London Assembly election in Lambeth & Southwark

Please help to shape our election coverage by answering these two quick questions.

Setting aside the issue of the Mayor, we're also supposed to be voting on May 1st for our London-wide Assembly Member candidates and our London Assembly Constituency Candidates (Lambeth and Southwark).

Who are these people? What do they stand for? What are they going to do for my/our borough. Just over a week to go and so far I've received precisely NO communication from any of them, not even a leaflet in my letter box. Last time, the only party/candidate which bothered to send me anything was the BNP.

Has anyone else received anything from anyone? Has anyone clapped eyes on a candidate? How can they seriously expect anyone to turn out and vote for them??

Thanks to everyone who answered the questions.

We will be running interviews with the main Assembly candidates on this site with the first hopefully published later today.

Interview with Caroline Pidgeon:
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3272

Val Shawcross and Shirley Houghton to follow.

Interview with Val Shawcross:
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3273

[Declaration of interest: As a long-standing LibDem, I am undoubtedly partisan in these matters]

James Hatts wrote:

Interview with Val Shawcross:
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3273

Does Val Shawcross really not recognise how poorly some parts of Ken's empire work? This suggests the sort of complacency in an incumbent that means it is time for a change.

In particular, I'm worried by Val's apparent inability to recognise that disagreements between the London Boroughs and the GLA and its subsidiaries are a natural and health part of the democratic life of the capital and not all down to political machination by her electoral opponents.

Doesn't she have an important role in making sure the borough's concerns are taken seriously in County Hall and brokering deals ???

e.g.1

Val Shawcross wrote:

"There isn't a problem about the [Elephant & Castle] road scheme. It's certainly clear that the Mayor wants to bring the tram to the project.
....

"The problem is that the project as a whole is just not taking off at the moment. The road scheme has been redesigned, but would you start implementing it until the core regeneration is under way? Otherwise you just rejig the roads and nothing happens."

I've been a persistent critic of the Southwark's regeneration team's lack of progress at the Elephant, but does Val really believe (i) that the lack of a decision on whether the tram will come through the site isn't a major factor in the lack of progress; and (ii) that getting rid of the underpasses is a quick win that could transform perceptions of the area and help get the wider development proposals back on track?

e.g.2 The

Val Shawcross wrote:

only barrier to taking Cross River Tram up to King's Cross through Holborn is actually Camden Council which is Liberal Democrat. I hope they'll sort it out.

Camden didn't raise concerns about the Cross River Tram because it was a Lib Dem led borough, it was because the utterly useless Transport for London failed to provide the borough with any analysis of the impact of diverted traffic on other streets.

Shirley Houghton
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/3276

Shirley Houghton wrote:

"Absolutely. You't hold down another full-time employment."

Does she really speak Zulu?

Oops. My fault entirely. Now fixed.

Online rumours point to a Labour hold for the constituency Assembly seat in L&S