Latchmere councillors Tony Belton, Wendy Speck and Simon Hogg with Harriet Harman MP and Senia Dedic in York Gardens Library

Tomorrow evening you have the chance to deliver your verdict on a wide range of local services and highlight areas of concern.

The leader of the council and senior Town Hall managers will join your local Labour councillors – Tony Belton, Wendy Speck and me – to answer your questions at York Gardens Library from 7.30pm. (People who are unable to attend on Thursday, July 19 can email questions in advance to www.wandsworth.gov.uk/letstalk.)

Hopefully you heard about the event from all the posters that are up, and the Latchmere leafets that have gone through every door in the neighbourhood!

Topics that crop up regularly at these meetings include street cleaning, recycling, parking, public transport and the NHS. Tony, Wendy and I will be speaking about three areas we think are a priority – these are:

Children
Lots of residents have said their neighbourhoodcould be improved by more activities for young people.

In the past year Latchmere’s councillors have supported the community campaigns to save York Gardens Library, prevent children being charged to use Battersea Park Adventure Playground and to get children free swimming sessions at local leisure centres over the recent Jubilee half-term break.

Latchmere’s youth clubs at Providence House and the Islamic Centre are losing their council funding. We need your ideas for how to engage young people and keep them off the streets.

Crime
Crime is an issue that affects all of us and Latchmere has unfortunately experienced some serious incidents over the past year. Local police work hard – but they can’t be everywhere and later this year police numbers are set to be cut. Do you see the police in your local area? Do you trust the police? What can be done to make Latchmere’s families safer?

Housing
There are new plans to invest £100m to regenerate local housing estates. Most of this money will go to estates here in Latchmere – and we need your help todecide how this money can be best spent.

This news is a huge victory for all residents who have been calling on the council to give more support to Latchmere. Get in touch to tell us how the council should invest this money.

The council also plans to change the way it allocates social housing. Should priority be given to working people? Army families? Residents who have been waiting for a long time? The children of local people? Let us know your thoughts.

York Gardens Library