Latest news with #Wandsworth
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Down in the dumps? These ones spark joy with order and peacocks
My local dump, in Wandsworth, out-Kondos Marie Kondo in its organisational systems and obsessive tidiness – the whole dump process sparks joy (Why I absolutely love a visit to the dump, 24 July). But nothing beats my late Mum's dump in Clitheroe, run by Lancashire county council. It has peacocks! Compelling. Watching the peacocks strut the skips gave dignified beauty to our poignant task of the final house clearance. Sarah JacksonLondon How typical that the Blair government was worried about losing office in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq (Britain told US that invading Iraq could cost Blair his premiership, papers reveal, 22 July). I wonder if they were so bothered about how many people would lose their MaitlandYork For more than 30 years I have been blackberrying in the last week of August or the first week of September, when blackberries are generally at their most plentiful. This week, locally, at least a month earlier, there are easy pickings of ripe blackberries on some BoalerCalne, Wiltshire Israel claims its critics are 'disconnected from reality' (UK condemns Israel for depriving Palestinians of 'human dignity', 21 July). Is it not more the case that Israel is disconnected from morality?Austen LynchGarstang, Lancashire
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Council offering asylum seekers 50% off e-bike and e-scooter rentals as Labour leader brags about 'win-win deal'
A London council is offering asylum seekers 50 per cent discounts on renting e-scooters and e-bikes. Wandsworth council's Labour leader Simon Hogg has described the new deal with private firms Lime, Forest and Voi as 'win-win'. The south-west London local authority has published new details about what it calls an 'Access For All' agreement aimed at making the cycles 'fair, safe and affordable'. Eligible residents are described as people in receipt of benefits, children in receipt of free school meals (all ages), asylum seekers/refugees, and children who are 'looked after' or care leavers. MailOnline has asked all involved how the discounts are being financed. This latest scheme comes amid recent revelations about how asylum seekers are using taxpayer handouts to fund their gambling habits. Pre-paid cards given out to pay for basics including food and clothing are being used in gambling venues such as bookmakers, amusement arcades and even casinos, Home Office data shows. In the last year, up to 6,537 asylum seekers have used the government-issued cards at least once for gambling. In the new announcement about its e-bike scheme, Wandsworth Council declared it was 'rolling ahead with its active travel ambitions by working with Lime, Forest and Voi to support e-bikes and e-scooters as a sustainable mode of travel'. In the 12 months from May 2024 to May 2025, there were 6.8million trips made by rented e-bike in Wandsworth. The authority said: 'We're backing that demand by making journeys safer and more accessible for everyone. Jenny Yates, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: 'E-bikes are here to stay as a key part of Wandsworth's transport network. 'We are committed to sustainable travel but it must be done responsibly, so we have worked with Lime, Forest and Voi to make sure e-bikes and scooters work for Wandsworth.' And council leader Mr Hogg, whose party won control of Wandsworth from the Conservatives in 2022, said: 'This deal is a win-win. 'It's about opening up affordable, sustainable travel that helps our residents to access work and entertainment opportunities across the borough. 'We're proud that Lime, Forest and Voi have agreed to join Access for All and to operate respectfully and safely. The new agreement has been announced in Wandsworth, a borough just south of the Thames 'We are making sure that no one is priced out of healthy and sustainable travel.' The scheme also offers discounts for eligible residents towards 'key services from gym sessions to swimming lessons, wedding ceremonies to event tickets'. The latest council announcement on its e-bike scheme also tells of having installed 170 dedicated on-street parking bays for e-bikes and scooters while also creating 'strict no-parking zones in town centres'. Wandsworth council added: 'We're planning further parking bays. The Lime and Voi e-scooters follow strict safety standards, including speed caps, always-on lights and licence checks for e-scooter riders.'
