and speaking English, whilst others worked on projects to develop Rwanda’s private sector through building the capabilities of the business school and graduate career services.

Glyn, who is also a Governor of the Michael Tippett Special School in Lambeth, said:  “I have a passion for both education and international development and it was great to combine these two interests during my time in Rwanda.  As a country, Rwanda has been through violent and terrible times in recent decades. However, its people remain optimistic and friendly.”

“Rwanda has recently replaced French with English as its second official language, but local teachers are in need of experience in writing and particularly speaking English.  I was delighted to help them and hope they will be able to share everything from the technicalities of when to use more, less and fewer to the lyrics of ‘If you’re happy and you know it…’ with their own pupils.”

This is the third year in which a number of Conservative Parliamentarians, Candidates and researchers have visited Rwanda to assist in development projects.  In total, 90 volunteers joined this year’s project.  In addition to working on their individual projects, they participated in Umuganda, Rwanda’s monthly social action project in which all citizens participate, by helping to construct a new drainage ditch in a poor district of Kigali. There was also a cricket match against a local team (which the Rwandans won for third year running!).

Glyn added:  “At a time when the MPs’ expenses scandal has deeply concerned many people, it’s important that those of us involved in politics show a commitment to sacrifice our own time and money to make things better.  I believe that projects such as these are important for re-establishing the trust of the British people.”

Cllr Clare Whelan, who helped set up its green programme, spoke out after Labour Lambeth failed to meet its commitment to reduce energy use and cut pollution.

Clare chaired a cross-party commission which studied how the council could become greener.  The commission made 45 recommendations in a report published in 2007, including calls for the creation of a business recycling collection service and encouraging council staff to cycle or use public transport to get to work.

But it has now emerged that almost two years after the commission reported its findings, less than a third of its recommendations have been implemented.

Cllr Whelan has said it is doubtful Lambeth will meet its pledge to cut its carbon footprint unless action is quickly taken.

She said:  “Climate change is a major issue and we really don’t have time to waste in attempting to tackle it.

“Yet the council is dithering over its commitment to implement the recommendations.  It is disappointing that just 14 out of 45 recommendations have been implemented so far.”

Councillor John Whelan, Conservative Group Leader, says:  “The report finds that the overall service is now weak but by contrast it adds several times that in 2006 Lambeth Housing (as Lambeth Living was then known) was performing adequately and demonstrating improvement.

“The biggest risk now is that it will take too long for the service to recover in time to reach the standard necessary to qualify for £250 million from the Government to meet the decent home standard by 2014.”

CLICK HERE if you would like to download key extracts from the new report.

Now for change: Michael Poole-Wilson for Prince's

Lambeth Conservatives have chosen experienced local campaigner Michael Poole-Wilson to fight the Prince’s Ward by-election on June 4th.  Michael has lived in Kennington since 2002.

He is active in the community, has served as a school governor since 2006 at Lansdowne, a special school in Lambeth, and campaigned vigorously against cuts at St Thomas’s hospital (where both his parents once worked).

Michael works as a solicitor and is passionate about civil liberties – opposing authoritarian government policies on ID cards and detention without charge.

Lambeth Conservatives are calling for tough action to curb the growing menace from dangerous dogs

Lambeth Conservatives are calling on the Council to take tough action to curb the growing menace from dangerous dogs in parks and on some housing estates in the borough.

Councillor Clare Whelan, Environment Spokeswoman for the Conservative Group, says: “Some dog owners appear not to be able to control their dogs and a minority just don’t want to.

The police know it is an issue and it is their responsibility to enforce the Dangerous Dogs Act, but the Council can also do more.” The Conservatives are demanding immediate measures:

• Instead of cutting the number of Park Rangers they should be increased.
• Irresponsible dog owners should be fined and banned from keeping pets.
• Lambeth Living and other social housing providers could insist on micro-chipping as a condition of residents on their estates getting permission to keep a dog.
• The Council’s Anti Social Behaviour Unit must come down hard on irresponsible dog owners.

