Residents encouraged to extend their family with a foster child

​Havering Council is kicking off the new term by re-starting its regular fostering open events following a summer break.

​The first event will take place on Tuesday 2 September from 6.30 to 8pm at Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford.

 

The open events are a chance for people who are considering becoming a foster carer, or even people who are curious and would like to find out more, to talk to members of the fostering team, as well as current foster carers to get all the information they need.

 

Foster carers are a real backbone in the borough – providing loving homes to children who are unable to live with their own families for various reasons.

 

At any one time, Havering Council has around 200 children in its care, so it’s vital to have as many foster carers, from as many different backgrounds as possible in the borough.

 

Anyone can apply to become a foster carer, provided they are over 21, with a spare room and have the time in their life for a child.

 

All foster carers receive full training and on-going support, as well as their own social worker for as long as they are a carer.

 

They also receive generous financial allowances to cover all aspects of caring for a child, as well as some money for themselves to recognise the important job they do.

 

Councillor Meg Davis, Cabinet Member for Children and Learning, said:

 

“Foster carers provide a vital role in our community by giving a child in care a stable, loving family home.

 

“They have already made a huge difference in so many children’s lives and I hope many more will come forward to continue supporting our children so well.”

You can find out more about fostering in Havering, and other upcoming open events, by visiting the webpage.

Council to help fund Raiders

Council helps with funding for the Raiders

The Council has announced it will support the Romford Raiders, now known as London Raiders since playing from Lee Valley Ice Centre, by providing financial support so the team can keep playing. 

The club has suffered some setbacks after the closure of the ice rink in Rom Valley Way. That’s why the Council is offering funding so that the sport can thrive when the new leisure centre opens. The Raiders have committed to returning to Romford when this happens.

 

The Council will provide up to £7,500 over the next year. This is to ensure that ice skaters and ice hockey players from Havering continue to have a future in their chosen sport. 

 

Councillor Melvin Wallace, Cabinet Member Culture and Community Engagement, said:

 

“We’re happy to give the Raiders some financial support to help ensure they remain in business until the new ice rink opens in Romford.

 

“We want to ensure the continued development of ice hockey through the team, and their move back to the new ice rink in Romford is crucial to the future success of the sport in the borough, and the new facility.”

Open House

Open House London

Open House London opens the door on many buildings not usually open to the public and is your chance to explore hundreds of inspiring buildings in and aroundLondon for free. 

This year's event is on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September 2014  and there are more than 800 buildings across London in the programme.

There are 18 buildings in Havering open as part of Open House London, including Rainham Hall.

Crime. Levels

Beating crime together 

Havering is one the safest London boroughs because Havering Council, Havering Police and the community work together to crack down on crime.

Figures released this week, for the year to August 2014, show how successful this has been with

• Robbery DOWN meaning 256 fewer crimes
• Burglary DOWN meaning 733 fewer crimes
• Anti-social behaviour DOWN meaning 2,161fewer crimes 

A new initiative to further drive down crime launches on Friday 29 August 2014with an event in Raphael’s Park, Main Road, Romford, RM2 5EB.

Come along and find out more between 11.30am and 2.30pm.

Our libraries

Libraries awarded for excellence in customer service

Havering Council’s library service has once again been acknowledged for exemplary customer service to receive the Customer Service Excellence Award.

This is the second year in a row that the Council has been given the award by SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, which is recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.

 

The library service scored top marks in the areas of customer service covered in the inspection including customer insight, culture of the organisation, information and access, delivery and timeliness, as well as quality of service.

 

The service also recently received the e4libraries accreditation for the promotion of beneficial technology in libraries from Book Industry Communication.

 

Councillor Melvin Wallace, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community Engagement, said:

 

“Library staff and volunteers really do make such an important contribution in our communities and I’m very proud that they’ve been officially recognised for it again. They really do deserve the recognition.”

 

In his report, the assessor, Tom Banks, said:

 

“Havering libraries were found to have a deep understanding of, and commitment to, customer service excellence. The commitment was displayed from senior management levels through to operations and front line staff.”

Ebola Update

 

Local doctors and nurses are making sure that they fully prepared to deal with any suspected cases of the ebola virus.

There have been no cases in the UK, but clinicians are carefully following national guidance on how to deal with the infection.

Ian Hosein, Director of Infection Prevention at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “It is important that people understand that ebola is not an airborne virus, so it cannot be spread without extremely close contact.

“However, we are fully prepared to deal with any suspected cases, as are our colleaguesin community care. The UK has an established, well-tested system for dealing with any known or suspected cases of the disease.”

A spokesperson for the local clinical commissioning groups said: ‘Local GPs have all received the latest guidance on Ebola and know what to do in the unlikely event that they see a patient with symptoms.’

The infection has hit people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Symptoms include fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage. The fatality rate can reach 90%, but the current outbreak is about 55%.

