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MILLWALL EXCLUSIVE

Issue 1781

Established: 1987

50p

March 26th 2026

southwarknews.co.uk

See page 3 FREE FOR ALL WOMEN Council is paying for self-defence classes

BRIGHT FUTURE LOST

‘IT FEELS LIKE HOME’ See page 6

Community mourns the loss of one of Southwark’s most promising footballers in ﬂat ﬁre off Old Kent Road

2 NEWS Contents NEWS Pages 2-13 OPINION Page 16-17 ARTS Pages 19 HISTORY Pages 20 EVENTS Page 21 CLASSIFIED Page 22 FAMILY ANNO8NCEMENTS Page 23 PUBLIC NOTICES Pages 24-27 SPORT Pages 29-32

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CAMBERWELL LEASEHOLDER STUCK IN TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR TWO YEARS AFTER COUNCIL FAILS TO FIX LEAK By Issy Clarke A CAMBERWELL leaseholder has spoken out about his housing nightmare after being bounced between temporary accommodation for more than two years while he waited for Southwark Council to fix a leak in his flat.

After reporting what he assumed would be a simple leak to repair in October 2023, Michael would go on to spend the next 27 months being bounced between short-term hotel stays and private flats paid for by his insurers in an uncertain situation which he said took a “great emotional toll”. At one stage he was being moved between on a near-weekly basis as and when hotel rooms became available. All the while, Michael was suspended in a state of limbo, not knowing when he might be able to return home as council contractors took months trying to find the source of the leak, while leaving his home ‘gutted and uninhabitable’. In a particularly low point, Michael was offered a temporary flat in the depths of winter 2024 which didn’t have any heating or hot water for six weeks - before briefly being threatened with eviction by the owner after the property ‘went into receivership’. Matters took a turn for the worse in March 2024, when he says contractors drilled through a panel containing asbestos while trying to access the leak without testing it first, meaning repair

work had to be put on hold for months while the property was decontaminated. By July 2024 - eight months after Michael was forced to move out of his flat - the cost to his insurers of providing him with alternative accommodation while his flat was being sorted out had already reached £27,000. Michael told us he reported several more leaks over the next two years, all of which appeared to be emanating from the same communal pipework. However he says he would have to report each leak ‘five or six times’ before hearing back from the council - further delaying his return home because the insurers couldn’t finish repairing his kitchen until the council addressed each complaint. What’s more Michael said he has been paying double council tax on both properties because his private insurance doesn’t cover council tax on alternative accommodation. “My own flat is about £1,200 and where I am now is about £1,500. So I pay roughly just under £3000 in council tax because of the council’s inability and mismanagement,” he said. And the cost of the council’s mandatory insurance policy has shot up by 194 per cent since Southwark changed providers four years ago - despite providing narrower cover - meaning the amount he pays has gone from £338 a year in 2022 to £1,100 as of 2025/26. The new policy does not provide cover for MILLWALL

CRUNCH TIME Season deﬁning tests await

Issue 1780

Editor: Kevin Quinn Reporters: Issy Clarke, Evie Flynn Sports Editor: John Kelly Sports reporter: Will Scott Arts Correspondent: Michael Holland Digital Transformation Editor: Katherine Johnston Media Partnerships: Anthony Phillips Advertising: Clarry Frewin, Mandy Stong Design: Dan Martin, Ann Gravesen Finance: Em Zeki - Tel: 0779 883 3758 em@cm-media.co.uk Subscriptions/Announcements: Katie Boyd Managing & Commercial Director: Chris Mullany Managing & Editorial Director: Kevin Quinn Published weekly on a Thursday at: Community Matters Media Ltd 1 Bermondsey Square, London SE1 3UN. News and Sport: 020 7231 5258 Advertising: 020 7232 1639 News: news@southwarknews.co.uk Advertising: hello@cm-media.co.uk Printed by Iliffe Print. Tel: 01223 656500 www.iliffeprint.co.uk

Established: 1987

BABY STEPS INTO POLITICS 50p

March 19th 2026

southwarknews.co.uk

BERMONDSEY BABY BANK FOUNDER HOPING TO WIN A SEAT IN THE LOCAL ELECTIONS

PRICES HIT THE ROOF

See pages 20-21

HOW NUNHEAD BECAME ONE OF LONDON’S GREATEST VICTORIAN CEMETERIES

PICK OF FAMILY EVENTS

See pages 14-15

See page 3

GEORGE NICHOLSON: THE MAN BEHIND COIN STREET AND BOROUGH MARKET See pages 2 See page 8

Southwark has highest property PROTEST OVER OLD prices in South East London KENT ROAD PLANS See page 4

