The next Perry Vale Assembly is at Forest Hill Boys School, Wednesday Oct 12th at 7.00. The amazing space within the building is going to be used by the very successful Lewisham Thunder Basketball club, - and winners at the London Youth Games - who the Assembly helped fund, to give a short exhibition. There'll also be some live music from a FH School band - who unfortunately did not get funded this year, but I hope will succeed in 2012.

With no bidding for funding this time, there will be a fuller opportunity for Councillors and officers to say what they are doing in Perry Vale ward, as well as for ordinary citizens to give their 'community updates', an update from the local Safer Neighbourhoods team, and more. The Assembly is now chaired by Councillor Alan Till, taking over from John Paschoud.

One thing I'm particularly interested in is a tour of the space available for community hire, the management of which has just been handed over to a new private company. I'm not keen on the way projects such as the new FH Boys School were funded via PFIs, but hopefully normal commercial interests will be able to demonstrate how they can add value for the community