Budget consultation launched

On Monday 29 September Havering’s Cabinet launched major public consultation on widespread budget proposals.

The Council needs to reduce its overall budget by around a third over the next four years, in response to Government funding cuts, and the rising costs of providing services to a growing and ageing population.

The proposals would maintain weekly rubbish collections, protect the upkeep of parks, keep town centre CCTV and preserve vital social services. No libraries in Havering would face closure, but there would be changes to their opening hours.

If agreed, the proposals would also usher in other changes to many council services.

In addition there are three specific consultations being launched on the same day regarding proposed changes to Council Tax Support, libraries and parking.

From Monday 29 September, residents can have their say on the overall proposals. The consultations end on Monday 29 December 2014.

Tenants offered wider choice as part of Council Home Swap event

​Social tenants in Havering will be given the chance to move to a more suitable property as part of the Council’s Home Swap event next week. 

​The information day, on Tuesday 23 September in Romford Library, will see officers on hand answer any questions and share tips about how mutual exchanges can be done. 

The scheme is eligible for people who are already housing association or Council tenants, and who do not have rent arrears. For those looking for a more appropriate property, for example pensioners who may want to move to a smaller property or those desperate for more space, a home swap is the perfect solution. 

 

Running from 11am to 3pm potential swappers will be able to meet others looking for a home and staff will be able to organise swaps on the day.   For those who would just like more information they’ll be able to put themselves forward to find out more about the scheme. 

 

Councillor Damian White, Deputy Leader of Havering Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

“I want to put tenants in the driving seat, and this event will give people the chance to find a property perfect for them. If you’re overcrowded or struggling with a home that is too big for you, do come along on the day and staff will be on hand to help make swapping a reality.”

The event will be held on the ground floor, Romford Central Library, St Edwards Way, Romford. For more information about the day please ring 01708 434668.

TfL Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy praises work at the Battis and Victoria Road

​Sir Peter Hendy, Commissioner for Transport for London (TfL) met with Councillor Roger Ramsey, Leader of the Council last week to discuss schemes that the Council and TfL are working on jointly.

​Havering Council also raised the issue of improving safety at Gallows Corner, which has become a cause of concern for residents recently.

 

Other key matters discussed included Crossrail and Romford Station access, and the possibility of a further major development scheme for Western Road (Romford) to complement the new Romford leisure development. Sir Peter Hendy said he was happy that Crossrail will be a great economic benefit to the town.

 

They also discussed the TfL river crossings consultation, which includes plans for a new river crossing from Belvedere to the A13 in Rainham.

 

TfL representatives were then given a quick tour of Victoria Road and The Battis, both part of the current Romford major scheme and funded by TfL and Sir Peter Hendy was impressed with the work that had been done so far.

 

Councillor Roger Ramsey, Leader of the Council, said:

 

“We had a very successful meeting which will help us to move forward with a lot of projects that we are working on jointly with TfL.

 

“Some of those are coming to an end soon and it was a great opportunity to show off what all the hard work has achieved.”

 

A street party to celebrate the works on Victoria Road and the Battis as part of the major scheme will take place on Victoria Road on Saturday 22nd September from 12noon until 3pm.

Open House in Havering

Havering opens doors…

The doors of 18 of Havering's most popular buildings will be open to the public for free tomorrow (Saturday 20 September) and Sunday (21 September). Havering Town Hall is among the properties opening its doors to give everyone a chance to see where the Council's most important discussions and meetings take place. Other buildings include Havering Museum, Bower House, and the Round House. Booklets with details of all the buildings open as part of Open House Londonare available at libraries.

 

Havering Museum event

Please find attached details of our heritage tour bus which visits Bower House, the Roundhouse and the Barn at Upminster.   Lunch is at the Good Intent in Hornchurch.  The bus tours Havering on Saturday 18 October leaving Queen's Theatre at 09.00am and returning at 5.30.  The price is £10 for the bus tour and people pay for their own lunch.  

Also the Museum is putting on three special events for Intnl Older Person Week, a guided tour of the Museum, Strawberry cream tea and talk and Antiques and Collectables session.

It is advisable to book early for all of these events.  Bookings should be directed to the Museum, 01708 766571 or email hmmarketing@btconnect.com or by visiting the Museum (Wednedsay - Saturday 11 - 5pm)

Adoption Event

Adoption Information Event

Drop in information evening open to anyone thinking about adoption.
We welcome single people as well as couples, you can be gay or straight, working or not working, living in Havering or elsewhere. Please join us to find out more.
Date Wednesday 24 September 2014Time17:30 until 19:00
Contact Anna Roseveare, Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford, RM1 3BDAdmission Free Adoption web page Emailadoption@havering.gov.ukPhone01708 434577

Victoria Road street party

Come to a street party

The Council has organised a Street Party on Saturday 20 September from 12noon until 3pm to mark the end of the works on Victoria Road.

Residents are invited to come along and enjoy an afternoon of fun and entertainment for all the family to enjoy, including children's rides, face painting and food tasting.         

Children will be able to take part in a trail on the day by collecting stickers on a special leaflet and will receive a free prize giveaway on the day (while stocks last).

The £1.8m works, funded by Transport for London, in Victoria Road has seen new, high-quality paving on public footpaths and business forecourts which, with better lighting and new street benches, give the street a more pleasant look and feel. 

