Councillor Lister writes to Putney

The Boat Race & Music Festival, Ticket Office Hours, Council Budgets & More....

With just three weeks to go until the Boat Race, Putney's shops, bars and restaurants will be hoping for a welcome boost to trade from the thousands of visitors expected in the town.

The music festival which starts on the Friday ensures that the benefits from Sunday afternoon's contest are spread over a three-day weekend.

There's always a great atmosphere in the town for this special occasion. It's a terrific  opportunity to invite friends over – you can check out what's on at your favourite venue at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/putneymusicfestival

Tuesday March 10th is the day the council sets its budget for the coming year. For the second year running there will be no increase in the amount people pay to the council for local services.

This year it's doubly good news as the Mayor of London has also announced a zero increase. That means the total bill for people in the borough will remain the lowest in the country.

All councils will be facing severe financial pressures as the impact of the recession hits every aspect of town hall activity. We'll be looking at every way possible to protect council tax payers while maintaining services at the high levels people have come to associate with Wandsworth.

People in west Putney and Roehampton who use Barnes Station to get their train to work will have been unimpressed by the news that South West Trains are cutting ticket office opening  hours by 15 per cent.The station here is in a vulnerable location surrounded by common land. It needs proper staffing to provide additional security for rail travellers.

Finally the council is stepping up its efforts to switch more business to local post offices. From April it will be possible to pay a number of council bills at the post office including rents and council tax.

This will be followed next year by a new arrangement for issuing the freedom passes for older residents which are paid for by all London's councils – in our case the bill is £7m a year.In future you will be able to collect these from post offices – it's another way in which we can support local business and provide a more convenient service for residents.

Edward Lister
elister@wandsworth.gov.uk

March 5, 2009

Edward Lister is the Leader of Wandsworth Council and a member for Putney's Thamesfield ward.