Some of my achievements in and around Merton and Wimbledon.
Making a difference in Merton
Winning Here
Stephen was first elected a councillor for Ravensbury ward in 2003 at a by-election. It was a close fight against the Tories and the Liberal Democrats. Since then, Stephen has increased his majority over both of them twenty-fold! It’s because, as he says “I know how to beat them!” Here are some of his leaflets from his by-election.
Stephen is a fighter for our local NHS
Stephen has been involved in the successful campaign to save St Helier Hospital. He is now working to expose ambulance waiting times. Stephen is appalled that category two calls in England, which include suspected heart attacks and strokes, rose in September 2022 to 48 minutes. In London and that includes in Wimbledon, the average waiting time for category two calls is 42 minutes, still well over the target of 18 minutes. Stephen will fight for our corner of South West London to get the NHS resources, focus and funding we need. Whether it is retaining all services at St Helier Hospital, our local ambulance service or our GP surgeries, I will do all I can to make for a better NHS.
Defending Small Business
When at the FSB, Stephen took on the big corporates without any fear. One of those was WorldCom.
WorldCom was involved in a major accounting scandal that came to light in the summer of 2002. WorldCom was one of the USA's second-largest long-distance telephone company at the time. Senior executives orchestrated a scheme to inflate earnings in order to maintain WorldCom's stock price. Part of that scheme involved holding back on paying its bills to its smaller suppliers. The FSB had initiated a league table of late payers and WorldCom featured as the company taking longest to pay its suppliers in those FSB league tables.
Stephen went public on the BBC naming WorldCom as the biggest late payer and this was reported in the Times newspaper. WorldCom was forced to admit that it had overstated its assets by over $11 billion. At the time, it was the largest accounting fraud in American history.
Stephen in Brussels
Stephen was on the EU Committee of the Regions as part of the UK Delegation in Brussels representing Merton and was with the Party of European Socialists (PES) until the Tories pulled the UK out of the EU. Stephen was able to make a number of crucial interventions in arguing the case for local government to the EU Commission.
Helping Ukrainians in Wimbledon
Stephen has been helping Ukrainians in Wimbledon. Here he is with Volodymyr and Olha outside their hosted flat in Wimbledon. Volodymyr is in IT and so is able to continue working for his employer from the UK. Olha was head of a chemical laboratory in Ukraine. Stephen is here talking about Merton’s council services and presenting the couple with a literature pack translated by the council into the Ukrainian language.
A New Concert Hall and Music Hub
I have always supported the creation of a new concert hall and music hub to be designed by the famous architect, Frank Gehry in Wimbledon. I recognise the tremendous social economic and environmental benefits to the Borough that would flow from this project. Such a building will enrich music and the arts across the Borough through education and outreach. Once funds become available to realise the project, I will urge the council to support its development.
Workers Rights
As the Cabinet member for Transport in Merton I have made sure we put the workforce in my department on a permanent and away from a temporary agency footing. Staff have been assimilated into permanent positions in teams and new permanent staff have been recruited externally to join the teams. Other staff who had been acting in temporary roles have been successfully appointed on a permanent basis meaning promotion and development opportunities. Recruitment is also under way to permanently fill the vacancies freed up by ending these temporary arrangements and we have created a new apprentice post. This has successfully shifted the balance of the workforce onto a more stable and permanent basis. I want staff to feel valued, enhancing their commitment to working for the Council and helping residents in the borough.
Supporting Investment
As council leader Stephen encouraged and supported the recent investment that has led to a major improvement in the Polka Theatre. A major Greek philanthropic organisation was one of the sponsors following an initial approach by Stephen.
Special Schools
Stephen made sure the Whatley Centre in Cannon Hill Ward remained for educational use after Merton’s adult education service left there to be run at Merton College. It then became the temporary premises for a new secondary school now happily permanently based in South Wimbledon . Today the Whatley Centre is a special school called Melbury College that opened in September 2022. The campus is for children on the autistic spectrum and with speech, language and communication difficulties.
Celebrating Diversity in Wimbledon
Stephen recently made sure that Merton Council installed a Rainbow Crossing in the Broadway to celebrate the LGBT+ community and its diversity. Stephen said “I am really proud to have created a Rainbow Crossing in Wimbledon to show a blaze of colourful support for members of the LGBT+ community. The development is part of our ongoing commitment to celebrate the huge contribution the LGBT+ community brings to Wimbledon and help raise awareness of the challenges LGBT+ people continue to face. Wimbledon is one of the most welcoming and safest areas in London and this high profile colourful artwork is a great reminder to us all, that as a community we value diversity.
I want to get things done – make our community a better place; help people get the hand-up they may need; promote enterprise and growth; and help to create a brighter future.
See who’s Supporting Stephen
Contact Stephen
Contact Stephen with questions, concerns or ideas about our local community. Join our mailing list and keep up-to-date with issues that affect us all and help us build a better Wimbledon together.