Comments on: A Camberwell Christmas

By: regeneguru

regeneguru — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:24:13 +0000

JohnnyM and sg — it has never been so easy to make your views known to local representatives. Simply send them an e-mail with your name and address, preferably from an address attached to your home address, such as a bt.com or other internet access address.

The ultimate decision makers are:

[url=http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCouncil/CouncillorsHome/MeetExecutive.html]Meet the Executive[/url]

Ask for the name you need via Southwark switchboard (020 7525 5000) or write to them at firstname.secondname@southwark.gov.uk. En masse you can very easily bring pressure to bear.

Your local Labour councillors will maintain that there is nothing they can do on most issues (however, check out their planning and licensing responsibilities, at the core of regeneration). In many cases, you do just need to go straight to the top.

To be effective, the Forum does need to improve the way it channels residents’ views to local government and makes them public, which may happen through continuing development of the site. Every assistance is welcome, and I recommend that true Camberwellians able to give of their time attend future meetings, including committee meetings, to discuss how they could help.

Meanwhile, keep lobbying individually as well and remember that the Forum lives or dies by the extent to which SE5 denizens engage with it.

By: sg

sg — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:37:52 +0000

JohnnyM — tell me where to submit my views and I will do. I thought posting them here was sufficient??

And not wanting to stir up things but I get the feelng that the Forum doesn’t achieve very much ?? It seems to me like a bit of a toothless tiger, but hopefully I’m wrong and am being unfair.

I get the feeling this blog is more influential than the Forum.

By: JohnnyM

JohnnyM — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 02:04:40 +0000

I read on the Forum the PO is about to undergo major renovation. It’s nice to debate it here though. How many of you so keen to argue it’s fate have submitted your views where it matters?

Didn’t think so.

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:53:53 +0000

To state the bleeding obvious:

Between us we have all the answers.

Why don’t we put them into action?

By: sg

sg — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 10:03:16 +0000

Two suggestions for Camberwell post office:

1 — in the same way that supermarkets have a queue for handbaskets only, the PO should have a queue for postal services only — ie. buying stamps, sending parcels.

It is very frustrating to stand in a line for 20 minutes behind people cashing giros, paying car tax, getting passports, paying gas bills — simply to buy an overseas stamp.

2 — Paint the place and try to create a nicer atmosphere in it — maybe play some background music or something

By: eusebiovic

eusebiovic — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:53:46 +0000

Ok,Ok I say keep the Post Office — I was in a bad mood the other day because before christmas I had to queue up like a lemon for at least half an hour just to get some international stamps (the automated machines only offer 1st or 2nd class)…

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:18:53 +0000

I did intend a stronger implication that no viable alternative has yet been suggested. My suggestion, born from this discussion, would be for a POST OFFICE with print-on-demand terminals á la supermarket self-checkout counters, with a weigh-it-yourself function from the same model (parcel ‘stamps’ are already machine printed), and some terminals dedicated to new services such as digital photo print-outs á la Jessops, Snappy Snaps et al. A simple touch screen interface such as these supermarkets and photo shops use wouldn’t be difficult to provide and would be free and easy to use. There would still be some counters for those prefering to speak to someone. All this coupled with a mini stationary or digital services shop, the new smarter cleaner PO would have shorter queues and still provide services for all. This is not far from what other people have been suggesting, my emphasis is that rather than starting by transforming a newsagents and dropping PO functionality if it doesn’t fit, we should start by transforming the POST OFFICE and drop the newsagent functionality if it doesn’t fit.

By: Regeneguru

Regeneguru — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:07:49 +0000

The forms for me are a side issue. However, if and when a workable internet alternative presents itself, I won't object. Pending that, let's keep frontline services intact. I gave plenty of positive reasons for advocating Post Offices above.

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:14:16 +0000

Fair enough. I’d happily embrace a viable alternative.

By: Alan Dale

Alan Dale — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:09:00 +0000

Online fraud is always a risk which is why many card providers now include free insurance cover. It still seems that you are not advocating post offices so much as highlighting the shortfalls of the current alternatives.

All of the shortfalls highlighted are valid problems but adressing them is the issue rather than resigning ourselves to their failure and sticking with old fashioned post offices.