Camberwell

The corroded pipe which caused the original leak in his kitchen

The leak left him unable to return home for two years asbestos-related issues, and Michael claimed he would have been forced to fork out £12,000 for the clean-up and a further £53,000 for all the other remedial repairs to his property required to fix the leak had it not been for his private insurance, which costs him an additional £500 a year. He was offered £740 in compensation in November last year by the council in recognition of the delays, the distress caused and the lack of communication. Councillor Portia Mwangangye, Cabinet Member for Council Homes, said: “We recognise the significant disruption and distress Mr Buehler has experienced and are sorry for the impact this has had and will do my best to get this resolved as soon as possible.

“Since November 2023, a number of separate leaks linked to communal pipework have been identified and repaired. We believe these issues have now been resolved and will carry out a final inspection before completing reinstatement works so Mr Buehler can return home. “In relation to insurance costs, there has been a significant increase in leasehold buildings insurance premiums nationally. The increases reflect wider market conditions and were communicated to leaseholders at the time. ‘The buildings insurance policy covers the standard range of insured risks; asbestos is not typically an insured peril unless removal is required as part of remedying an insured event. We would also encourage Mr Buehler to contact our team to discuss his Council Tax options.”

The Southwark News is proud to be the only independent, paid for newspaper in London

Southwark News started life as the Bermondsey News in 1987, as an A-4 photocopied sheet of paper and rapidly grew to cover the entire borough and the surrounding area. As the borough grew, so did the newspaper. It is owned and run by Chris Mullany and Kevin Quinn. Former reporters for Southwark News, they bought the title in 2002, after the founder Dave Clark died suddenly from cancer four years earlier. A dedicated team of staff work tirelessly to cover as much of what is going on as possible and strive to ensure that a community-led, independent newspaper can survive and excel in a market dominated by national and multinational media groups.

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NEWS 3

ALL WOMEN IN SOUTHWARK CAN ATTEND SELF-DEFENCE CLASSES FOR FREE By Evie Flynn

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL is paying for all women living in the borough to get two hours of self-defence training for free.

The sessions are led by Women’s Self Defence UK founder, Joanna, where she will teach you how to act quickly and confidently in threatening situations. All women aged 18 and over can attend regardless of income, with most sessions taking place at Mountview in Peckham. Joanna brings 25 years of experience training as a martial artist and says her background in security exposed her to the unexpected dangers women can face. She said: “Women still do not feel safe in the streets and that’s why they come to these sessions. We chat a lot about boundary assertion, which is a topic specifically designed for women when we enter a state of freeze. “We teach strategies of how to behave, what to say and how to use your body language and voice to deter unwanted behaviour.”

Joanna also instructs participants on a range of deescalation and blocking techniques, in pairs or small groups during her workshop. “I think to tackle violence against women and girls we need a systemic change, but while this change is still ongoing I think the immediate response is for women to come together, train, practice and learn,” she added. Paid for by Southwark Council the defence classes are being highlight in their ‘Your’e Invested’ campaign, showing local residents what their council tax is being used for in the borough. Joanna said: “I think it’s fantastic that these sessions are offered for people who perhaps cannot afford to engage in paid sessions. Everyone should have access to these classes or at least one workshop.” Women have to be 18+ and living in Southwark to attend. Visit this website to see when new sessions are added: www. eventbrite.co.uk/cc/freewomens-self-defence-sessionsin-southwark-4451533

East Dulwich councillor and his wife celebrate sixty years of marriage Charlie and Sue on their 60th anniversary

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Charlie and Sue in the 1960s

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By Evie Flynn CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS Charlie Smith and his wife Sue celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary last week and say the secret to a long and happy marriage is remaining ‘great friends’.

