by Paul Scully | Feb 25, 2015 | News, News |
Speaking to local traders across Sutton, Cheam & Worcester Park, they have felt the benefits of a number of initiatives introduced by this government to help small businesses. Relief on business rates meaning that many of the smaller shops don’t have to pay anything and Employment Allowance which reduces National Insurance, making it cheaper to employ new staff are just two changes which have a positive impact. However there are several local factors that influence the local economy and retail in particular. I run my own business and so am aware of the need to be able to concentrate on my core business rather than government or council bureaucracy. I use and seek to promote local shops wherever possible. I know how they shape our local communities and how they rely on steady business to survive.
High Streets like Cheam Village, North Cheam and Worcester Park depend on people who may want to nip into local shops to pick up one or two things, maybe on impulse or perhaps whilst getting some money from the cashpoint. Although there are surface car parks in Cheam and Worcester Park (the latter being free), I always see people parking up in the loading bays to pop into a shop for a few minutes when I’m walking about. Some drivers are clearly chancing their arm, hoping to avoid a ticket, but others seem unaware that they are parked in the wrong bay. It’s happened to me on London Road a few years ago. Coming around the corner from Senhouse Road, I parked in the first available bay and saw a parking sign a few yards ahead of me saying I could stay for 30 minutes. What I hadn’t seen is another sign right next to my car turned around 90 degrees which explained that the bay I was in was in fact reserved for loading only. I didn’t notice that the bay was slightly wider on the road. I got a ticket which I successfully appealed.
But how many people don’t appeal when the rules aren’t clear or are just misleading? On the other side of London Road, a Loading Bay sign has been erected next to perfectly legal parking bays rather than the reserved loading bays ten feet further up the road. TfL have admitted that none of the tickets that might be issued on that site are enforceable. To sum it up, the system is as clear as mud. If shoppers are confused, they’ll either go somewhere else where life is easier or they’ll get put off returning if they get a fine. I often hear of people fearful of appealing during the 14 day discounted period as they are worried about the risk of having to pay the full charge. That’s a common mistake which reduces the number of appeals that local authorities would have to consider. Traffic wardens often issue tickets if there is a query, on the basis that they can be appealed. I’m pleased that the Business Minister, Matt Hancock MP, told me that he was going to see what can be done to reconsider for the Conservative manifesto a ten minute grace period before a ticket is issued, a move that was squashed by Liberal Democrats in government.
I believe that it is possible to review all of the loading bays in Cheam and North Cheam, working out when they are used for loading and so how long they are standing empty and unused, with a view to making them available to shoppers for a short stop during the quieter times. Many shops for example, stock up in the morning, whereas a few will have regular deliveries throughout the day. It won’t be possible to have one rule to cover every bay, but that’s not the case at the moment. A TfL funded advertising campaign on the radio is reminding drivers to keep clear and read the signs on loading bays as they are all different. Why not turn it round the other way? Clogging up the streets isn’t productive but that’s no reason not to be flexible.
I’ve asked businesses in these areas and most are broadly supportive. I always ask residents who vote in my regular “Independent Shop of the Year” competition what one change would improve their local shopping area and easier parking is by far and away the number one response. So I have teamed up with Steve O’Connell, our local London Assembly representative to ask Boris to look into this. There may be a million and one reasons why TfL and the council come back and say it’s impractical but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. This isn’t a magic wand solution, but it is an achievable change that can help several local retailers and in turn, benefit whole communities.
by Paul Scully | Feb 16, 2015 | News, News |
Sutton has consistently been near the top of the education performance tables. People move to the area in order to have a better chance of getting a place for their child in one of the many excellent local schools. That demand plus the fact that five schools in the borough select by academic ability and two on faith, puts a real pressure on the local authority to ensure that there are enough school places for Sutton’s children. In the early 2000s, Sutton started to shrink some of its schools before realising that the demand was increasing, rather than decreasing. Primary schools took on ‘bulge classes’ to cope with the short term and many were expanded through considerable building work. However, it seemed as though the council forgot that children grew up and moved onto secondary school. The planning for secondary school places didn’t seem to be there until the 11th hour.
