Councillor John Paschoud

Forest Hill ward, London Borough of Lewisham

I was first elected to serve Forest Hill as a Labour councillor in May 1994, although professionally I have been involved with local government since 1984. I'm a governor of Perrymount Primary School and a member of the Co-operative Society, the GMB trade union, the British Computer Society, English Heritage, Lewisham Labour Club and the Labour Campaign for Open Local Government.

I have lived in South London for all of my adult life, and in Forest Hill for the past eleven years. I am married with four children aged 19, 14, 11 and 8 who all go to (or have been at) Lewisham schools.

I believe that as councillors, we can be the most effective representatives of local people if we are ordinary local people, with ordinary lives, occupations and problems to deal with, and so I haven't tried to turn being a councillor into a full-time job. I'm lucky enough to have a daytime job as well (at the London School of Economics as an Information Systems Engineer), so please be patient if you can't always contact me immediately on my home phone number (020 8291 5729); if you can, it's often quicker to email me. However, there are many aspects to the roles that local councillors fulfil, and I'm fully in favour of the way we are modernising Lewisham, to create some full-time councillors, as long as we ensure that Lewisham Council stays 'open' and democratically accountable.

As well as issues concerning constituents in Forest Hill, my areas of particular interest as a Lewisham Councillor have been:

the environment, planning and regeneration of Lewisham, to make it one of the best places in London to live, work and learn;
effective use of information (and information technology) by the Council, so that it can provide better services more effectively;
improving our local democracy, by creating new ways of involving people in making decisions, such as Community Forum meetings, and using new technologies to consult people.

In 1995, as then Chair of the Councils' Telematics Working Party, I was largely responsible for founding the Lewisham People's Web site at www.lewisham.gov.uk.
That was back in (what now seems like) the 'pre-history' of the Internet as a mass-medium, but, together with the Internet-connected PCs provided in our Public Libraries and other places, it's helped make the Web accessible to many people who might otherwise be "information poor", and it helped some local organisations to get a head-start at publishing on the Web too. I'd be very interested to hear from any other individuals or organisations within Lewisham or elsewhere who are involved with similar 'community' uses of the Internet - I'm sure we've still got plenty to learn from each other!

I am active in The Labour Party locally and nationally, particularly in it's own uses of computers and communications and the development of Labour's policies for the British information technology industry and on issues such as information privacy. I am also partly responsible for the Website of Computing For Labour, an organisation for Labour Party Members with similar interests.

Meetings and other Activities during October & November 1999:
28 Oct: Planning Subcommittee
2 Nov: AGM of Platform One Youth Project
3 Nov: attend Social services Committee (services for adults with learning difficulties) and Executive Committee (reorganisation of Planning Committees)
6 Nov: Advice surgery at 43 Sunderland Road, Forest Hill
11 Nov: attend "Building the UK Electronic Library" seminar
11 Nov: Planning Subcommittee
17 Nov: Forest Hill Neighbourhood Committee
19 Nov: chair AGM of Cassell Centre, Forest Hill
22 Nov: Perrymount School curriculum subcommittee
23 Nov: Environmental Sustainability Committee
24 Nov: panelist at Local Goverment Association "Connected Community" conference, Birmingham
25 Nov: Planning Subcommittee

Committees:
Assembly Committee
Creekside Renewal Partnership Board
Environmental Sustainability Sub-Committee
Forest Hill Steering Group
Platform One Forest Hill Youth Project
London Research Centre
Planning & Development Control Committee A (Chair)
Planning & Development Control Committee B
Planning & Development Control Committee C

Tel: 020 8291 5729
E-Mail Address: john.paschoud@lewisham.org.uk
(of course, I have an email address at Lewisham Council too - <john.paschoud@lewisham.gov.uk> - but mail sent there doesn't always reach me as quickly)
Website: www.lewisham.org.uk/john/LBL/