October-14 Talking Tooting Newsletter

It’s been a cracking couple of months for Tooting campaign successes, and I have yet more good news to bring you in regards to our battles for community pubs and safer streets. These campaigns very clearly demonstrate what can be done when a community comes together to work hard for their area, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

Two Pubs and a Playgroup

Hot on the heels of our success to protect the Wheastheaf pub in Tooting Bec, and the community’s purchase of the threatened Romany scout and playgroup site, it now looks very likely that the Trafalgar Arms on Tooting High Street will also be saved.

I met with Young’s Brewery last week and they confirmed that subject to their licensing application going through, they will purchase and reopen this much-loved pub. This is great news for all those residents living in the south of Tooting, where we desperately need to retain our community spaces. You can read more on my website here.

I ran these 3 campaigns with local residents and what they have in common is that they all used the Localism Act 2011, introduced by this Government, to get the sites listed as Assets of Community Value. And on the back of those ACV listings, the Council, residents and now a local business have responded to keep these vital community hubs open for all.

Please follow my Facebook page for further updates on the Trafalgar Arms and other campaigns.

Safer Streets coming to Tooting

Last week Wandsworth Council passed motions to introduce 20mph zones on all residential roads in Furzedown and Bedford wards. This followed consultations which showed 80% support for these measures among the local population.

I am optimistic that these measures will help reduce speeds and make our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists alike. It’s critical that we encourage more people to walk and cycle for their local journeys, to relieve the pressure put on public transport by a growing population, while also reducing the number of serious accidents that take place.

Tooting Conservatives are looking to build on this success by surveying residents on other roads to see if a 20mph zone might be appropriate there. We have already done some work on this in Nightingale ward, but I’d be very interested to hear from residents anywhere in the constituency if you think your road should see the speed limit reduced, so please let me know your thoughts by either emailing me or filling out a quick online survey here.

Pop-Up Talent Half Century!

I’m pleased to tell you that the recent Pop-Up Talent Shop we ran on Tooting High Street was a big success. Over 100 local young people attended the jobs fair to get inspired, with over 50 of them signing-up on the day to ongoing training and work programmes. This will give these young people’s lives a big boost and help us reach our local goal of full employment in Tooting.

You can read more on my website here. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to make this event a success. I really do appreciate your efforts.

As ever, please follow me on Facebook or Twitter for more updates on local news and my campaigns.
 

With best wishes, 

Dan Watkins
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Tooting