We now know that we need a new secondary school by 2017 and another by 2020 to meet that demand. Those schools that can expand have, but it’s not enough. The government has invested £50m in tackling the issue in Sutton but we need to act decisively at a local level. 2017 isn’t long. Children currently in Year 4 will be at risk of having to travel outside the borough for the next stage of their schooling if we don’t act now.
Over this period of time, the economic recovery has led to prime sites in Sutton being snapped up by property developers building homes, offices and shops. All good news for Sutton, but that’s left a shortage of sites suitable for a school. Last summer, the council told us that they were looking at sites but refused to tell us which ones. The soon to be vacant Sutton Hospital site seemed to be the only one openly discussed as part of an extremely long-term plan for the hospital land. That site could work but the council would need to find a few million quid to buy the land before a single brick could be laid, the nearby junction would likely need considerable remodelling to cope with increased traffic and the demand for school places is more acute to the north of Sutton. I took the trouble of asking residents living close to Sutton Hospital what they thought. Their clear preference is for a new healthcare facility to be on that site, such as an enhanced GP surgery in the same style as the Jubilee Centre in Wallington.
So, I took it upon myself to look around for a site that might fit the bill. A derelict full sized artificial football pitch at the back of Rosehill recreation ground, next to the Sports Village appeared to be a possibility and certainly worth investigating in more detail. The council owned the site and had put out a tender to sports companies to bring it back into use as a football pitch, in contrast to councillors claims that they had always had this site in their minds as a possibility. The pitch itself has roughly the same footprint as Greenshaw’s main site (excluding the separate sixth form building). Transport links are good, especially if the tram came rolling past the front door and it’s closer to the centre of demand. Of course there are challenges. It’s Metropolitan Open Land so would need permission from the Mayor and of course people naturally don’t want parkland built on without a solid case being made.
I was pleased that after I raised the issue at every opportunity, the council added Rose Hill site to their potential sites, doubling their shortlist to two! Last autumn, they announced that they were going to conduct feasibility studies on the two sites, reporting back at the end of January. Midway through February, I haven’t seen any reports. We can’t rush and make mistakes but neither can we hang around and expect the problem to solve itself. The 2017 academic year is only seven full terms away. I served on the Project Board for the last school to be built in the borough – Stanley Park High School. That was built on a former hospital site. It took years and £1m of legal fees just to agree the purchase of the site between two public bodies. My experience is that schools take time to get right, that Sutton council doesn’t have the best track record of project management and that information is hard to come by from the local authority. That’s why I’m putting school places high up on my list of priorities. We need those places now and we need them for Sutton children. That’s a subtle but important distinction from simply having more places in Sutton which may then simply increase the already high numbers of people coming from Croydon, Merton, Surrey and further afield. Greenshaw and Wallington Boys have both applied to the Department for Education for funding to build a free school. Sutton was conspicuous by its absence in the latest announcement of new schools to be built. We need to have a far stronger voice making our case to the Department of Education than we have now.
by Paul Scully | Feb 13, 2015 | News, News |
Business Minister Matthew Hancock MP joined me in Worcester Park to ask local traders what red tape the government can cut to make their work easier. Visiting Ross Fruiterers in Central Road, the minister highlighted an example of cutting testing time for some fruit imports from six days to six hours, leading to even fresher fruit on the shelves of greengrocers.
Matthew Hancock MP said: “On Saturday it was fantastic to see exactly what cutting red tape has done for businesses like Ross’s Fruiterers in Sutton. Ross spoke to me about the importance of tackling regulation, lessening his costs as an employer and allowing him to do more for his customers. But a future Conservative government wants to go further. We are committed to the ambitious goal of cutting £10 billion more red tape in the next parliament so our nation’s employers can grow and create jobs.
