This week 10, 20, 30 years ago

10 Years Ago

A terminally-ill father was threatened with eviction because a town hall sent a rent payment to the wrong address.

Southwark council apologised to John Charen, 48, from Canada Water, who says the stress from the ‘nightmare ordeal’ caused him to lose a stone in weight.

His landlord, Affinity Sutton, had made a county court application to evict him, based on the rent arrears, which the council had sent to a previous landlord by mistake.

Mr Charen suffered from the debilitating motor neurone disease and the council pays his rent. He said he would seek compensation from both the council and his housing association.

He told the South London Press: “I’ve been through 13 months of stress trying to sort this out and then, as soon as you guys get involved, it has been solved overnight.”

Climate activists who ambushed a German orchestra’s cabaret night at the Southbank Centre have vowed to continue their protests throughout the venue’s classical music season.

The peaceful protest saw a “flash mob choir” take the stage during an interval of a performance by the Berliner Philharmoniker, to sing songs criticising Southbank’s sponsorship deal with oil company Shell.

A woman who had dedicated more than 40 years to looking after children won the £500 Our Heroes award just before she and her colleagues lost their jobs.

Rose Chandler, 70, had been involved with many playgroups, including several one o’clock centres, in Wandsworth since 1969.

Recently, the 12 members of staff were told all six centres would close in August.

Rose said: “I’m so excited to win this – I’d forgotten all about it.

I’m going to see my son in Australia in three weeks’ time so it will be lovely to have some extra spending money.”

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20 Years Ago

The scourge of crack cocaine in South London was dealt a hammer blow by the Home Secretary after he visited an estate.

Just hours before releasing a white paper on plans to tackle antisocial behaviour, David Blunkett paid a visit to the Cottington Close Estate in Kennington to see the devastation that could be left in the wake of the dealers.

The new law would allow councils to close down crack houses wherever they sprung up without the need to apply for court orders.

A restaurant in Clapham saw off competition from a string of chefs – including Jamie Oliver – to win New Restaurant of the Year award.

Chefs Adam Byatt and Adam Oates, Clapham Thyme took the title away from industry heavyweights like Oliver and Giorgio Locatelli to take the Restaurant Awards title less than a year after they opened their doors.

The two Adams had a wealth of experience in some of London’s top restaurants and hotels before deciding to go into business together.

Drinkers at a boozer toasted two regulars, who between them had spent more than 100 years at the bar.

Lee Brewis, manager of Alleyns Head in West Dulwich planned to hand over the special tankards to Terry Walsh and Arthur Heath when they opened the pub’s first beer festival.

But Arthur fell ill, so Dulwich College deputy headteacher Terry, 73, did the honours alone.

Lee said he and his staff wanted to show their appreciation to the pair.

Terry was the president of the Alleys Club based at Dulwich College and had been drinking at the pub since 1956.

He officially launched the pub’s Festival of Champions in 2003.

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30 Years Ago

Police, a council, community leaders and businesses linked up to smash muggers in South-east London.

As well as redesigning streets where muggers lurked, CCTV, improved lighting and patrols were planned in Southwark trouble spots.

The Southwark Fights Back campaign, which included a poster appeal for help in tracing muggers and telling thieves they could face lengthy jail terms if they were caught, was set up in response to spiralling levels of street crime in the borough.

A teenager was left traumatised after being kidnapped and driven around the streets in a van.

The terrified girl refused to deliver a package for the driver and his friends, one of whom was wearing a painted clown mask.

After an hour, they dumped the 18-year-old and she fled down Francis Chichester Way in Battersea at around 8.30am.

More than 200 children in care in private homes were at risk of losing the roof over their heads because Lambeth council was struggling to pay staff.

The Association of Private Children’s Homes claimed Lambeth council was, in some cases, six months behind with the fees.

In one case, a home claimed the council was £100,000 in arrears.

The association was prompted to call on Health Secretary, Virginia Bottomley to intervene, claiming the care of about 240 children in 25 private homes was “in jeopardy”.

They also said Lambeth council was meant to be paying 300 foster carers £120 a week to care for children but was weeks late with the payments meaning some foster parents were being forced to rethink whether they could afford to carry on.

The council said officials had changed the way they authorised payments and were working through the backlog.