Retirements, Putney High Street and Campaigning Against SWR Cuts
Latest update from your Thamesfield Conservative Action Team
Cllr Rosemary Torrington and Ethan Brooks at the unveiling of High Street Improvements
Seasons Greetings from your Thamesfield Councillors. We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. This newsletter is to update you on some of the things that we have been up to in the last few months.
Putney High Street
The High Street is Putney’s shop window and it’s crucial that we keep coming up with ideas to help it thrive. This is why it’s great news that local businesses approved the renewal of the local business improvement district, Positively Putney.
To help businesses survive through the pandemic, the Council has distributed £250m in grants and rate relief. This is one of the reasons Wandsworth was consistently voted as the Best Borough for Small Business these last few years and Best Borough for Business Opportunities and Employment in 2021.
This year Wandsworth Council have also added the planters that have brightened up the High Street and the new city tree to reduce pollution. As well as adding some more greenery to the area, the Council is making Putney cleaner, greener and safer by tackling congestion and encouraging alternative forms of travel. This is all part of the Council’s multi-million pound High Street improvement project which is being delivered in phases with new pavements, crossings, and a drop-in office hub to be based at Putney Library.
Campaign against SWR Cuts
Faced by the possibility that Putney could see 2 trains per hour cut in the proposed shake-up by South Western Railway, Putney councillors launched a campaign to prevent South Western Railway from enacting major service cuts. These cuts threaten our daily lives, livelihoods and mobility, and hundreds of Putney residents signed the petition which was submitted to the company by Council Leader Ravi Govindia.
Councillor John Locker said: “There’s no justification for cutting these key commuter and passenger routes – especially when Wandsworth Council is encouraging more use of public transport and working to tackle climate change.”
Councillor retirements and new candidates
Thamesfield Councillors Rosemary Torrington and Mike Ryder will be stepping down after the May 2022 elections. Councillor John Locker will be standing for election again.
Wandsworth Conservatives have nominated 2 new candidates for Thamesfield ward - Ethan Brooks, a former BBC Studios and Royal Society for Blind Children executive who lives in Putney with his partner and James Jeffreys, a public affairs specialist who lives in the Riverside Quarter with his young family.
Mike and Rosemary have done a fantastic job as local representatives and made a massive contribution to making Putney such a great place to live. We thank them for their service.
BroadbandBroadband speeds on some streets in Putney are not as fast as they should be, which has been particularly frustrating through the pandemic. Local councillors have been working with residents on Montserrat Road to get improvements from Openreach which is still ongoing.
Unfortunately, however, Stratford Grove, Lifford Street and Charlwood Terrace are not currently on Openreach’s plans for fibre installation. Thamesfield Councillors are persuading third-party fibre-broadband providers, for example, G-Networks, to deploy on these streets, or convince Openreach to change its plans. We will be launching another petition for residents on these streets, which we can present to Openreach, and other broadband providers as required.
High-speed broadband is non-negotiable, but too often Openreach’s rollout has been characterised more by fibre to press release than fibre to premises. We hope that third-party fibre providers can change this.
Covid Support and Booster Jabs
When Covid-19 hit Putney, Councillors made sure the Council delivered an unprecedented package of support to protect the most vulnerable. This included contacting over 18 thousand shielding residents, delivering 14 thousand hours of home care for vulnerable people each week, issuing 68.5 thousand free school meal vouchers and assisted 359 rough sleepers.
The most important thing we can all do now is to get vaccinated and get your booster jab asap. You can get more information about vaccinations in Putney here .
New Crossings on Lower Richmond Road
We are proposing 2 changes to crossings on Lower Richmond Road for early next year. One outside Oasis Academy School where the Council plans to upgrade to a push-button crossing and one between the Danemere Street crossing and the lights by the Sainsbury’s garage. There have been some nasty accidents and many near misses.
We are currently working with Council Transport Officers and TFL (because of the bus routes) to get the designs finalised and delivered.
Lower Richmond Road is very busy and difficult to cross, with a big distance between safe crossing points. We want to improve and add new crossings to make it easier to get around and safer for everyone.
Ethan Brooks in Thamesfield Conservatives’ Lower Richmond Road campaign video
We were pleased to get the Putney Wharf & Brewhouse Lane repaving completed. The original developers did not lay a concrete base for the cobblestones meaning repairs did not last but we have now fixed this.
The Council has maintained safe access to properties at all times and we hope that any inconvenience has been minimised.
The path is now safer and easier for everyone to use, and we think it looks great too.
Councillor John Locker and local resident Charley on the newly repaved Putney Wharf
Christmas Festivities
November saw the return of the Putney Christmas lights switch-on in St Mary’s Church Square, which drew huge crowds of families keen to enjoy the festivities arranged by Putney BID and Riverside Radio.
Attendees were treated to performances by the Falcons Girls School choir, Putney Light Operatic Society, and the Cygnet Players, with plenty of stalls offering treats and games for all ages. We had a great time!
Wandsworth Council Leader Cllr Ravi Govindia with James Jeffreys and West Putney Councillor Jane Cooper in front of the newly lit Christmas tree
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December 30, 2021