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Asylum seekers given half-price Lime bikes and e-scooters under Labour council deal
A LABOUR council has sparked fury by giving illegal migrants half-price e-bike and scooter rides. Asylum seekers living in Wandsworth are now able to claim a 50 per cent discount when hiring a vehicle to whizz around London. 2 2 The move comes amid intensifying anger at the eye-watering cost to taxpayers of illegal migration including billions spent on hotels. Hire bikes have also been used by some asylum seekers to work illegally as delivery riders, which The Sun has exposed. In Wandsworth asylum seekers are eligible for the authority's Access for All scheme that offers half-price and even free perks and services. The council last week announced a new deal with Lime, Forest and Voi so participants can bag a 50 per cent discount on their hire bikes and e-scooters. The cheaper rides - first revealed by the Guido Fawkes website - were trumpeted by the borough's Labour boss Simon Hogg last week. He said the tie-up was 'about opening up affordable, sustainable travel that helps our residents to access work and entertainment opportunities across the borough'. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work until they have had their claims accepted and granted refugee status. However under the Access for All scheme - which is also open to benefit claimants in the area - they can access cut-price entertainment and services. It includes discount pottery classes, panto tickets, and soft play sessions, and free gym membership. Wandsworth Council was approached for comment. It comes amid revelations that more than 6,000 asylum seekers have used government-issued cards loaded with £50 a week at betting shops and casinos. Pre-paid cards given out to pay for basics including food and clothing are being used in gambling venues, Home Office data reveals. While attempts to gamble online using the cards had been made, they were blocked each time so they were forced to use them in physical sites, as reported by PoliticsHome. This is because they can only be activated by using the chip and pin. There are currently around 80,000 ASPEN card users in the UK. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told PoliticsHome: 'It is shocking that over 6,000 illegal immigrants have attempted to use hard-working British taxpayers' money to gamble. "They have illegally entered this country without needing to – France is safe, and no one needs to flee from there. 'The British taxpayer has put them up in hotels, and now they slap us in the face by using the money they are given to fund gambling. "These illegal immigrants clearly don't need the money they are given if they are squandering it at casinos and arcades.' When asylum seekers are placed in fully catered hotels, the ASPEN card is loaded with roughly £9.95 per week.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
London council let me live in a soaking, mouldy flat for a year
I am a 91-year-old leaseholder in a block of flats owned by Wandsworth council. I'm living with saturated walls, dripping water and falling plaster because the council has failed to address a leak that began elsewhere in the block a year ago. When I first reported it, contractors made a large opening in my kitchen wall to inspect a service duct that contains plumbing for 10 flats. The hole has never been made good and is now crawling with insects. The council's plumbers have, over time, identified the possible source in various flats, stuck cards through the door asking the resident to get in touch, stuck more cards through when they got no response, and then decided the leak was coming from a different floor. I've been diagnosed with bladder cancer, and given the deteriorating condition of my home and the impact on my mental and physical health, I asked for the leak to be redesignated as an emergency, but this was refused. CA, London The photo you sent of your kitchen is horrifying. A substantial section of wall around the inspection hole made by the contractors is soaked, discoloured and crumbling. Mouldy debris is scattered along its base. These are hazardous conditions for anyone to endure, let alone a 91-year-old recovering from cancer treatment. It was January when you first contacted me. I first asked Giles Peaker, a partner at Anthony Gold Solicitors, to clarify where a council's responsibilities to leaseholders begin and end. He confirmed that Wandsworth council should be responsible for communal areas and structures, including plumbing, and for all tenanted flats, and that it should have a right of access to tenanted and leasehold flats to carry out repairs to these parts. If the leak were in a leasehold flat, the council would most likely have powers to oblige the occupier to repair it, or else revoke the lease. Repairs should be carried out within a reasonable time. Despite this, the council blamed the delay on 'access difficulties' when I questioned its inertia. It told me it had since discovered the leak in a leasehold flat but had to await an asbestos test before it could be tackled. Yet it had told you, seven weeks previously, that an asbestos test had been completed. It ignored my