15 November (Part 2) - Regenerating the truth
Bexley
council issued a Press Release today following their meeting with
disgruntled Thamesmead residents last Tuesday evening. See below. Council leader
Teresa O’Neill is quoted as saying “This is a great opportunity for local
residents and community groups to access much needed funding for the projects
they really care about. We know local residents are passionate about Thamesmead. By working closely with local residents and
organisations, we can support the work local people think is most important”.
One might reasonably assume that Teresa O’Neill was present at the meeting,
indeed I thought she was having looked at the photograph available on
the Thamesmead residents' website
however I have been informed by someone who ought to know that she wasn’t.
I think I can recognise a grey haired Colin Campbell in the photo even though he has tried to
disguise himself by wearing a tie. But maybe the figure I believed to be Teresa
O’Neill is someone else, on reflection the figure is possibly not, ahem, wide enough.
A senior source within the Residents’ Group has described Gallion’s Ian Beckett’s comment
about a “hugely positive response from the local community” as a total joke.
Always assuming he actually said it of course. Bexley council might well have made it up.
PARTNERS APPROVE A £30,000 FUND TO HELP REGENERATE THAMESMEAD
A £30,000 fund to deliver vital improvement projects was launched on Tuesday
night (13 November) at The Link, the new state-of-the-art community hub in Thamesmead.
The Thamesmead Match Fund has been established by the South Thamesmead
Regeneration Partnership to support resident-led projects and initiatives. The
fund will pay for the materials, tools and professional services needed to
deliver local projects, such as improvements to local parks and streets, and
much more. The successful bidder will match the allocated funding with an equal
contribution, for example, in time, labour or other investment.
Cllr Teresa O’Neill, Leader of the London Borough of Bexley, said: “This is a
great opportunity for local residents and community groups to access much needed
funding for the projects they really care about. We know local residents are
passionate about Thamesmead. By working closely with local residents and
organisations, we can support the work local people think is most important.
The fund was launched at the London Borough of Bexley’s Cabinet meeting, where
the South Thamesmead Regeneration Framework was endorsed by the Council and its
partners. The Framework sets out plans for investment in the area over the next
10-15 years, in order to build on the momentum of recent local projects, such as
The Link.
Consultation on the Framework was carried out in the summer with the local
community and key stakeholders. The feedback received was overwhelmingly
enthusiastic and showed a significant number of Thamesmead residents want to be
directly involved in the proposals.
Ian Beckett, Director of Development and Property at Gallions Housing
Association, said: “We are proud to endorse the South Thamesmead Regeneration
Framework. It is very rewarding for the Partnership to see the hugely positive
response from the local community.
Mick Hayes, Chief Executive of Trust Thamesmead, said: “Despite the difficult
economic times there is a powerful optimism in Thamesmead, the most hopeful I
have ever known. We are beginning to see real progress through the collaboration
between Gallions Housing Association, Tilfen Land, Trust Thamesmead, the Greater
London Authority and the London Borough of Bexley.
The meeting took place at The Link in order to showcase the state-of-the-art
facility to the local community. More information about the activities and
services provided at The Link is available at
www.thelinkthamesmead.co.uk
The South Thamesmead Regeneration Partnership includes the London Borough of
Bexley, Gallions Housing Association, Trust Thamesmead, Tilfen Land and the
Greater London Authority. The Partnership was set up to lead the regeneration of
South Thamesmead and to develop the Framework with funding provided by the
Greater London Authority.