From: Russell Gray
Date: 1 April 2015 18:12:11 GMT+01:00
To: "Williams, Mark"
Ce: admin
Subject: Re: OBV NF Application
Engagement is relative of course, Mark. You can only judge a community group against
standards achieved by the Council itself. It seems to me obvious that you cannot set some
abstract and absolute criteria. If you think otherwise you had better explain exactly what they
are.
Meanwhile, we will be looking to the Council to demonstrate what you maintain is its exemplary
‘buy-in’ to Council planning processes from local interests by ensuring they attend the meeting
to endorse your claim. Please ensure you use your ‘details of local tenants groups etc.’ to
extend them an invitation direct from the Council to the meeting. | believe we are already
aware of them as they are of us. We will be publicising the meeting by the usual methods.
In any case, this is exactly the kind of dialogue that you have been invited to the meeting to
pursue and we are open to all constructive and realistic suggestions for increasing engagement
- as opposed to Council manoeuvring in an attempt to impose on us standards and obligations
that the Council cannot itself meet.
Regards
Russell
On 1 Apr 2015, at 17:26, Williams, Mark wrote:
Dear Russell,
I can confirm that Simon Bevan will be attending as well. On your point about
advertising the meeting, it is more for the Old Bermondsey Village Forum to
lead on engaging with the local community, residents groups, residents,
businesses etc. As we discussed at the meeting chaired by Cllr Seaton it is vital
that any neighbourhood forum builds local support and has wide ‘buy-in’ from
local stakeholders at as early a stage as possible. If you require the details of
local tenants groups etc then I can arrange for the council’s community
engagement team to share these with you.
|.google.com/mail/W0/?ui=28ik=99026 1e707&view=pt&search= inbox8th= 14c76004b20 taBebssiml= 14c760d4020128e>Best wishes,
Mark
Councillor Mark Williams
Labour Member for Brunswick Park Ward
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning & Transport
London Borough of Southwark
160 Tooley Street
London, SE1 21Z
0207 5257730 / 07985 629095 / @markwilliams84
From: Russell Gray [mailto:russell@lordshiva.net]
Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2015 8:16 PM
To: Williams, Mark
Cc: admin
Subject: Re: OBV NF Application
Pleased you are able to make it Mark. It would have been better if you
could have made one of the earlier dates. Nevertheless, I look forward to
welcoming you at Globe House at 18.30 on 22 April.
Please confirm whether you will be accompanied by Simon Bevan, as I
suggested.
Also as I suggested, the meeting will be a good opportunity for the
Council to invite those who, by implication from the criticisms you have
floated of our NF application, you believe are unsupportive of our
proposal or approach - being presumably very satisfied with the Council's
own existing local planning policies and procedures. We are very open
to all shades of opinion and fully encourage you to reach for the pockets
of support that you suggest we fail to reach and encourage as inclusive a
discussion as possible. I hope you will therefore take all possible steps to
invite such local individuals, organisations and groups as you suggest we
somehow disenfranchise.
Regards
Russell
On 26 Mar 2015, at 14:26, Williams, Mark wrote:
Dear Mr Gray,
Thank you for your email and | accept your invitation to attend an Old
Bermondsey Village meeting to discuss the questions set out in our letter to
you. The zand April is free and Jenny from our office will be in touch to confirm
the details.Best wishes,
Mark
Councillor Mark Williams
Labour Member for Brunswick Park Ward
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning & Transport
London Borough of Southwark
160 Tooley Street
London, SE1 2TZ
0207 5257730 / 07985 629095 / @markwilliams84
From: Russell Gray [mailto:russell@lordshiva.net
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 6:33 PM
To: Williams, Mark
Ce: Bevan, Simon
Subject: OBV NF Application
Mr Williams
I confirm receipt of your letter below, dated 10 March and signed by Juliet Seymour.
As you are fully aware, we know fiom email instructions to Juliet accidentally copied
to us by Simon Bevan in the past that she only writes what she is told to by her bosses.
To use her in this way is cowardly and exploitative. No doubt it is you or Simon
Bevan who wrote the letter and hence it is to you I reply
You can read some general comments on the points made in the letter in our current
mailout. It is quite clear that you remain committed to obstructing our application if
you can find any legally tenable grounds. The points you raise are in most cases
factually incorrect or without merit. This is not to say we are not entirely open to valid
comments supported by reason or evidence and we believe such matters are best
addressed in person and in the open. You are therefore invited to put your reservations
on the table in front ofa general meeting of our Group on any of the following
Wednesdays: 25 March, lApril, 8 April, 15 April, 22 April, As you know our
meetings are held at 18:30pm at a location only two minutes walk from your office. It
is of course desirable that Simon Bevan attends also.
By attending in person you will be able to gauge directly the merit in your point that it
is the Council, more than us, that enjoys ‘inclusive’ support in the Neighbourhood Area
that you have chosen to designate for its planning policy locally. T would also urge
you to use your much greater resources to publicise the meeting and encourage the
attendance of the diverse and plentifill local stakeholders who you continually assert
we lack your power to attract.
Please let me know as soon as possible your choice of date so that we also can do
everything that our more modest resources permit to raise interest and awareness of the
meeting,
Regards