I'm pleased to be able to say that I am a candidate for the local elections on 4th May. 

I'll be standing with Rachael Maskell and Gavin Moore.  Here's a bit more background about them:

Rachael works for a trades union, where she leads campaigns for charity workers - pursuading the government and employers to provide better conditions for people who work in the third sector.

When she's not doing that she runs a kids' club through her church, and provides family support and she tells me is learning sign language.

Gavin has been a Blackheath councillor for nearly twenty years, ensuring residents have received a fair hearing from Lewisham Council.  He is currently the Deputy Mayor.

He previously worked as a housing researcher and a cost of living analyst, before spending ten years as a manager supporting schools for children with special needs. Gavin is married with a two year old son.

As for me; I've worked for charities for the last 6 years, and am currently managing a national project on drug education for children and young people.  I've lived in Lewisham since 1994, when I moved here to live with my partner.  We now have two children; both boys! 

You can find out more about the pledges we're making in the election and what we stand for at our website.

You've got until tomorrow to vote for Grounwork in GMTV's People's Millions.  Of course you don't have to but if you do then Lewisham will get some of the £1.5 million being given out by the Big Lottery Fund.

Groundwork's bid is around a Safe & Sound initiative which would:

help make people feel better about where they live by providing new outdoor facilities in areas where they are lacking and making it possible through a process that helps young and old understand and appreciate each other's point of view.

In Lewisham this would particularly benefit Downham and Bellingham.  The Groundwork website has this to say:

Over the last few years this part of South East London has benefited from the creation of a number of community gardens.  However, many of these facilities are basic and remain locked due to the threat of anti-social behaviour.  Groundwork will help local young people plan and carry out improvements with residents as well as introducing new features such as artworks.

So, go on, don't delay, give Groundwork your vote and help improve community spaces in part of our borough!

Just for the avoidance of doubt I am a Director of Groundwork South East London.

There will be a meeting of the Blackheath Safer Neighbourhood panel tomorrow evening.  The substantive agenda items will be:

The police's Safer Neighbourhoods Team for Blackheath now have an email address they'd like you to use if you want to contact them:

Blackheath.SNT@Met.Police.Uk

Yesterday evening was the first chance that residents from Heathside and Lethbridge got to meet with Family Housing, the housing association which will be redeveloping the esates.

As you can see the team did a presentation which emphasised that residents will be a partner in the development rather than a group of people to which things are done.

I think there was some surprise at how long it is going to take to develop the masterplan and then get planning permission.  The people from Family are talking about it being at least a year and a half before construction starts.

I think people are very well disposed to Family and I am sure they will work hard at building the relationship with residents over the coming months.

We also had an emotional fairwell to Imedla Burke who has clearly made many friends on the estate in her short time as the neighbourhood manager.  She is leaving on a high and as I said before I wish her well in her next role.

One other piece of news, I'm pleased to say that the residents who came all agreed that the local police should have a master key for the estate.  This will give them access to the stairwells and corridors across the estates and should mean they can get around the estate a little more easily.

Last year I took on part of Katy Donnelly's role (Cabinet Member for Children and Young People) while she was on maternity leave.

One of the things I got involved in was a joint project by the I&DeA and the NSPCC which was aimed at improving councillors (and council's) understanding of safeguarding children*. 

I'm pleased to say the resource has now been published and I hope the concerns I had about the format have been overcome.  I certainly felt that over the meetings I attended the people working on the project were listening.

Having had a (very short) go at the CD-Rom it does look like the process may well work quite well.

* For those of you outside the world of children's service you may not have come across Every Child Matters, the government's strategy for services for children and young people.  At the core of the strategy are five outcomes that service providers should help children and young people achieve.  These are:

• Being healthy
  
• Staying safe
  
• Enjoying and achieveing
  
• Making a positive contribution
  
• Achieving economic well-being

Safeguarding children is a significant part of how services are expected to help children and young people achieve these aims.