LewishamWatch

This was an account to make more visible what happens in the council but no longer on X because Musk.

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Info from https://t.co/SQuaZb9tqh

May be of interest to @LewishamGreens and @LewishamLibDems

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Coming out of retirement for one week only - just to pick up on two claims from @lewishamlabour . First on schools: "Lewisham is rated as having the most improved secondary schools in the country based on GCSE results."
This is misleading - details in thread.

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

There is also a big ethnicity gap in how Lewisham schools perform - Black pupils Attainment 8 scores are the second worse in London, compared to white pupils coming 17th. To be fair, this has been a focus of attention from Lewisham.

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Kim Powell is no longer a Cabinet member at Lewisham. Her relationship with controversial UCKG first covered here in 2020.
https://t.co/msyeFJoS7C

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Lewisham council have chosen to give a Mayor's Award to one of their own cllrs. She's employed (not a volunteer) by the Universal Church of Kingdom of God.

This is not an ordinary church - see https://t.co/XsqD10BriJ for their role in Victoria Climbie death & "curious" finances

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Should have also added that these failings affect the day to day lives of people in Lewisham. Almost a fifth of council homes don't meet the decent homes standard and nearly half of repairs were not completed on time last year.

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Twitter is dying & this account may not be around much longer but in the meantime please read this on how @lewishamhomes ended up in such a mess: https://t.co/EmpX6ttllR

Yes, austerity has damaged the capability of councils but much of this mess is due to lack of scrutiny

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

@lewishamlabour This comes at a time when funding is even tighter for social housing, when Lewisham's HRA budget is close to effective bankruptcy & ahead of those homes managed under the PFI contract coming back in house in 2027.
Some mess for @Brenda_Dacres to sort out after @damienegan...

[Ladywell Live @LadywellLive]

Lewisham council is considering scrapping assemblies to save £200k as it battles budget cuts. Assemblies, set up in 2008, aim to encourage residents to engage with local issues and councillors. Report https://t.co/pDPd2vmR8k

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Proposed abolition of Lewisham's local assemblies covered by @LadywellLive: https://t.co/2oKVUW89xl

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Lewisham council is looking at scrapping support for ward assemblies as a cost saving.
This would be a mistake - Lewisham only has cllrs from one party, has weak backbench scrutiny, hides poor performance, has made it harder to ask public questions & little media scrutiny. (1/)

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

See https://t.co/2JjVAPaZZ5 (page 18)
@Edison1d (3/3)

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Lewisham council is looking at scrapping support for ward assemblies as a cost saving.
This would be a mistake - Lewisham only has cllrs from one party, has weak backbench scrutiny, hides poor performance, has made it harder to ask public questions & little media scrutiny. (1/)

[LewishamWatch @LewishamWatch]

Cutting ward assemblies would remove one of the few ways in which officers have to explain what they're doing & face public questions.

The proposal would save £200K pa but could well add to Lewisham's overall poor performance in the absence of external pressures to better. (2/)