Charlie, 77, who has been a Labour councillor for 16 years in East Dulwich, met Sue at a youth club when the pair were just 14. They married three years later, on 11 March 1966 at Caxton Hall registry office in Victoria, aged 17. They moved to East Dulwich thirty years ago and are now proud parents of three daughters and five grandchildren. Last Saturday, the couple had a small celebration with their family in a local restaurant to mark the milestone anniversary. When asked the secret to a long marriage, Charlie said: “Our personalities go well together – she’s calm, considerate, and very wise. She’s put me in my place more than once.” Sue said: “I didn’t marry him for his looks, but because he was a nice bloke. I think our

marriage has endured because we rarely argued about money, not that we are well off. But we remain great friends.” Reflecting on their family, he said: “Our daughters all went to university and were the first in our family to do so. Each generation tries to improve itself and I think we succeeded with that.” Charlie has long been passionate about local politics, serving as a councillor since 2002 and as Mayor of Southwark for the 2017 – 2018. This May, Charlie will be hoping to retain his seat as a Labour councillor for the Goose Green ward. He also ran twice as a Labour candidate for Parliament, in Westminster and Chichester, although he was unsuccessful on both occasions. He said: “It’s a privilege to serve the lovely people of Goose Green. It’s very villagelike and has residents from different backgrounds and classes. Everyone rubs together very well and helps each other.” Charlie looks forward to the pair’s 70th Wedding Anniversary and hopes to have a holiday with Sue this year.

Arts

Page 19

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4 NEWS EXCLUSIVE An artist’s impression early of the future Peckham Rye Station Square

By Issy Clarke INSTALLING LIFTS at Peckham Rye Station will cost at least £20 million, according to Network Rail.

The startling figure was revealed during a public meeting in Peckham on Monday (16 March) organised by the Rye Lane councillors, to update residents on the station’s accessibility upgrade and the redevelopment of the square out front. Andrew Wood, Senior Sponsor at Network Rail, said the high cost of installing lifts was because “you need to buy land to put the lift on, you also need to put the lift inside because it’s a listed station. It needs to be completely reorganised - what’s actually in the station now - to provide those compliant walking routes.” Peckham Rye Station had been due to be fitted with lifts to all four platforms for the first time after planning permission for an accessibility upgrade was granted in August 2023. However, last summer Network Rail shelved the scheme, stating that they needed to “prioritise funding on the schemes that will make the greatest difference for passengers and economic growth as soon as possible.” After the News highlighted concerns raised by local residents that the elderly and disabled were effectively barred from using the station, Network Rail partially u-turned, announcing £4 million to address overcrowding concerns - with £1 million contributed by Southwark Council. Andrew Wood said he originally “asked for nine million but I got £3.9 (million). But it’s the government’s decision to decide where it wants to invest.” The money will be spent on building two more entrance doors leading into the station, additional ticket gates, widening platforms 3 and 4 and restoring the Booking Hall to its original Victorian splendour. Work will start in June and should be finished by next summer. Crucially, however, the funding will not stretch far enough to fit lifts - which is the main upgrade residents have been asking for. Local Peckham grandmother Susan said at the meeting she regularly has to lug her granddaughter’s buggy up and down the stairs when using the station. “Every time I do it I have to go into the station and say: ‘Will someone help me?’ Sometimes I have to say it three times. And every single time I have conversations with the people who do help me about how can we believe this is 2026 and we’re a busy city, a rich city, and there are no lifts.” Another resident at the meeting, Sarah, described the lack of lifts in the station as an “accident waiting to happen”. “I have seen so many people going up and down the stairs on crutches. There are people with huge suitcases, there are people rushing past, it’s just plain unsafe.” But there is still not a concrete date for when the lifts could be fitted; although Peckham MP Miatta Fahnbulleh suggested that the scheme stood a good chance of being selected in the government’s spending review next year (2027). “I am hopeful that in the next round we will be looked on pretty favourably. I think the fact that the Department for Transport has put in the initial investment of £4 million plus the support from the council is an indication that this is a priority.” She added: “We are expecting the next spending round in 2027 and we will be making the case in advance of that to unlock the funding.” However Rouge Hawk, Green Party councillor candidate for Rye Lane, criticised her Labour adversaries over the delays to the scheme, despite the party holding

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THE LIFTS AT PECKHAM RYE STATION WILL COST ‘AT LEAST £20 MILLION’ TO INSTALL Attendees at the meeting heard from local councillors, the MP, council officers and Network Rail

