Streatham News
Tulse Hill Forum criticised for ignoring residents
9:01am Tuesday 7th February 2012
A forum set up to co-ordinate community activities has been criticised for cutting off hundreds of residents who never knew it existed.
The Tulse Hill Forum aims to help residents develop their own neighbourhoods as part of Lambeth’s “co-operative” council ethos.
It was set up in 2011 using £6,300 of council funding as part of the Lambeth Forum Network (LFN).
But Councillor Kita Ogden, who represents Streatham Hill ward, believed the group had not been publicised to those living around the traditional ward boundaries of Tulse Hill.
In a report to the council’s overview and scrutiny committee, she said many of her constituents were surprised to learn of the forum’s existence, as it “did not cover the whole of Tulse Hill”.
She said: “Residents in a substantial part of Streatham Hill ward would consider themselves to be living in Tulse Hill but neither they nor Streatham Hill ward councillors have been notified or contacted in any way about this new forum.
“In fact I live in the Tulse Hill part of Streatham Hill ward but I have not received any information about this body.
“At the last full council meeting I referred to the importance of ensuring that forums, funded by the council, reflect local communities and not just local government boundaries.”
A Lambeth Council spokesman said there was “no fixed catchment” for the group and said any forum activities “should not be limited to Tulse Hill ward alone”.
He said it was difficult to ensure the boundaries of the borough’s forums satisfied all residents. He said: “There is a commitment to invite councillors from adjoining wards to ensure the appropriate connections are made.
“There are no forums that restrict attendance of anybody who feels they have a right to be there.”