The new year has brought lots of good news, with new policies aimed at making Southwark more affordable and keeping our streets safe.
The recent government announcement that ground rents are going to be capped at £250 per year is great news for many struggling with these payments. With over 1 million households across London paying an average of nearly £400 every year, they have become an unfair cost for many.
That is why a national cap is a welcome step towards easing this financial burden, helping to make London more affordable.
There are also local ways in which families are being supported during these financially difficult times, including the Mayor’s new Family Financial Resilience Partnership. This new scheme aims to assist low-income families in claiming the financial support they are entitled to by providing key financial advice.
With Southwark being one of the boroughs included in this scheme, this will help families receive thousands of pounds that would have otherwise gone unclaimed.
The cost of living is a key issue for many households across our borough, and it is great news that both the Mayor and the government are taking steps to protect these families.
Locally, I am pleased by the news that Southwark is set to receive a new dedicated neighbourhood policing team for North Walworth. The new Town Centre Team will be made up of 16 officers who will patrol in and around the North Walworth area, with frequent issues like phone snatching, violence and anti-social behaviour being top priorities.
Additionally, the new £200 million of funding from the Home Office in support of neighbourhood policing across the country is fantastic news. Last year, London had the lowest homicide rate recorded in decades, violence with injury fell in all 32 London boroughs, the reoffending rate in London was more than 4% lower than the national average and Londoners were less likely to be victims of violence with injury than the average across the country. These are all signs of success in making London safer.
As Chair of the Police and Crime Committee at City Hall, I am pleased by this clear government commitment and will continue to monitor progress.
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I was honoured to give the keynote speech at a conference on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), hosted by South Bank University. Across the UK, there are an estimated 137,000 women and girls who have undergone FGM. London alone accounts for about one third of these cases and in Southwark, there is an estimated prevalence rate of about 4.7%. This event was a powerful moment for our community to come together in support of women’s safety by championing an end to FGM.