For more information, visit the World Health Organisation websitehttp://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/faq-ebola/en/

 

Moving Forward Scheme

Moving Forward for a healthier life

Our Moving Forward scheme is helping cancer survivors to live healthier lives and reduce the chances of their cancer returning. The scheme, run in partnership with the YMCA, Romford, offers people with cancer a free 12-week activity programme  tailored to them, to improve their health at their own pace. The first group to complete the scheme attended a special event to celebrate their achievement along with people just starting out, at the YMCA.

New Council built homes

Work on the first Council homes to be built for more than 20 years in Havering is underway. Nine new self-contained one and two-bedroom bungalows for over 55s will be housed in two new extensions to Garrick House sheltered scheme in Hornchurch. These properties are the first in a series of new Council developments, which will include 70 new homes being built on underused land.

 

 

Fire at Frog Island

Rubbish collections following the fire at Frog Island

Tuesday 05 August 2014

Following the fire yesterday (4 August) at Frog Island waste management plant in Rainham, some residents’ rubbish was not collected.

Our crews are working hard to clear the backlog today. Below is a list of all the roads in the borough that had their rubbish missed yesterday. If your road was due a collection yesterday but was missed and is not on the list, please report this to us online here.

 

We are currently taking waste to Jenkins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre in Newham, which adds some time to the drop off and may cause a delay, however, we have extra crews out so that collections due today should take place as normal.

 

Please bear with us and thank you for your patience.

 

Monday 4 August missed collections:

 

OAK STREET
EASTERN AVENUE EAST
PARKSIDE AVENUE
FONTAYNE ROAD
PETITS LANE
OAKLANDS AVENUE
CAXTEN WAY
DICKENS WAY
SYDENHAM CLOSE
PARKLAND AVENUE
LAKE RISE
RAPHAEL AVENUE
WAYSIDE CLOSE
SORRELL WALK
ROSEMARY AVENUE
WOODLAND ROAD
FAIROAK GARDENS
PRIESTS AVENUE
ASHMOUR GARDENS
HAMILTON AVENUE
HEATHER ROAD
HEATHER WAY
HEATHER DRIVE
HEATHER GLEN
HEATHER GARDENS
AYR WAY
ANNAN WAY
AYR GREEN
DEVERON WAY
WEMBLEY CLOSE
ONE SIDE STRAIGHT ROAD
MORAY WAY
AYR GLEN
AYR WAY
BAMFORD WAY
NAVARRE GARDENS
LODGE LANE
HOG HILL
UDALL GARDENS
FRY CLOSE
DEFOE WAY
SHERBOURNE GARDENS
BERKLEY AVENUE
LAWNSWAY
WILTON DRIVE
FAIRCROSS AVENUE
THE DRIVE
JUDITH AVENUE
SHEILA CLOSE
SHEILA ROAD
EATON DRIVE
GELSTHORPE ROAD
LYNWOOD DRIVE
BIRCH ROAD
BIRCH CLOSE
FOREST ROAD
SILVER WAY
EPPING CLOSE
ESSEX ROAD
BURLEIGH CLOSE
ESSEX CLOSE
GRANGE ROAD
HEATON WALK
CHAUCER ROAD
MEYNELL ROAD
COWLEY ROAD
ARCHWAY
HARROW CRESCENT

Havering Remembers

A time for reflection – As the all-important date of 4 August approaches, marking 100 years since Britain officially entered World War One, Havering Council is reminding people about all the things happening as part of the commemorations in the borough.

​Many organisations, including the Council, schools, voluntary organisations, and community groups, have activities and events planned to remember and honour those who lived, fought and died during WW1.

Councillor Melvin Wallace, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community Engagement, said:

 

“The impact of World War One can be felt by all of us in some way, and the centenary gives us the perfect opportunity to join together as a community and remember all those who lived and served through the war.

 

“There are lots of wonderful events and activities that have been arranged and I hope that all of us, young and old, can take part and just reflect on the people, their lives and the events that changed them, and history, forever.”

 

The Council has produced a booklet detailing all the events, exhibitions and activities taking place over the next year to mark the centenary, which is available on the Council website or at the Visitor Centre on South Street in Romford, in all libraries and at Havering Museum.

 

Here are a few of the things coming up very soon.

 

Civic Service

As part of the commemorations a special multi-faith Civic Service will be held at St Edward the Confessor Church in Romford Market Place at 7:30pm on Monday 4 August. The Service, which is open to everyone, will mark the outbreak of a war, which had such a tragic impact on individuals, communities and nations across the world.

 

LIGHTS OUT

In 1914, Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary at the time spoke the words “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”

 

As part of the national LIGHTS OUT campaign, everyone in the country is being encouraged to take part in a national moment of reflection on 4 August, by turning off their lights between 10pm and 11pm – leaving just one single light or candle burning.

 

“Even the smallest of actions can have such a profound meaning, and we want to join together for this time of reflection,” said Councillor Melvin Wallace, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community Engagement.

 

Havering’s Town Hall, libraries and Upminster Windmill are just some of the buildings in the borough that will be turning their LIGHTS OUT. Residents are also invited to do the same.

