Florence

I have had the privilege of being a representative for the Coin Street community since 2010, first as the Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Culture & Sport, then as the London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark and in my current role as the local Member of Parliament since 2019.

In that time, I have enjoyed amplifying Coin Street’s vital work and collaborating with them on areas of shared interest for the benefit of the community.

Iain and his team are supportive and reliable – always there to help when needed and advocate on behalf of residents. I think back to those scary, uncertain days at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, when I had only been an MP for a few months and was facing the challenge of representing my new constituents whilst not being able to leave the house! Coin Street led a comprehensive response across the Waterloo area, working with others to deliver food parcels to the vulnerable and quickly rolling out a program of engagement to combat the loneliness and isolation of lockdown. I knew then that through any situation, Coin Street would be there to serve the community.

And since then, we have worked together on a range of issues that have helped me represent my constituents. From being a regular venue for my advice surgeries, to hosting a roundtable I organised with the now Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to discuss small business reform, attending my Careers Fair at the Southbank Centre in 2023 to help inspire the next generation, and of course co-operating to get the Secretary of State to call-in the planning application for the redevelopment of 72 Upper Ground, we have already achieved a lot. Whilst there is always more to do, I’m grateful to Coin Street for their support so far.

40 years is an incredible achievement for any social enterprise, faced with increasing demand and a constant need to meet rising costs. The world has changed a lot in that time, and the same can certainly be said for the local area. But Coin Street’s presence as a pillar of the community across Waterloo & Southbank has endured throughout, and I am confident it will for decades to come yet.

In Parliament, we talk a lot about devolution of power and empowerment of local communities. I’m proud of the new Government’s bold commitments in this area. But the truth is that these things are easy to talk about, but much harder to deliver.

Coin Street is a blueprint for what is possible when local people are given the power to make decisions for themselves. The result is a thriving community that is a lifeline for many residents of this area. 

I look forward to seeing what can be achieved in the next 40 years!