questions about the discrepancy but told you its earlier assertion about the test being carried out was mistaken. Three weeks after my contact, you were then told the leak was not where it was supposed to be after all, and so the waiting game continued. The council declined to explain why an exploratory camera could not be inserted into the communal duct through the opening in your kitchen, which has already been declared asbestos free. For the next three months, you and I repeatedly chased the council for updates. By May the leak had finally been identified in a tenanted flat and repaired. At this point Wandsworth offered to repair the damage to your flat and installed a dehumidifier but you, understandably suspicious of its timescales, decided to do the repairs through your insurer. You are still waiting for the area to dry out before repairs can begin. The council says: 'We have spoken to the resident to apologise for the delay and he has accepted an offer of £400 compensation for the stress and inconvenience caused. We will be reviewing our processes to ensure this does not happen again.' You say: 'I think that the council employees with whom I have dealt have tried to help under a system that simply doesn't work, having no built-in imperative to get anything done.' We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kate praises ‘brave' boy with cancer as royals visit Wimbledon
The Princess of Wales told an 11-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer that he was a 'brave boy' as she visited Wimbledon with the Prince of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The royals visited the tennis tournament to watch defending champion Carlos Alcaraz take on world number one Jannik Sinner in the men's singles final on Sunday, with Kate set to present the trophy to the winner. Before entering Centre Court, the family met 11-year-old Ambrose Caldecott, who has undergone chemotherapy over the last year and was chosen to perform the ceremonial coin toss before the final. Ambrose, who was diagnosed with bone cancer in March 2024, told Kate about his experiences, to which she replied: 'What a brave boy you've been. 'Good luck today, we'll be cheering you on.' The princess, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, confirmed she was free from the disease at the start of this year. Speaking about his conversation with Kate, Ambrose told the PA news agency: 'We spoke about tennis, our favourite sports, what I went through last year and how it affected me.' The 11-year-old added: 'She said she knew from her experience in my situation.' Ambrose was chosen to perform the coin toss to represent The Junction Elite Project, a Wandsworth-based charity that provides developmental sporting experiences to young people. The royals also met British pair Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool who made Wimbledon history on Saturday by winning the men's doubles title. The duo are the first all-British pairing to win the title since Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey lifted the trophy in 1936. Cash, 28, told the PA news agency: 'It was an absolute pleasure to meet them today. 'They're all fans of the tennis so it was really nice to meet them.' Asked about his conversation with the royals, Cash said: 'They asked about the final yesterday, how it felt to win at home and make history. 'They were asking about the heat as well, and a little bit about my celebrations.' Discussing his celebrations, Cash said: 'My head was a little bit sore this morning but it was a fantastic day. I loved having family and friends here. 'We play so many weeks on the road, so to have them here, to lift that trophy with them is really special.' The royals also met ball girl Sienna, 18, from Wimbledon High, and ball boy, Dennis from Wilson's School. Dennis, 17, said it was a 'really unique experience' to meet the royals. Discussing the conversation, he added: 'They mainly asked us about training, how long it takes, how hard it is, and they told us to stay hydrated.' The royals also met television presenter Steve Backshall, who is a Wimbledon Ambassador and disability sports coach Temi Johnson, 28. Kate, who is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, received a standing ovation when she arrived on Centre Court on Saturday to watch the women's singles final. The princess told runner-up Amanda Anisimova to keep her 'head high' after the American suffered a heavy defeat in Saturday's final. Kate consoled Anisimova, who was in tears, as she presented her runner-up prize. The princess then presented the trophy to Polish player Iga Swiatek, who won the title for the first time by beating Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in a final which lasted only 57 minutes. Swiatek said receiving the trophy from the princess was 'surreal', adding that Kate told her 'some nice stuff about the performance' on Centre Court. Last year, Kate presented the Wimbledon men's final trophy to Alcaraz in her second public engagement since she announced her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were seen in the royal box on Monday, with the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester also in attendance.
