SUBJECT: REVIEW OF MERTON'S GAMBLING POLICY FROM 1 JULY 200
Author: WCF | Date: 03 07 09
Merton Council is undertaking a review of its adopted Gambling Policy from 1 July 2009. A review must be undertaken every three years. The current policy was adopted in December 2006 and there will be a three month public consultation on that existing policy, finishing on 30 September 2009. The 3 Licensing Objectives of the Gambling Act 2005 are: To prevent gambling being a source of crime & disorder To ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way To protect children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling Please note that the Gambling Act does not include 'public safety' or 'the prevention of public nuisance'. The council will therefore only have regard to matters that relate to one or more of the three licensing objectives above in the review of its existing policy. Your submission may be sent by post in the normal manner or electronically to licensing@merton.gov.uk. Please ensure that your name and full postal address are included in all communications. Merton's Existing Gambling Policy can be found on our website at www.merton.gov.uk/licensing or by contacting the licensing section. Kind regards, Merton Council Licensing Section 14th Floor Merton Civic Centre London Road Morden SM4 5DX licensing@merton.gov.uk 020 8545 3969

SUBJECT: BONFIRES. A HEALTH HAZARD.
Author: Jack Robinson | Date: 21 06 09
General notes on bonfires in Colliers Wood. Last year 7 very large and lengthy bonfires occurred in the norfolk Rd. area of Colliers Wood alone. That\'s 7 ruined days for neighbours. No warning is ever given and no concern shown for residents who wish to enjoy their gardens. Many bonfires will occur on the sunniest days. Last year the large bonfires began at 10.45am, 9.30am and at any other time during the day. This is a common occurrence in this area and has been going on for years. Can the Council help control bonfires? Merton residents pay extremely high Council Tax and yet cannot use their own gardens freely. The Wandle Valley is known for the extremely high number of asthma sufferers Perhaps Merton\'s careless attitude towards bonfires is the cause. Wandsworth have a much better record for dealing with this major health problem. The smoke drifts everywhere in the Valley and so Wandsorth also suffers. Wandsworth and Merton therefore should be working together to deal once and for all with residents\' bonfires. Bonfires are not a slight problem for neighbours they are totally disruptive. It is not too difficult from the numbers given in this email (which is a record of about a third which actually occur), to count how many ruined days for hundreds of people there have been and how unacceptable, especially when Merton prides itself on being environmentally friendly. Bonfires have to stop. Merton Resident.

SUBJECT: PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MERTON 25 JUNE 2009
Author: WCF | Date: 20 06 09
Merton Council is asking local residents to voice their opinion on how the borough’s public transport can be improved at a consultation meeting with councillors and public transport providers on 25 June. The public meeting, led by the sustainable communities scrutiny panel councillors will highlight issues, concerns and suggestions regarding public transport in Merton by giving residents an opportunity to speak directly with transport providers. Transport for London will be taking part in the meeting with a presentation on the upgrade of the Northern Line and there will also be presentations from Travelwatch and a dedicated question and answer session at the end of the meeting. Following the meeting the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel will make recommendations for improvement to the council’s cabinet and relevant partners to ensure that the issues raised are addressed. Councillor David Dean will chair the meeting in his position as chair of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel. He commented: “The transport system in Merton is crucial for economic and social welfare. Many residents have concerns about the current state of the infrastructure and we would like them to meet with the stakeholders to explain how transport can be improved. Residents pay a lot of money in tax and fares and they would like solutions to overcrowding amongst other concerns.” The meeting will be held on 25 June 2009 in the council chamber at the civic centre in Morden at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be available from 7pm.

SUBJECT: I DON'T KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF THE
Author: Peter Collins | Date: 10 06 09
Leytonstone case, though I do know that these 'political correctness gone mad' stories are usually overstated and, if they prove to be correct, are shocking for their rarity. However, it's still NOT an argument in favour of state-funded religious schools. If you want to bring your children up in a solely religious environment, then pay for it yourself. The concept of 'liberal totalitariansm' makes no sense and is just a hook to hang your own prejudices on. I would agree that four years old it too young to start teaching kids about gay relationships, but I'm also assuming that the author of the post below is unlikely to be tolerant of teaching anyone at any age that gay relationships are ok. What I do know is that kids have to learn about these things at some point, and I would far rather they were taught about it in the protective and inclusive environment of a non-denominational school than in a school run by the adherents of any religion that has shown it is intolerant of homosexuality. Just to end on: there's one boy at my kids' school who has two mums. The other children have got so used to this fact that no one really takes a blind bit of notice of the issue. The school also takes great care to teach the children about other cultures, countries and religions, and to teach them that they should be respected: I'm all for that. I wonder how successful state-funded religious schools are at doing that.

