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We remember Blair's promise: 'no hope' estate's verdict on Labour
Terry Kirby30 Sep 2009
Even in the autumn sunshine, the Aylesbury estate near Elephant and Castle can be a grim place, with rubbish and broken glass strewn across some graffiti-covered landings.
This estate has been grappling with anti-social behaviour since long before Tony Blair visited in 1997 and promised to end such "no hope" areas blighting the inner cities.
So, 12 years on, have his promises been translated into action?
Resident Nermin Topal, 65, said: "It's about 50-50. It is not as bad as it was, but it's not as good as it could be. There are still gangs of kids, running around screaming and throwing things, trying to break into cars and so on. It's mostly after school and it quietens down a bit later.''
Mrs Topal said she was too scared to leave her home after 8pm, even to visit her daughter two doors down -"I just lock my door and stay indoors," she added. But she and husband Fikret, also 65, have no intention of moving - they know the area and like the proximity to shops and the doctor. Two more long-term residents walking their pit-bull terriers, John Snelgrove, 51, and John Blackman, 66, both think crime in general is down, but see drugs as a problem.
Student Manana Boudzqli, 21, is unhappy about "young people drinking on street corners", while another woman, who refused to give her name, said she and a friend had been mugged' at the weekend: "We didn't report it to the police - what's the point around here?"
Since 1997, the Government-funded agency Aylesbury New Deal for Communities Programme has channelled about £56million into sporting, educational and cultural schemes, mainly for young people. The agency and Southwark council say the number of pupils getting A to C grades at GCSE level at local schools has risen from 17 per cent in 1999 to 63 per cent last year.
Unlike some other areas, they do not brandish Asbos around - preferring to use "behavioural contracts" and fixed penalties. It may work: the estate has 45 per cent lower recorded crime levels than Southwark as a whole, while the rate of burglaries and sexual offences are half that of the rest of the borough.
Plans to rebuild the estate at a cost of about £2billion are due to take effect next year, and the Aylesbury as it is now will disappear. Whether its social problems follow is another story.
Reader views (15)
All I have to do is look around me at the vibrant, exciting, complicated multicultural city around me to see what a great thing immigration can be. I can give you many many constructive 21st century arguments but if you are stuck in the middle ages what good will it do?
- Nolan, Londonist, 01/10/2009 16:28
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Nolan,
The only agenda I have is that for centuries my family has fought the keep this country from being invaded and/or ruled from Central Europe and in the last three decades their sacrifice has been thrown down the Swanee. Colour doesn't come into it.
Your talk of ethnic cleansing and Lebensraum is just a puerile attempt to link anybody who talks of immigration to the Nazis, because you have not one single constructive argument as to why we should continue to let anyone and everyone into this country.
- Mark, South-East London, 01/10/2009 13:27
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Mark - everyone has an agenda and everything has a context. I did not bring race into the discussion on immigration, race is already right in the middle of that discussion. It's not possible to use terms like "housekeeping" and talking about our "small country" being "full up" while ignoring the context of ethnic cleansing and Lebensraum that have been the consequences of this kind of talk in the past. Just like Southerners who think it's only Northerners that have an accent, it seems that people who oppose immigration think it's everyone else who has an agenda.
- Nolan, Londonist, 01/10/2009 12:01
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Steve says "Fill up an estate with filth and that's what you get." Apparently you get a cut in crime and massive capital investment. On the basis of that perhaps we ought to be filling all estates with "filth"?
- Nolan, Londonist, 01/10/2009 11:45
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Fill up an estate with filth and that's what you get.Even the 'locals' struggle with English.
- Steve, London, 01/10/2009 10:58
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Nolan,
That's not your point you brought colour (again) into a discussion about immigration; you have your own agenda. I accept that there are both white and non-white immigrants however that doesn't diminish anybody's point regarding the level of immigration.
The Aylesbury estate isn't known locally as Little Lagos for nothing and the the Old Kent Road is now referred to as the Old Africa Road.
Most immigrants (legal or illegal) who come to England come to London and the South East and the locals think it's time to halt and start reversing the trend. Nothing racist about that, just plane and simple housekeeping.
On another topic regarding the Jungle in France you suggested we should let everybody in and another poster made the point we are a small country and at what stage should we stop letting people in. It was no surprise that you didn't bother to reply!
- Mark, South-East London, 01/10/2009 10:55
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That's my point: check the facts not your intuition, feelings or hearsay. The fact is that 70% of London's population is white.
In relation to the article, it certainly appears that if the Aylesbury has 45 per cent lower recorded crime levels than Southwark as a whole and half the number of burglaries and sexual offences than the rest of the borough then something must be working. That there's a £2billion rebuild on its way also bodes well for the future, doesn't it?
- Nolan, Londonist, 01/10/2009 09:57
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Welcome to Britain today. You have only got to go to any South London housing estate to see the problems Labours open door policy to all races has caused how many years before an uprising?
- Mike, London England and once GREAT Britain, 01/10/2009 09:48
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Nolan,
Now there's a surprise you've brought colour into another discussion about immigration!
Southwark has the largest population of African immgrants in London and the "white" population, which includes all the immigrant Europeans makes up 60% of the population, the rest being regarded as "non-white". Whether the later figure includes the Central and South American contingent I am not to sure.
I live in Southwark and I would be very, very surprised if 40-50% of the people in residing in the borough were not born overseas.
- Mark, South-East London, 01/10/2009 08:54
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Nolan, have you been to Southall recently? Is that
70% white? Overall London may well be that percentage,
but there are areas that are predominately black or
asian - fact!
- Lb, Bromley, 30/09/2009 23:09
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Forget the hot air and BS that comes from the conferences! Why doesn't the Standard run a series of articles on past manifesto promises and then compare with actual delivery. This should apply to all parties!
Who honestly in this day and age believes a politician?
- Gareth, Hampshire, 30/09/2009 21:02
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London is 70% white, that's a fact. Check your figures.
- Nolan, Londonist, 30/09/2009 15:36
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Is that Labour stuck record still going round in circles?
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 30/09/2009 14:55
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Well said Mark from South-East London. And before the Labour Luvvies (like Keith Price from Luton) start screaming "racist", since when has it been racist to want an open and free debate about such an important issue as immigration. Let me say I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM with immigrants coming to the UK. Many make an important & significant contribution to our country & I welcome them with open arms. All right-minded UK citizens ask for is CONTROLLED immigration. Where individuals who want to come to the UK and make a positive contribution to UK society are able to do so, whilst those who simply want to come and free-load on the benefits system are prevented from simply walking across our borders unchallenged. Why can't we express our views, and engage in open debate without being tarnished as "racist". If you prevent such debate then organisation like the BNP begin to attract people who see no other way of expressing their frustrations.
- Malcolm, London, 30/09/2009 13:50
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The Aylesbury Estate, aka Little Lagos, and the surrounding area sums up what Labour's legacy to London has been; Immigration, Immigration, Immigration!
Pre Labour 1 in 15 people in London were non-UK born and now it is, at least, 1 in 3!
- Mark, South-East London, 30/09/2009 11:14
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