Residents felt short-changed that hopes of open meeting about crime were dashed

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Southwark residents have branded an engagement event attended by their local MP ‘a flop’ after they were reportedly left waiting up to an hour to see him.

Some walked out of Labour MP Neil Coyle’s advice session in Rotherhithe on January 30 due to long delays, according to several people who attended.

However the MP defended the event, saying it was ‘clearly advertised’ and slammed what he called ‘shouty men’ attempting to ‘change the format to suit their agenda’.

The meeting, held at the Dockland Settlements Community Centre, was advertised as a joint surgery with police in letters sent out to residents by Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Mr Coyle.

Residents with concerns about crime were encouraged to attend the event.

Several residents said they expected a public meeting with Mr Coyle and police about crime and antisocial behaviour, and were left disappointed when they were instead offered one-to-one meetings with officers and their local MP.

Rotherhithe resident Mairéad Temple, who saw the event advertised on Facebook, branded the meeting ‘a waste of time’. She said: “It didn’t say anywhere about one-to-ones. I just wanted to hear about phone theft and how things were progressing with crime.

“It was a complete waste of my time. I was probably there for a good hour. I came away feeling I have spent £5.70 to park and I have come away with no information about crime in SE16.”

Steve Cornish, a Rotherhithe resident and activist, said when he arrived there were about 35 ‘angry’ people in the foyer who had been given pieces of paper where they were expected to explain why they had come to see Mr Coyle.

He said: “It was an absolute disaster from start to finish, a flop on a massive scale. What people want is a public meeting about crime in the area, they want statistics in front of them and they want to tell them their personal accounts.

Mr Coyle said the event was ‘clearly advertised’ as an advice session involving meetings with the police and himself and said everyone who attended was ‘seen within the advertised time frame’.

In an email, he added: “It was not organised by me, but a police advice session that I joined. They chose the time and location and I wrote to nearby streets to ensure more people came.

“There were two shouty/grumpy men who tried to change the format to suit their agenda but neither the police nor my team were willing to put up with their nonsense.”

The Met Police said: “We held an informal drop-in session for the local community to discuss their concerns relating to crime in the area. Officers gave advice to residents on issues including antisocial behaviour.”

Pictured top: Neil Coyle, Labour MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Picture: UK Parliament)