SUBJECT: MUSLIM CHILDREN AND SEX EDUCATION
Author: Iftikhar Ahmad | Date: 08 06 09
Muslim Children and Sex Education Muslim parents teach their children to respect their teachers. From a very young age, we are taught that Islam teaches us that after our parents, our teachers are most deserving of respect. It must be an extremely confusing time for the Muslim parent in Leytonstone, London. For up to 30 parents may face prosecution for withdrawing their children from school, disobeying the teachers in the school, simply to secure a decent moral upbringing for their children. The school had decided to have a week of lessons about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. Part of this was a special adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retitled Romeo and Julian as well as fairytales and stories changed to show men falling in love with men. Rather than filling the heads of impressionable boys and girls with fatuous drivel about gay penguins, schools should be ashamed of the fact that they are sending children out into the world barely able to read, write and add up properly. Muslim children are leaving schools without learning their cultural roots and linguistic skills. The action was being taken against the parents as part of a policy of ' promoting tolerance'. So why not tolerate parents, who, for sincerely-held reasons, consider their children too young to be taught about gay relationships? This isn't education, its cultural fascism. A record numbers of pupils persistently played truant in 2006-07, with around 272,950 pupils persistently absent in 2007, missing more than 20% of school. We rarely see councils prosecute the parents of these persistent truants. Yet, the parents who removed their children as a one-off to protect their morality may be prosecuted! If the local council does decide to go through with a prosecution, it would be in line with the government's approach to the Muslim community. Muslims who believe homosexuality is a sin would be labelled as extremists. Liberal totalitarianism is a growing phenomenon in Britain and the west in general but many people will be shocked that the school can override a parent's view of what's appropriate or inappropriate to teach their children. This latest episode should be a wakeup call for Muslim parents. Muslim parents MUST explain our moral standards to schools and be prepared to take steps to protect our children’s morals and values from a growing agenda to impose liberal values upon them. This is an eye opening for those Muslim parents who keep on sending their children to state schools to be mis-educated and de-educated by non-Muslim monolingual teachers. The solution of all the problems facing Muslim children is state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers. Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority may be designated as Muslim community schools. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. Iftikhar Ahmad www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

SUBJECT: EDUCATION
Author: Peter Collins | Date: 25 05 09
I'm interested in the entry on state-funded Muslim education below. My own opinion is that education that espouses only one world view - whether Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Scientology or even (though I am one) atheism - should not be funded by the state. The author says Muslim children should get a balanced education. How can anyone get such a thing at a school that is avowedly 'for' only one religion or another? State-funded schools should all be non-denominational in my view. The balance should come in teaching kids about different theories of the world - so that Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and so on are taught as simply different ways of looking at the world that you can either accept or not. I'm extremely unhappy at the idea of schools funded by the taxpayer doing otherwise. This isn't to be anti-Islam (although, it has to be said, as a theory of life on earth I'm not for it; which isn't the same as being prejudiced against individual Muslims) - it's to be pro-education. I"m quite happy, by contrast, for religions to run their own schools should they so wish, funded by themselves.

SUBJECT: MUSLIM CHILDREN IN STATE SCHOOLS
Author: Iftikhar Ahmad | Date: 23 05 09
Salaam Muslim children have been attending state schools for tha last 60 years. They have been suffering from Paki-bashing and bullying. Majority of them have been leaving schools with low grades. They have been leaving schools without learning their cultural and linguistic skiils. The result is that they do not know where they belong. They suffer from Identity crises. Now Muslim youths are victim of terrorism. Thousands of them are being searched in streets and hundreds of them are behind the bar without any trial. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or a teacher in a Muslim school. There are hundreds of state and church schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. Bilingual Muslim children need to learn and be well versed in standard English to follow the National Curriculum and go for higher studies and research to serve humanity. At the same time, they need to learn and be well versed in Arabic, Urdu and other community languages to keep in touch with their cultural roots and enjoy the beauty of their literature and poetry. A Muslim is a citizen of this tiny global village. He/she does not want to become notorioulsy monolingul Brit. Iftikhar Ahmad London School of Islamics Trust www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk

SUBJECT: WIMBLEDON TOWN CENTRE - TRAFFIC DISRUPTION: 24-31 MAY 2009
Author: WCF | Date: 13 05 09
Information: Council is intending to examine the steelwork of the main rail bridge, starting 24th May for about a week, and this means that traffic movements in the Town Centre will be significantly altered eg: single lanes only in both directions across the bridge; heavy vehicles traveling west being diverted along Queens Road, Haydons Road, Alexandra Road to avoid bridge; bus stops in changed positions etc etc: Details from Council, Traffic & Highway Services

SUBJECT: VISIONS FOR WIMBLEDON
Author: WCF | Date: 09 05 09
The issues raised in the Report split into two categories: - detailed changes to streetscape, design of surfaces, lighting etc. These can be seen as cosmetic, but could actually transform the feel of the Town Centre. All that these would require is someone with a holistic vision (LB Merton Design Champion for Wimbledon is John Hill, Head of Planning). and funding. Implementation could proceed swiftly, without prejudicing the LDF - issues affecting the main through road (Wim Hill Rd/Broadway). The aim would be to increase pedestrian quality/safety. This would mean involving Merton Highways engineers, and also TfL. Whatever the improvements to quality, the quantity of traffic on the A219 (Wimbledon Hill and the Broadway) must be maintained. Don't let achievable improvements be held up by aspirations to 'solve' the traffic problem.

SUBJECT: VISIONS FOR WIMBLEDON
Author: WCF | Date: 07 05 09
I welcome the report Vision for Wimbledon and this along with the Going for Gold report from the Chamber of Commerce, provide valuable contributions to shaping the future of Wimbledon As mentioned at the presentation evening, the glue for much what is desired is the need to develop the cultural heart of the area. We have a unique blend of providers, facilities, spaces which enable Wimbledon to create a distinct image/offer from other neighbouring districts. Wimbledon cannot compete on the bases of shopping and eating alone. What it can offer and thus shape the future development and flavour of the town is a mixed offer, centred on the cultural offer (theatres, cinemas, leisure, festivals, community/faith facilities) which will attract people from a wider field to come to the area. An example of this is the potential of the southern end of Wimbledon to create a music district (niche providers such as Surrey strings, Watershed, YMCA JIYC, Cherry pie and other performance spaces) where local musicians can rehearse and perform. By creating new economies we can only improve the sustainability of the area. Another key area is diversifying the evening economy away from pub/club feel. Planning for new community facilities providing family friendly programmes in the evening will help with changing the feel of the area and attract new customers. We at the YMCA are committed to redeveloping our facilities and ensure that we have a vibrant mix of programmes running throughout the evening. Any new civic facility developed in the town centre needs to be flexible and complement what is already available. Other observations of the report include the need to address the council’s aspirations of bridging the gap between the east and west of the borough. In particular the need to develop affordable housing in Wimbledon. By providing a greater mix of tenure we believe is of benefit to the town not only in creating a more dynamic Wimbledon but also meets significant social needs of our communities. The two reports critically need to be able to address the needs of young people. Positive activities for young people (things that young people want to do at a price they can afford and locations they can get to and from) will only strengthen the mixed economy of the area and also meet needs of young people. The creating of a music district is a good example of meeting need. Collectively we need to make better effort at consulting with young people. YMCA Wimbledon sees itself as a valuable resource to the local residential and business community of Wimbledon. We have been based in Wimbledon for over 145years and are committed to retaining our presence in the area in the future. We ourselves provide a unique offer of housing, sports, health exercise and fitness programmes, childcare activities, conferencing and café/restaurant and youth work. We are committed undertake the redevelopment or sale and re-provision in Wimbledon of our facilities and services and are well positioned and experienced in making a significant contribution to improving the quality of lives of people across the community of Wimbledon and Merton. Andy Redfearn.

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