Councillor Whelan says: “We cannot have people being intimidated in this way. This isn’t ‘anti-dog’ and I am an animal lover myself. Most dog owners keep their dogs under control at all times and clean up after them. In fact it is often responsible dog owners who are making the complaints because they fear for their own pet’s safety.”

Cllr Clare Whelan talks about Labour’s plans to close the general waste depot in Vale Street, West Norwood.  The decision means that Lambeth residents will need to travel to Battersea from 1 April 2009.

We can now show how Lambeth have used these suspensions to massively increase the number of tickets and tow-aways in the Clapham ‘C’ controlled parking zone, using figures obtained from Lambeth Council under the Freedom of Information Act.

Clapham campaigner Matthew Jupp said:  “This is just daylight robbery.  First they double the cost of parking permits, then they suspend the bays at short notice so residents who have gone on holiday come back to find their car towed away and end up hundreds of pounds out of pocket.”

2007  -  266 tickets  /  111 tow-aways
2008  -  959 tickets  /  231 tow-aways

Clapham is set to lose its pool for at least 17 months

Three years after fighting the last council elections on a promise to “Keep Clapham Swimming”, Labour Lambeth have announced plans to close and demolish the Clapham Leisure Centre in September.

While Lambeth Council says that another will be built on the site, even by their own figures Clapham would be without a pool for at least 17 months – and many expect it to be much longer.  Indeed, in the current economic recession, there must be a serious risk that, even if the project starts, it may never be completed.

“Labour has betrayed the people of Clapham,” says former Councillor Bernard Gentry.  “They promised to ‘Keep Clapham Swimming’ and now they are closing the pool.  What other Council would demolish one of its main leisure centres in the run up to the London Olympics when demand for swimming facilities will be increasing?”

“Their actions are reckless and risk leaving Clapham without a pool for several years,” adds Sebastian Lowe.  “There is plenty of space to build a new pool on the Mary Seacole House or the Depot site, which would mean that the existing pool would then remain open until the new one is built.  Why is Labour so keen not to preserve the continuity of service and start off by demolishing the existing pool?”

Labour is wasting money nationally and locally in Lambeth

Labour Lambeth has rejected a lawful alternative Conservative budget that would have cut Council Tax by 1.5 per cent to help hard pressed residents hit by the government’s failure to manage the economy.

Building on the example shown by Mayor Boris at City Hall, the Conservative budget proposed wide ranging efficiency savings with the elimination of “non jobs,” cuts in the wasteful publicity budget, and reductions in allowances paid to Labour Cabinet members.

At the same time, the Conservative budget maintained front line services and care for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable children and offered help to small businesses struggling to survive under an uncaring Labour government.

“Our Budget for People included £2 million more for road and pavement repairs, more investment in libraries, parks, and open spaces and £150,000 more for the youth service,” says Conservative Group Leader Councillor John Whelan.

“The Labour budget by contrast offered little for libraries and parks and no extra expenditure on the youth service.  This comes on top of the highest rent rises in the country – 17 per cent – with the average Council Tax now £1,235.  Labour even voted against our proposal to pay small businesses working for the Council in 10 days instead of a month.”

Rosendale Road Shopping Parade will benefit from a new pavement after lobbying by Conservative councillors

Figures from the Taxpayers Alliance show that in 2007-2008 Lambeth Council employed 335 people on salaries of more that £50,000 – some of them with five weeks holiday a year – costing a total of £22 million without taking into account their generous final salary pensions and other benefits.

Councillor Whelan adds:  “Spending on “consultants and agency staff” is out of control at Lambeth Council, but the Labour budget has delayed taking any immediate action.  Typically, a department hires a temp from an agency to do the photocopying for the summer while permanent staff are on leave – two years later the agency temp is still there.”

The Conservative budget proposed scrapping the fortnightly “Lambeth propaganda sheet” Lambeth Life saving £400,000 a year.

“When Boris took office one of his first actions was to abolish Livingstone’s pet newspaper “The Londoner” and spend the money instead on planting new trees,” says Councillor Whelan.

“That hopefully will be the shape of things to come if Labour lose office in Lambeth at the next elections in 2010.”