The first of a regular update on PutneySW15.com

I feel incredibly privileged to write to the people of Putney as the new leader of Wandsworth Council.

Of course, as an East Putney councillor, I already know the town well, and hopefully many of your know me. Over the next few weeks and months I hope to meet many other people from all over the borough to find out what issues matter to them and what they expect from their council.

There are key Putney issues on which the council has taken a strong stand, and this will continue. We will always fight for the right of Putney people not to be plagued by aircraft noise and to stop Thames Water from destroying Barn Elms.

As leader of Wandsworth Council I must also tackle issues that affect the borough as a whole.

I arrived in Britain aged 17 after Ugandan Asians were expelled by Idi Amin, so I place a huge value on individual freedom, opportunity and choice.  I want to reflect this in the work I do as the council’s leader.

Many hard-working Wandsworth families aspire to home ownership. We will be looking at innovative ways to help them find the deposit to buy a house. And for those who wan to simply rent we want to put working families at the top of the list for social housing.  

I know Putney parents want the very best for their children, and the borough has some excellent schools. But I want to give even greater support to groups of parents who want to set up free schools – especially in areas of greater need.

I’m not pretending these aren’t challenging times, but I’m looking forward to meeting these challenges. I remain a Putney councillor and will continue to work hard on behalf of Putney residents – but will also do everything I can to make the whole borough a haven of freedom, choice and opportunity for hard-working Wandsworth people.




Councillor Ravi Govindia
Leader of the Council
rgovindia@wandsworth.gov.uk

May 19, 2011