Brixton is a village and local businesses need to ensure they are engaged with the local community.

Lee Jasper Chair of Brixton Splash writes on the failure of some Brixton businesses to engage with the local community. You can read more here.

Thanks Lee, great to hear about all the stuff that's happening for Brixton Splash.

It's real shame some businesses aren't willing to offer a bit of support. Brixton splash brings thousands of people out on to the streets and is bound to generate lots of cash/customers for those businesses.

It wouldn't be the first time a local business has been criticised for failing to engage with the community: http://www.urban75.net/forums/threa...arty-community-space-run-by-brick-box.292936/

Interesting article. Does Brixton have the biggest Jamaican community in London?

How much money did businesses have to donate?

I thought it had the largest Jamaican community in the UK

Maybe other cities have more though?

Some figures here on Wiki, but doesn't narrow the London ones down by Council

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Jamaican

Lewisham and Croydon as boroughs have a bigger West Indian communities. However that doesn't breakdown to what Island they are from.

Wasn't the concept of Splash tea-leafed from a local publican by the local political classes?

So, Lee Jasper didn't get as much sponsorship as he budgeted for.
There is an attitude that sees all businesses as having unlimited amounts of spare cash they could easily spare for such good causes.
But we don't. Mostly, we hope each month or quarter that we'll make enough money to pay the rent. We're not swanning off on long cruises, we don't have either the time or the money. We have to watch every penny.
Brixton Splash is a great event; if my business isn't participating this year it's not because we don't want to, it's because we can't spare the resources (cash and time) to do so.
Just because we don't join in one particular politico's pet project, it doesn't mean we're not committed to being part of the community. My business partner and I have both lived most of our lives in Brixton, and creating jobs here is as important to us as the hope that one day we might make a fat profit.

Lee Jasper's time has past. After what he did, no one will ever take him seriously again.

What did he do?

I suspect that, rightly or wrongly, a lot of businesses don't trust Lee Jasper and don't want to contribute cash to a pot which he manages. The threatening tone of his blog towards those who choose not to contribute shows a serious lack of judgement imo. Always better to alert people to what they are missing by not joining in rather than to infer that they will be punished for not doing what you want.

Resigned as advisor to Ken Livingstone after showing very poor judgement on a number of issues.
He let us down.

So now some poor business, operating close to the line, struggling, and the owner losing money (and certainly earning a whole lot less than Lee jasper was on taxpayers money as an advisor), is going to be 'named and shamed' for not having the cash or business capacity to take part?

Credit the sponsors, by all means, but it's a bit rich to march into Brixton as a non-resident and someone who does not support those businesses week by week as a customer, and start castigating them!

Some of the big chains or businesses in Brixton are very community orientated. M&S gives vouchers to small local charities, the maganer of the McDonalds supports many community intiatives, Morleys donates the christmas tree, etc.

Well I just read the blog again. Seems both large and small businesses are being criticised. Also long established small traders and shops. Who are also struggling with the possibilities of higher rents.


"There is much controversy and debate about the changing nature of Brixton. There are concerns that the African and Caribbean community is being slowly squeezed out by ever increasing rents inflated by increased demand."

But then the blog says among those who have not contributed are:

" the majority of the major butchers and meat wholesalers and market stall holders all of whom rely on local shoppers."

These small market stall holders are also in danger of being slowly squeezed out. A lot of them are longstanding small traders and shops.

Notice that San Marino was singled by name as one of the newer businesses not contributing. I thought they had been around for a while? Had been in another premises in Brixton Road. Or am I wrong on this one? Does anyone know how long they have been here?

I did chat to one local business. Did say that they had received a info pack on Brixton Splash. I asked if they had been asked for contribution at same time as being given info pack . They said no.

San Marino says "since 1993" on its canopy.

I tried to find how much sponsorship BS wanted from local business.

BS have set up different levels of sponsorship. But give no indication of how much money they want donated for each level .

See here- click on Download sponsorship information pack

http://www.brixtonsplash.org/?page_id=427

Thanks Rushy. Well as far as Im concerned that makes them well established business.

I would rather read the blog piece as representing the views of Brixton Splash as a whole. It does say:

A message from Lee Jasper Chair of Brixton Splash:"

I take this as saying that his piece has been done with the agreement of the rest of those who organise Brixton Splash and is not just his opinion.

The sponsorship document says:

It would seem that businesses don't think what is being offered is all that useful / good value for money. Mr Jasper should be asking himself how he can improve what he is offering rather than taking a destructive and petulant approach.

That'll be the rent that the local authority gives you no help with, and that your landlord keeps raising in leaps and bounds (or so I've heard) despite protests from a majority of tenants?

Did they ever anyway, outside of his political clique?

I think that is unlikely. I'd very confidently wager that he is just mouthing off by himself.

He has a fair bit of form for that, too.

Does it matter the OP is Lee JaPser and not Lee JaSper?

I'm not sure how it would/does do this?

Yes it does. It means the taxpayer paid over 100k pa for an 'expert' who cannot even spell his own name correctly in public.

It crosses my mind that the poster is not Lee Jasper himself. This is the internet.

I did wonder whether it is really Lee Jaspers blog. I hope it is and I have not been trolled.

Oh you mean the subject of three independent investigations (including one police) all of which cleared him of wrongdoing? Yeah I can see how someone doing nothing wrong is disappointing...