The meeting was organised by local Labour Rye Lane councillors Jasmine Ali (L) and David Parton (R)

every lever of power in London. “In 2019 the previous government allocated £250 million to Network Rail for an Access for All scheme but underspent by £65 million, so there should be money left over to give the busiest station in the country accessibility. “Furthermore, Labour controls Westminster, the Mayoralty and Southwark Council and yet they have a petition against themselves to get something done. You have the money, you have the planning permission, you have the political power. It seems to me like if you wanted to do something, you would have by now.” In 2024 Network Rail apologised after the Disability News Service obtained an FOI revealing it had underspent on stepfree upgrades between 2019 and 2024 by £65 million. Fahnbulleh responded: “I promise you that there was no underspend across

government. “Certainly, if there had been an underspend by the Department for Transport, it would have been pushed out the door. What we found was the last government, particularly towards the end, made a lot of commitments and did not put a single penny behind it. “There are two things: the £250 million candidly is not enough to meet accessibility demands across the country. And two, if there were underspends, which there weren’t, they were hoovered up because there were more commitments made than actually the money that was available could do.” Subsequently asked by the News to clarify whether this amounted to a denial of the £65 million underspend, the MP suggested that the leftover money could have already been spent by the Labour government on other projects, telling us: “Any underspend

from 2024 has been reallocated and is being used to progress projects in the current AfA pipeline. “£280 million has been put towards Access for All Funding, which is being put towards allowing passengers to travel more independently, confidently and safely. “Although I am disappointed that Peckham Rye Station is not currently in the AfA pipeline, I have been reassured that the project has not been ruled out and is under consideration for future funding rounds. I will continue to make the case for accessibility across our stations.”

SO WHAT IS HAPPENING TO PECKHAM STATION SQUARE?

It was confirmed during the meeting that work on the second phase of the Station Square is finally underway, ten years after planning permission was granted by the Mayor of London.

It was also revealed that an Asda supermarket will be opening on the ground floor of the building at the corner of Blenheim Grove, which was refurbished as part of Phase one in 2024. The long-delayed project to demolish the 1930s arcade to make way for a paved public square in front of the station has been repeatedly pushed back over the years. It was meant to come down in spring 2021, then it was announced that work would start in summer 2025. Neil Kirby, Head of Sustainable Growth at Southwark Council, confirmed at the meeting that at long last the hoarding had been put up and “everything is now ready to go, everything is happening”. Contractors will be on site for roughly a year in total, with work expected to be finished by next June. We previously reported that leakage and delays relocating businesses had contributed to delays in demolishing the arcade. Kirby said that the council had to delay the start of works again last summer because they needed to carry out more surveys, to see how the buildings would fall when they were demolished.

NEWS 5

By Issy Clarke

SOUTHWARK HAS been given nearly £5 million from Transport for London to fund measures to make the roads safer like new bus stops, cycle lanes and crossings.

The borough has been awarded £4.354 million to spend on measures which make streets safer and encourage people to use more environmentally friendly and active modes of transport. This could include rolling out more School Streets - where traffic is restricted during drop-off and pick-up times - and more parking spaces for scooters and bikes. The money could also be used to fund pedestrian crossings, bus lanes and cycle routes. It will support efforts to lower road speeds, reduce road danger and improve bus performance. The money is part of £94.8 million being invested by TfL in total across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London to spend on making travel safer. It comes alongside a new report from TfL detailing its progress over the last three years installing 147km of new protected cycle routes and 400 pedestrian crossings all over London. The number of fatal collisions in

Street scheme in Kennington, Oval

London in 2024 was 19 per cent below the 2010-2014 baseline, with cycling levels up 12.7 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, with TfL adding that the figures showed travel in London is becoming safer.

The Mayor has an objective of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network by 2041 and granted boroughs £218.93m between 2022 and 2025 to support this goal.

This investment underpins the Mayor’s ambition for 80 per cent of all trips in London to be made by walking, cycling or public transport by 2041. London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman said: “I am

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thrilled that another round of funding has been awarded to boroughs as part of our three-year programme to make London’s streets greener and safer. We have already seen the transformative impact of new cycleways, expanded School Streets, and lower speed limits helping to reduce road danger across the city. “This next round of funding will enable boroughs to build on that progress, while supporting the Mayor’s Vision Zero strategy to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network by 2041. Investment in transport infrastructure and safer streets is vital to boosting walking and cycling making London greener, safer, and fairer for everyone.” David Rowe, Director of investment and Delivery Planning at TfL, said: ”This funding strengthens our partnership with boroughs as we work to create a transport network that supports London’s growth and improves quality of life. By investing in safer streets, reliable public transport and high quality active travel routes, we’re helping ensure every community can benefit from cleaner air, better connections and more sustainable ways to move around our city.”