 

Remembering with Poppies

The Council has planted poppies across the borough in honour of those who lived and died through the war. They can be seen at:

 

-King George Playing Fields along Eastern Avenue, The Town Hall and Coronation Gardens, outside Harrow Lodge Park, outside Upminster Hall, Harold Hill War Memorial, Elm Park Broadway and the Waterloo estate in Romford.

 

Visit one of the restored War Memorials

The Council has recently restored its main war memorials in Harold Hill, Upminster, Romford and Hornchurch, while the restoration of the Rainham memorial is almost complete.

 

Last November the Council announced it had received £86,200 for the work from Veolia North Thames Trust.

 

The restoration has included repair and maintenance such as carefully cleaning the memorials, repainting, repairing and paving cracked stone, and redoing brickwork where necessary.

Cattle in Our Parks

Greenest borough adopts cattle to take care of its grass

​The new arrivals at Bedfords Park help manage species-rich meadows

Havering is one of the first London councils to call in a team of expert grazers to take over from the traditional grass and hay cut techniques as part of an innovative scheme to boost biodiversity in the borough’s public parks.

A rare and traditional breed of Red Poll cattle, native of East Anglia, have been called in to help manage the species-rich meadows at Bedfords Park - home to many protected plant, insect and bird species, including wildflowers such as Lady’s bedstraw, sneezewort, pepper saxifrage and pignut.

While the traditional hay or grass cut involves a more even and tidy cut, cattle are able to choose where they graze, which creates patches within the meadows of varying height and density and reduces the build-up of old vegetation. This allows different grasses and wildflowers to flourish. Grazing is also more sensitive to other animals that live in the grassland such as mice, voles, amphibians and reptiles.

Red Poll cattle are one of the best breeds for grazing meadows like the ones at Bedfords Park, they thrive in a diverse environment and are unaffected by the weather. They also have a gentle temperament and no horns, so they’re ideal for grazing in places like public parks.

Bedfords Park is known to be one of the best areas in Greater London and Essex for the diversity of its wildflowers. The wildflower meadow alone has had a staggering 155 species recorded in it. It’s great for other wildlife too, including ponds with protected great crested newts, woodlands with trees such as wild service, oak and hornbeam and other species such as tawny owls, bats and barn owls.

“Around half the borough is made up of parks and green spaces, so we’re always trying to stay at the forefront when it comes to using new ways to help improve biodiversity and protect our wildlife,” said Councillor Melvin Wallace, Cabinet Member for Culture and Community Engagement.

“We’re delighted to work with Natural England to implement this innovative scheme in Havering, and there are so many benefits. It will help combat the decline in the borough’s butterflies and bees while also protecting wildlife that can sometimes become victims of lawnmowers, and also save money. At a time where we’re trying to save £60 million over four years, every penny counts!” added Cllr Wallace.

The cattle belong to Roger Beecroft, a specialist grazier and wildlife consultant whose herd grazes many wildlife sites across East Anglia. “I’m really pleased to work with Havering Council to help achieve their aims of the site, and our Red Poll cattle will thrive in these wild flower meadows” said Roger.

The Council is working with Natural England to implement this scheme, which will see grazing cattle at four of the borough’s parks over ten years. The cattle will be based at Bedfords Park and also in Havering Country Park in future years.

Implementing grazing is all part of a 10-year Higher Level Stewardship agreement which has been set up with Natural England, the the government’s advisor on the natural environment. The Higher Level Stewardship agreement provides a framework for carrying out long-term environmentally friendly land management backed up by financial incentive to help landowners manage their land in a way that’s beneficial to wildlife and the landscape. The Council has worked with Natural England to create a package of Stewardship options that will benefit Bedfords Park ranging from management of species rich grassland to management of woodlands, ponds and hedgerows. The new scheme, which began last year, is supported by funding of almost £407,000 over the 10-year programme while Veolia North Thames Trust has given a further £30,000 in support of the initiative.

The cattle won’t replace staff, but will allow them to focus their efforts in other areas. The scheme is estimated to save the Council around £300,000 over ten years in management costs.

Emily Dresner of Natural England’s Thames Valley team said: “Natural England is delighted that Havering Council has signed up to a Higher Level Stewardship agreement.  The introduction of grazing at Bedfords Park is a great example of how we can work together to introduce traditional methods of land management in our city.  This kind of work provides a great opportunity to plan and deliver large scale landscape improvements that help improve both our wildlife and people’s access to nature across London’s green spaces. We look forward to working with Havering Council to ensure we maximise the benefits that Higher Level Stewardship can offer for the borough.”

Green Flags

Another Green Flag for Havering Havering Council can add another pip to its ‘best parks’ credentials after securing another prestigious accolade – bringing its total to nine Green Flag Parks. The Council has not only maintained its status as having some of the best parks in country, but exceeded it, gaining an extra Green Flag for the recently restored Raphael Park. The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom.