It is with great sadness and disappointment that I note the Labour Councillors and MP for Eltham have failed to organise the installation of a defibrillator on Westmount Road despite my organising funding prior to the last Council elections (May 2022).
From the summer of 2021, I campaigned hard to allow the adoption of the telephone kiosk on Westmount Road (outside the Long Pond pub) to have a defibrillator installed in it. My work resulted in the adoption of the telephone kiosk for use by the local community and as a potential site for a defibrillator which could be used by anyone on Westmount Parade.
I was very grateful to my colleague ex-Councillor Spencer Drury who helped to draft and organise the bid for £1,800 to allow the defibrillator to be installed in the telephone kiosk. Similarly ex-Conservative Councillors for Eltham South, Matt Clare, Nigel Fletcher and Pat Greenwell kindly allowed their ward fund to be used for this cause.
However, it appears that since the notification we received about organising funding for the defibrillator was received just before the Council elections in May 2022, nothing has happened and worst of all the telephone kiosk has simply been abandoned to store rubbish in.
In my opinion, it is a sad ,very public, reminder of the lack of action of local Labour representatives. Almost £2000 was allocated for this community resource and the lack of action by local Labour Councillors or the MP (who lives nearby) has led to this space being used as a rubbish store.
I know all the Conservative Councillors who signed up to this scheme will be disappointed by the fact it never became reality but this unfortunately reflects the reality of Labour representation in Eltham.