We think people get the best services when it’s easy for them to have a say on improving things, and so we’re keen to help residents help themselves. Below we list a few examples of things we’ve been working on over the last few weeks:

• Sorting abandoned waste and flytipping along the ‘heads’ of Apostles Roads and Kingston Road near the junctions with Hartfield, Gladstone and Russell Roads. Pushing the Council to improve communication with residents in flats about presenting waste, and Veolia to collect waste quickly before people add to it.
• Successfully lobbying Network Rail to fix the pigeon-proofing under the Toynbee Road railway bridge, and the Council to deep clean the pavement.
• Assisting residents to have their say over numerous planning matters, both big and small (on Gladstone, Approach, Herbert, and Fairlawn Roads – amongst others).
• Getting Veolia to empty overflowing public litter bins, reporting various flytips to be cleared (especially the ‘repeat’ ones on Oxford and Chase Side Avenues – where we’re calling for enforcement). Getting a new litter bin placed on Kingston Road at the end of Oxford Avenue, and one promised for Hartfield Crescent.
• Wilton Grove and Wilton Crescent swept. Pushing TfL to repair the paving along the public right of way by the tram line.
• Arranging for TfL engineers to look at the timing of the pedestrian crossing lights in Wimbledon Chase, to try to reduce traffic jams – and through the office of London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon, organising a site visit to look at the traffic at the Hartfield Road junction, where air quality is poor – because sitting traffic on Kingston Road also causes rat-running.
• Pursuing Network Rail, South Western Railways and Govia Thameslink on various fronts about the state of their land, and the (lack of) step free access at Raynes Park and Wimbledon Chase Stations.
• Agreeing with the owners of the blocks of flats by the railway footbridge that links Elm Grove and Merton Hall Road – Ashcombe and Herbert Houses – that they will clear graffiti along the side of their buildings near the railway line.
• Talking to hundreds of people about the cash available for mini-local projects – the “Ward Allocation Scheme” that councillors can spend, to get an agreed list that we can prioritise.