In this week’s bulletin I have several local initiatives to report on, my views on the 'Real Recall' debate in Parliament, and some life-changing personal news to share with you, so please read on!
Tooting’s Newest Arrival
The last week has been an emotional one for me as my biggest initiative yet reached a natural conclusion… I became a Dad! After 24 hours at St George’s Hospital, Harry Ambrose Watkins finally emerged into the Tooting night, and has been a wonder to behold ever since.
During our stay at St George’s, we had 4 midwives and the service and care provided by each of them was outstanding, so I’d like to say a big thanks to all of the staff. Baby and Mum are both doing well and as I know people are always keen to see a photo, you can do so here.
Volunteering to Help Vulnerable Residents
You may recall that earlier this year I worked with local residents to create a Residents Association on the Totterdown Estate, which aims to improve the look and feel of this historic part of Tooting.
This Saturday afternoon we have our first community event planned, which is to cut back the overgrown hedges of elderly and vulnerable residents living on the Estate. As the dark evenings draw in, this is an important crime-fighting initiative since burglars use the cover provided by high hedges to break into properties.
I will be bringing my volunteering group, the Tooting Voluntary Force to the hedge-cutting session to help provide manpower, and I’d love to hear from you if you’d be interested in joining us for a couple of hours. We’ll be going from 1-3pm so please email me and I can send further details.
If you can’t make this event but would like to support my volunteering initiatives to make Tooting a better place to live, please visit my Tooting Voluntary Force site and Like the page. This will also keep you updated on future events.
Constitutional Change - Part 1
I'm well aware that voters' trust in politicians is at a historic low, so it's important to me that we reform our political system to address people's concerns.
One such initiative which has been championed across the political spectrum has been to introduce a right of recall for voters should their local MP lose their confidence. As long as a certain threshold of local voters supported the recall, that MP would face a by-election in which voters could decide if he or she should remain in position. In this way, MPs are accountable to you for their behaviour throughout their term, not just every 5 years at a general election.
Sadly, the Recall of MPs Bill has been significantly watered down as it has passed through Parliament, leaving supporters like myself very disappointed. This week there was a final chance to improve the Bill and to hand power back to the voters, with Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith proposing sensible amendments to it. Alas, MPs from across the UK, including our own in Tooting, voted against the amendment, meaning we are left with a very weak version of the Bill.
Let's hope this is a temporary setback. If elected as your MP next year I will work with MPs such as Zac Goldmsith in the next Parliament to continue pushing for reform of our democracy.
Constitutional Change - Part 2
As many of you will be aware, the historic Tooting Constitutional Club on Tooting High Street closed down this summer, following some problems. In its place, a property developer has proposed that a 6-storey block of residential flats be built.
While I accept that the status quo isn’t an option and that development of the site is needed, I question whether these are the right plans for local residents, particularly those living on surrounding roads. Therefore I visited residents last week to do a detailed survey of their views. This will allow us to make our own suggestions for the site, particularly in regards to retaining the large green space at the back, establishing a community use on the site, and ensuring the right number of new flats are built.
With community space so scarce in our area I’m keen that we take this opportunity to provide a new amenity in the heart of Tooting. While I am collating the survey responses, I would be delighted to hear from you with your views and suggestions.
Pavement Powers
As a follow-up to my ongoing efforts to tackle pavement encroachment by traders on Tooting High Street, I organised a second enforcement session with Transport for London officers. Owing to my date with destiny at St George’s Hospital, I couldn’t attend this time, but I can report back on the action taken.
Our previous visit and written warnings had yielded some results, such that the number of offenders had dropped this time around, but there were still a half dozen shops continuing to block the pavement. All of these traders were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices, which if not swiftly paid will escalate in trips to the Magistrates Court.
Tooting is on the up and attracting more and more visitors, so it’s more important than ever that we make the high street an attractive and safe place for pedestrians. The vast majority of our shop-owners are playing by the rules, so I think it is right that we take firm action against those who are not operating within the law. I will continue to monitor this issue and press for more action if needed.
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
www.danwatkins.org.uk
[email protected]
@danwatkins
www.facebook.com/dan4tooting