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 The Police – Friends and Protectors?

Dear Mr Brokenshire,
You have described the leaking of the fact that closure of Queen Mary’s Hospital is an option as “unhelpful”. We disagree. It may indeed be unhelpful in political terms especially in view of the manifesto undertaking below but it is simply unacceptable that the people of Sidcup continue to be misled in respect of the provision of healthcare as has happened thus far.
"We will stop the forced closure of A&E and maternity wards, so that people have better access to local services, and give mothers a real choice over where to have their baby, with NHS funding following their decisions."
Conservative Party Manifesto 2010, page 47.

Fight begins to block flats on Lamorbey baths site

Lamorbey Swimming Centre, which was built around 1964 on the site of a former cinema, is to be auctioned with a guide price of £700,000. The frontage of the cinema remains at the site, dating back to 1934.
The building was demolished in 2008 after a new pool and leisure centre opened in nearby Hurst Road.
We support the views of Lamorbey and Sidcup Local History Society in supporting the building of a facility for the local community and do not want to see yet another block of flats.

A few hours of moderate snow causes chaos
The mere suggestion of snow was enough to send London Transport’s system into chaos. The chaos extended to Southeastern where 60% of services were cancelled or delayed despite Network Rail’s £40 million winter weather programme. No members have reported severe problems on the Sidcup line. If you know otherwise, please let us know.
Our special condolences go to anyone using Heathrow Airport where 50% of flights were cancelled, many before a snowflake had fallen.

Government funding may not stop closure of Queen Mary's
South London NHS Trust is one of seven trusts set to receive a £1.5 billion bail out from the government over 25 years.
Even though South London NHS Trust which has two PFI hospitals in Farnborough and Woolwich, is the most indebted trust, a spokesman from the Department of Health could not confirm how much money it would get or when that decision would be made. But trust bosses expect it to be 15 to 20million a year.
According to the Bexley Times, when asked if this would save Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup from closure, the government spokesman said that decision would be made at a local level and trusts would only receive money of they could prove their finances were structurally sound.

Sidcup's MP and South London International Health Service Trust forced to deny plans to close Queen Mary's on BBC News
Earlier in the same bulletin, the depressing news was delivered that the International Health Service was writing off 90% of the debts owed by foreign patients not entitled to but having obtained free health care. In total, £7.6m was written off by 33 IHS trusts in the region, since 2009. In 2010-11, across the trusts, a total of £26m is owed by patients, of which £18.4m continues to be actively sought.
South London wrote off £29,000 out of £481,000.

All in this together?
It’s not just bankers, transport workers and Lords like Taylor and Baroness Uddin who have their snouts in the trough. Sidcup commuters were amazed to learn that six executives of the heavily subsidised Network rail stand to pocket millions of pounds in a new bonus scheme. Their Chief Executive who has a basic salary of more than half a million pounds could be awarded £336,000 on top in an annual basis plus a total of £2.8 million over a five year period. The company receives £4 million of your money. Many will be relieved to learn that the bonuses will not be taken this year.

Unchecked cable thefts continue to cause chaos and danger
Hundreds of phone lines in Sidcup were cut off for days in early February after an attempted cable theft. The callous thieves are clearly uninterested in the plight of the elderly who have no mobiles and it is about time that they were caught and punished.
Anyone with information which could lead to arrests should ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Olympic Extortion
An attempt to bribe tube workers with a £500 bonus for simply turning up for work has failed. Watch this space for details of how much you will be paying.

Michael Roostan, aged 48, of Ladbrooke Crescent, Sidcup was found guilty of driving in Bexleyheath on 4th January without insurance and when disqualified. He was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment on 9th January, suspended for 12 months. He was disqualified from driving for 12 months and his licence was endorsed.
James Charlton, aged 29, of Pembury Crescent, was charged with two counts of possessing dangerous wild animals without a licence. It is alleged he was keeping spectacled caimans, which resemble alligators and can grow up to 2.5m.
Robert Greenhill, aged 61, of Park Mead, Sidcup was charged with three others after police seized more than £1.5m of cocaine and around £200,000 in cash during a drugs raid.

The fight to save Arundells continues
Please support the fight to keep the historic home of Sidcup’s former MP Sir Edward Heath for the nation. Trustees have applied for planning permission to keep the house open to the public for three more years.
Please contact the planning authorities to support the application:
Email: developmentmanagementsouth@wiltshire.gov.uk
Web: www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Planning Reference:S/2012/0021

Mayhem in Lewis Road
Daniel Arias, a Venezuelan national of Lewis Road, Sidcup, due at Bromley Magistrates Court after barricading himself in property
Police attended the property, in Lewis Road, at around 1pm on Friday (January 20) to make an arrest inquiry. Surrounding streets were cordoned off including Wren Road and Melville Road. He has been charged with criminal damage, threats to kill and affray.

Misleading headlines
Drug dealers in south London “sentenced to a century behind bars” proclaimed a local newspaper recently. “Drug-dealing in Greenwich has taken a battering following a police operation leading to 40 people being jailed for a total of 95 years.
Operation Tazer involved 1,000 officers raising addresses in Greenwich, Bexley and Bournemouth, leading to 58 arrests.
Now let’s see 40 people jailed for 95 years. That’s an average of just over 2 years. In real terms, they will be very unlucky to serve more than twelve months for the misery they have caused.
Can we suggest that local newspapers present the real figures and the PR departments of the Metropolitan Police devote their efforts to the fight for meaningful sentences?

Cost of staging London's Olympics sky-rockets
The cost of staging the London Olympics now stands at FIVE times the figure stated in the bid.
Meanwhile, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) staff could earn up to an extra £2,500 for working during the Games.This includes an "attendance allowance".
Serco Docklands, which operates the driver-less train service, agreed to a 25% rise in the standard overtime rate for about 550 of its employees.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the deal has "raised the bar".
Tube drivers will get between £800 and £1,200 on average, though some of the most senior staff working the longest hours could receive far more.
TfL has also been forced to agree bonuses of up to £1,000 for London Overground staff - they get an extra 25 per cent increase in pay for the three weeks of the Games plus a 12.5 per cent rise for the week before the Games start and the week after they finish.
Train drivers will get the most with an average of £836, although some higher paid drivers and signal staff will get up to £1,000 according.

Woman responsible for unbelievable cruelty in Sidcup receives a slap on the wrist.
As reported by News Shopper, four ponies at a yard in Sidcup died after being found starving and “riddled with lice and worms”. The post mortem examination on one pony, which was put down after it collapsed emaciated, revealed it had nothing but sand in its intestine.
Suzanne Hefferman also known as Sue Williams, aged 41 of Old Maidstone Road in Sidcup, was banned from keeping horses for five years and was handed a curfew for three months by Bromley Magistrates’ Court on January 23. She was found guilty of eight charges of causing unnecessary suffering to her horses and another two of failing in her duty as the person responsible for the welfare of animals. 

High Street to receive a cash injection
Sidcup High Street is due to receive funding for improvements from the office of the mayor of London.
Improvements will include a restaurant area in Elm parade. We hope the improvements will increase visitors to the High street but wonder whether matters will improve whilst inadequate free parking and the Council’s refusal to implement planning conditions continue.

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