“We are proud this has been the first government to reduce burden on employers, but there is still more to do. Healthy businesses are the backbone of a strong economy and our plan for red tape will help create more jobs, secure more futures, and ensure Britain is better off.”
I know from running my own small business how much unnecessary bureaucracy eats into my time and productivity. Ross and his fruit shop are both integral parts of Worcester Park. Business rate relief has made running his shop cheaper, reduction in national insurance has lessened the cost of employing his staff. Now we need to tackle the parking issue that I know is a major bugbear for Ross and other traders and part of my plan for Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park.
I’m delighted that the Minister has promised to go away and look at the possibility of a ten minute grace period to avoid parking tickets, a move proposed by Conservatives in government but vetoed by coalition Lib Dem ministers. It’s this sort of direct action rather than wringing our hands that’ll help improve our day to day lives.
by Paul Scully | Feb 11, 2015 | News, News |
At 6pm on Monday 16th February, please take an hour out of your day and join me to become a Dementia Friend in an information session at my campaign HQ in Sutton – Sutton Conservatives, 2a Sutton Court Road, Sutton, SM1 4SY. Parking is difficult on site but Morrisons and B&Q have 2hrs and 2.75hrs free respectively. The office is only a couple of minute walk from Sutton Railway station.
People with dementia get by with a little help from their friends and anybody can become a Dementia Friend – it’s just about learning a little about what it’s like to live with dementia and turning that understanding into action. This could be helping someone to find the right bus or being patient in a till queue if someone with dementia is taking longer to pay.
This fun, interactive session will help you understand more about what it is like to live with dementia, and what we can all do to make our local community more dementia-friendly. I’ve been around a number of local care homes over the last couple of months in particular and I’m full of admiration for the patience and dedication of the people that look after those with dementia, from professional carers to the family members who are having to cope with something akin to a bereavement whilst still looking after that person from day to day.
I hope you can spare the time to learn a little more about the 1238 people living with dementia in Sutton and Cheam, as well as the Right to Know campaign by the Alzheimer’s Society, which aims to improve rates of diagnosis and post-diagnosis support. I’m looking forward to learning more myself and hope you’ll come along. Everyone is welcome and the more people that gain a deeper understanding of this condition, the better prepared our area will be for the increasing numbers of people with this debilitating condition.
by Paul Scully | Feb 9, 2015 | News, News |
When I’m out and about speaking to residents, the future of St Helier comes out time and time again as the main local issue of concern and rightly so. I have been volunteering at the hospital feeding patients on the stroke ward on Friday lunchtimes. Walking around the hospital on a regular basis, talking to staff and patients has given me an amazing insight into the hospital and its inner workings.
My two children were born in St Helier 22 and 17 years ago. I remember clear as day, the amazing care that they had, both being born prematurely. A few years’ later my son was playing rugby in a taster session at Sutton Arena. He didn’t have to go very far to get his thumb pulled back into place having dislocated it minutes into the session. Fast forwarding to just last year, I went to A&E three times, once when I drove my mother after she fell in her sheltered accommodation and an ambulance wouldn’t come for some time, another when my wife stood on a six-inch rusty spike left sticking up on open ground in Roundshaw. Even now that makes me squirm just writing it.
I remember two particular thoughts at the time of those last two examples. Firstly how glad I was that I didn’t have to get my mother to St George’s rather than St Helier, close to my home in Carshalton and noting the doubling of the journey time when I had to take her just three days later to a follow-up appointment at St George’s in Tooting. Then when sitting with my wife who was writhing in agony with her Wellington boot left on so as not to dislodge anything and the spike still running through her foot, looking around and realising that few if any other patients appeared to have had an accident or looked as though their visit was an emergency.
