Southwark Council

🎉 Last week Charter School East Dulwich officially opened their new building for the 2025-2026 academic year, following the renovation and repurposing of the old Dulwich Community Hospital site. Cllr Jasmine Ali was invited to give a speech at the opening event alongside Minister for School Standards Georgia Gould, MP Helen Hayes, Charter Trust CEO Cassie Buchanan and Headteacher Alison Harbottle. The journey to deliver this new premises has been long and has required collaboration across the Trust, the Department for Education, Southwark Council, the local community and many more. Southwark Council has contributed £6.55m towards the total development costs for inclusion of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) resource, located on a wing of the old Chateau building. The completed school will deliver 25 places for ASD resource in addition to 1,700 overall school places including 480 sixth form places. Councillor Jasmine Ali, Southwark Council Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees said: “We know that all the children, their parents and teachers at Charter East Dulwich have been eagerly awaiting this move for some time, and I’m so pleased to see the final result of this renovation. The specialised work required to transform this late 1900 chateau from hospital to school was by no means straight forward – but is as transformational as the learning that will go on in this school. This beautiful building will benefit our young people with autism, our young musicians and sixth formers."

Remember, remember the 5th of November… No fireworks, no masks, just an honest look at what it’s really like to work in Southwark Council's Assessment & Intake Team, part of our Older Persons and Physical Disabilities Service. We’re inviting qualified social work professionals to our Recruitment Open Day on Tuesday 5th of November, an informal chance to meet the team, chat with Resourcing Partner Jo Shorey, and see first-hand the difference we make every day. This isn’t about sugar-coating it, the work is busy, fast-paced, and full-on. But for the right person, it’s also hugely rewarding, hands-on, and a true chance to change lives in our community. -> Date: Tuesday 5th of November -> Attendance: By registration only (details shared upon confirmation) -> Next step: Formal interviews the following week If you’re ready to join a supportive, passionate, and purpose-driven team, apply now, and we’ll be in touch to reserve your spot: https://lnkd.in/eKYWpTvg #SouthwarkCouncil #SocialWork #JoinSouthwark #CareersWithImpact #SocialCare

Join us on Thursday 13th November, 12-2pm at Potters Fields Park (Tooley Street entrance) for an interactive theatrical walking tour celebrating #LivingWageWeek • Explore a future where fair pay is the norm 😊 • Enjoy a pop-up performance from local actors • Head to TBC London for refreshments and learn how your business can become a Living Wage Employer 👍 ⏰ Performance times (All PM): 12:00–12:20 | 12:30–12:50 | 1:00–1:20 | 1:30–1:50 🔗 Follow the link and sign-up now! https://orlo.uk/2SszI

Southwark Council has approved the planning application for Snowsfields Quarter, a cluster of new buildings in the SC1 life sciences district project near London Bridge 🏙 The council’s decision means £2.7 million in planning obligations will be paid by developers in the local area, creating jobs and giving foundations for new innovation 💷 Plans are projected to create 890 jobs and generate nine times more economic activity on the site 💼 The wider SC1 project will create long-lasting benefits including new community spaces, job opportunities, and science, health and wellbeing innovation 💡 The project will also contribute to the London Growth Plan which aims to boost productivity growth in the capital by 2 per cent per year, creating 150,000 new jobs by 2028 📈 Read more: https://orlo.uk/IHHL5

Happy Diwali from Southwark Council! Today we celebrate the Festival of Lights. This is a time for joy, hope, and togetherness. At Southwark, we’re proud of our diverse community and workforce, and we’re grateful for the light each person brings to our borough. Wishing all who celebrate a Diwali filled with love, laughter, and light. 

We are delighted that Appleby Blue Almshouse in Bermondsey has been awarded the 2025 RIBA #StirlingPrize, recognising Britain's best new building. Designed by Witherford Watson Mann architects, Appleby Blue is an almshouse run by United St Saviour's Charity, offering beautiful, spacious homes in a community setting to people over 65. Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes & Sustainable Development, said: “It is an immensely proud moment to have Appleby Blue’s outstanding design and offer for older Southwark residents, recognised in such a way by RIBA. This 21st Century Almshouse points to a new and generous way of delivering older people’s housing, tackling loneliness and enabling residents to lead active lives within a flourishing, generous and caring environment. “This was only achieved through the hard work of partners coming together, led by the incredible vision of United St Saviour’s Charity, and shows what can be achieved when we work together and think creatively about delivering social value from the planning process. Southwark Council is delighted to have played a key role in facilitating the delivery of Appleby Blue, offering up our land for the project and helping to negotiate the S106 deal which brought financing to the project from JTRE’s ‘Triptych’ development in Bankside. “The Stirling Prize is fantastic recognition for this amazing almshouse and comes in the week that the council has pledged to do even more to create an age-friendly borough for local people." Read more on the award win at: https://orlo.uk/hceFR

🏠 A Southwark couple have lost their council home after hiding ownership of a 5 bed Croydon property. Courts ordered them to hand it back + pay £16,500 in costs. Cllr Michael Situ: “Tenancy fraud takes homes from people in real need, we’ll always take action.” Read more here: https://orlo.uk/YosQB

A huge congratulations to our incredible winners of the People Powered Staff Awards 2025, held at the stunning Shakespeare’s Underglobe Auditorium. The night was a celebration of our people, those who go above and beyond every day to make Southwark a borough we can all be proud of. From frontline heroes to emerging leaders, our winners embody the passion, innovation, and community spirit that make Southwark Council truly exceptional. A big thank you to our event sponsors, Matrix, Infinity Networks, Unified Consultancy Limited Ltd, and 21st Century, for helping us make this celebration possible. At Southwark, we don’t just talk about making a difference, we live it. When our people thrive, so does our community. Ready to be part of something bigger? Join us and help shape the future of Southwark: https://lnkd.in/eGbDBKh9

Last week Cllr John Batteson, our Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs and Business, was invited to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the United Kingdom to speak about how Southwark supports diversity in business and tech, ahead of last week's Black Tech Fest. The panel discussion was followed by a AMSTERDAM, CITY OF delegation visit to meet and exchange ideas with some of our entrepreneurs and thriving businesses in Peckham. More on our business support programmes is available at: https://orlo.uk/8rfYq

Today our Leader, Cllr Sarah King spoke at Westminster to MPs about how critical council homes are to millions of people – but how the system is currently broken and urgent measures are needed. She talked about council homes in Southwark and also on behalf of the coalition of more than 100 councils who are part of the Securing the Future of Council Housing campaign. In a survey for the coalition, councils across the country said they faced the very difficult decision of having to sell council homes because of funding pressures. Here Cllr King is speaking to the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee at Portcullis House. You can read more about Securing the Future of Council Housing here: https://lnkd.in/eVstvE5H