With or without the council, the next few years will see new developments and buildings, new businesses and technology, and an ever-changing skyline. Southwark’s population will also continue to change, as more people choose to make our borough their home.

We have been bold in our plans to encourage home building and, with rapidly reducing budgets, finding ways to make sure private developers help pay for the thousands of new council homes we are building, the new leisure centres and libraries we have opened, and new cultural and open spaces.

We are also helping residents to take advantage of the opportunities around them, and have helped 5,000 people into work, as well as creating nearly 2,000 apprenticeships for local people. We’re also ensuring that as our population grows, we have the new schools, health services and transport improvements that our residents need – despite massive cuts in funding from national Government.

But we don’t want to make assumptions – we want to build on previous consultations to make sure we’re getting it right for you and your families now, and for future generations. We want to hear direct from our residents about how the changes are affecting you, how you feel about the future, and whether there’s anything you think we can do differently.

While we don’t have a magic wand, and the Government, the Mayor, the NHS and the private sector all play an important role in influencing our lives, the council does have some powers and levers that we can use to help make Southwark an even better place to live, work and play than it is today.

We want to hear from you – please take a few minutes to fill in our questionnaire before 24 December.