I’ve just returned from a Community Council Sub Group meeting on the built environment in the Nunhead & Peckham Rye area.

Its focus was how the council can develop better links with the local knowledge and expertise that’s on offer when deciding how to deal with firstly, community-owned assets, and secondly the wider picture in Peckham.

It is good that the Labour Community Council has realised that there’s a need for something to happen in Peckham. See the recent post on revitilising Peckham. There have been many of us active in the area for years now, and it’s frustrating that the council officers can sometimes be difficult to get through to. It needn’t be like this though, so it’s good that the Councillors are responding to pressure from local activists and realising they need to do more to be the link between the council and residents they should be.

It’s worth remembering that Labour opposed community councils when the Liberal Democrats originally set them up. The Lib Dems want to go further and increase their powers giving local people even more of a say in their local area.

There are things that could happen which will make it easier in future for people to actively make a difference in Peckham. Having an audit of all of the vacant properties in the area (both council and privately owned) would help anyone who comes along and wants to make something positive happen. Having a dedicated council officer responsible for the town centre would also help – someone who would see any planning applications and be able to spot if they give rise to any issues and report in advance to local groups who’d have a view. Someone who could seek out people to use vacant properties.

It’s crucial though that for the council to have a good insight into local thinking, there needs to be effective councillors, willing to engage with both the council and local people. The Labour councillors in Peckham Rye have been a disaster in engaging with local people. There needs to be councillors in the town hall who are prepared to really speak up for Peckham.

The sub group will meet over the next year and discuss how to make the changes that are needed a reality. We hope that after May, there will be Liberal Democrat councillors in Peckham Rye, giving the process a huge boost. We will post details of the next meeting once they are announced.