When local clinicians first decided to look at reviewing A&E and Maternity services three years ago, I set up a website ‘Here for St Helier’ encouraging people to sign the petition already started by the Sutton Guardian. I figured that this needed to be a grassroots-led campaign that should not be politicised and our local paper was best placed to lead on this. Three years later, our hospital is in a better place but I still believe that it is the wider community that has to speak out en masse to ensure that our hospital remains intact and gets the investment that it needs. Over the last couple of decades, St Helier has been used as a political football, a campaign tool. It’s more than that. It’s our bedrock. St Helier has always been there for us; we need to be there for St Helier.
We have had politicians trying to save the hospital for years, mainly when it didn’t need saving, not unlike an overeager boy scout trying to help an elderly person across a road when they didn’t want to cross in the first place. That suited politicians who were looking at which parts of the borough they could attract votes. During that time, Sutton Hospital in the south of Sutton was left denuded with services transferred to St Helier. Now Sutton Hospital is to join the Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children in Carshalton Beeches and Carshalton War Memorial Hospital on the list of local healthcare facilities that we have lost forever, although Queen Mary’s was shoe-horned onto the St Helier site.
Recently we have seen a slew of petitions calling for St Helier to be saved from the Better Services, Better Value (BSBV) review. All of them called for the right thing to be done, one big one compiled by our local MPs has not seen the light of day having not been presented to anyone in order to be able to do any saving. Some residents have drawn the conclusion that this was just to collect people’s personal data, rather than its stated purpose. During this time, the £219m earmarked to rebuild Ferguson House was redirected, presumably to an area where they had a firmer idea of what kind of hospital they wanted to build.
There is no doubt that BSBV was a costly mistake. We must fight to keep these essential services here at St Helier and I will fight tooth and nail to keep them. But I will do it with and alongside residents. Yes, MPs are community leaders and have influence, but our NHS should not be abused for the sake of politics. I worry when I see campaigning on local healthcare services splinter into political dogmatic discussions about ‘privatisation’, the effect on the NHS of TTIP and other points of that type. It’s absolutely right that those matters are debated but mixing them up with the future of our particular hospital in the context of the BSBV review is a huge strategic mistake and runs the risk of a disjointed community campaign against a highly organised approach by clinicians, GPs and administrators.
In summary, I will fight to protect healthcare services at St Helier, support the Hospital Trust’s plan to get them back on a surer financial footing, campaign for greater capital investment to update our treasured hospital and won’t run unnecessary campaigns that risk undermining the hospital and demoralising NHS staff.
by Paul Scully | Feb 3, 2015 | News, News |
I’m delighted to have been made a Patron of the Fair Votes for All campaign, which calls for English votes for English issues to be introduced into the House of Commons as soon as possible.
This is a matter of fairness for people in Sutton, Cheam & Worcester Park whose voice in Parliament is currently diluted by Scottish MPs. With more powers being devolved to Scotland following the independence referendum last year, it is not fair that Scottish MPs continue to determine issues that do not affect their constituents. We should be able to decide our own priorities in our classrooms and in our NHS. The SNP have already said that they will break the agreement that has been in place for years and vote on laws
I’m petitioning local people to gather support for this important campaign and hope that you will join me by can signing the petition here. You can also download petition sheets to print out and get your family and friends on board to show the government how strongly we feel that we need a fair system in Westminster. The Freepost address to return the sheets is shown at the bottom of each sheet. I’ve already submitted petition signatures from residents from both parliamentary constituencies in Sutton but there is still time to add your support.
Graham Stuart MP, Chairman of the Fair Votes for All campaign, has said to the local media: “I am glad to welcome Paul Scully as a Patron of the campaign. As more powers are handed over to the Scottish Parliament, this basic constitutional unfairness cannot be ignored any longer.” You can keep up with the latest from the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
Petitions from some Sutton politicians have been seen as an exercise in gaining personal data without being presented to anyone. Please do read the data notice at the bottom and rest assured, any signatures collected will be presented to Parliament along with others from around the country as part of the Fair Votes for All campaign. Your voice will be heard.