Ardleigh Green road bridge work

Work to replace the Ardleigh Green road bridge on the A127 begins

​Transport for London (TfL) will shortly begin work to completely replace the Ardleigh Green bridge as part of its continuing programme of road modernisation in the capital.

​The work will see the 90 year old bridge, which carries the A127 Southend Arterial Road over National Rail lines in Romford, replaced with a new, wider structure with better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists in the area. The new bridge will also provide improved headroom for trains running to and from London.

 

Preliminary works to prepare the worksite will begin from Monday 15 September, with a site compound set up on the large traffic island in Bryant Avenue and temporary fencing installed to protect the public from the working areas. During the preliminary works, some off-peak and night-time traffic lane closures will be required. However, the majority of works will take place off the carriageway to reduce disruption to traffic, and noise will be kept to a minimum.

 

Early next year, a new service bridge will be built to the side of the existing bridge, to carry the utilities services which are currently buried within the road. This will also allow utility companies to access cables without needing to carry out roadworks on the bridge, reducing future disruption to the road network.

 

The main works to replace the existing bridge will then take place over two years from 2015 and are scheduled to be completed by late 2017. Once completed, the proposed new road bridge will not only provide wider carriageways and upgraded bridge parapets, but also improved footways, planting and lighting throughout the area.

 

Dana Skelley, Director of Asset Management at TfL said:

 

“The A127 Southend Arterial Road is a vital road for both businesses and commuters, linking Romford and East London, with the M25. Therefore, it is important that we ensure that it continues to remain usable and safe for years to come.

 

“We are committed to completing these works as quickly and efficiently as possible and will keep the local community and road users informed of progress as we work to deliver these vital improvements.”

 

Councillor Osman Dervish, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, said:

 

“We are very pleased that the road bridge will be replaced under this scheme as the road is  major route into our local area.
 
“We understand this important work will have an impact on local residents and road users and we are working with Transport for London to make sure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

 

During the next ten years, TfL will be investing around £4 billion into the capital's road network as part of the Roads Task Force. Working with its partners, including London's boroughs and road user and street user groups, TfL will build on the improvements already seen in the management of London's roads, streets and public spaces to help ensure the capital remains one of the most attractive, vibrant, accessible and competitive cities in the world.

Stoptober Challenge

Havering encourages residents to join the Stoptober challenge and quit smoking for one month

​​The annual Stoptober event, launched in 2012 and run by Public Health England, aims to encourage as many smokers as possible to quit for the month of October. 

​The initiative is based on evidence that if smokers quit for 28 days, they are five times more likely to quit for good. In 2013, 6.5 million smokers were reached as part of the campaign.

Havering will be marking this year’s event with roadshows taking place in South Street, Romford, from Tuesday 30 September to Saturday 4 October, from 10 am to 4pm. Smokers will be able to get advice and support to quit, as well as have a lung-age test and goodie bags will be given to those who sign up to quit.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of premature death in England and accounts for more than 80,000 deaths in the UK each year, and costs the NHS £2.7 billion a year to treat smoking-related illnesses. That is why initiatives such as Stoptober are so important.

Councillor Wendy Brice-Thompson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, said:

“Smoking takes a huge toll, not just on public services such as the NHS and the smoker themselves, but also their families. Losing a loved-one to a smoking-related disease is devastating.

“This is a habit that can be broken so I’m glad there are initiatives such as this to provide smokers with as much support and motivation as possible. I hope many Havering residents will be signing up.”

For more information visit the Stoptober website, also, for advice and support on how to quit smoking, call the Havering Quits on 0800 0320102.

Havering wins London in Bloom

Havering doubles its record to scoop a whopping 23 London in Bloom awards

Large Park of the Year - recently restored Raphael Park won Gold

​Havering has broken its own record, more than doubling the number of awards it won last year, after it was presented with 23 London in Bloom awards at a ceremony yesterday (Monday 8 September).

​Parks in Havering have done particularly well, securing 16 of the awards.

The borough can boast five gold awards, including the London Borough City Award, the Large Park of the Year for Raphael Park, the Large Park over 25 acres Award for Harold Wood Park, and Large Conservation Area and Country Park Awards for Bedfords Park.

One of the judges for London in Bloom, Martin Rodwell, commented on how much he enjoyed visiting the borough, he said: "It was a real pleasure to have judged Havering's Parks."

Havering is already one of the greenest places in London, boasting 6,000 hectares of green belt, which covers almost half the borough.

Councillor Roger Ramsey, Leader of the Council, said:

"Last year we won 10 awards, which was the best we'd had at that point, so to more than double that and win 23 awards is quite incredible, and goes to show how much pride we have in our wonderful green spaces. I'm very thankful to everyone who has worked tremendously hard to maintain these spaces - it's because of them that we have this accolade."

Here is a full list of the awards:

Category	Winners
Small Park of the Year	Langtons House and Gardens - Silver Gilt Secret Garden (Harrow Lodge) - Silver Gilt ​
Park of the Year	Lodge Farm Park - Silver Gilt St Andrews Park - Silver Gilt Upminster Park - Silver Gilt
Large Park of the Year	Raphael Park - Gold
Large Park of the Year (Over 25 Acres)	Harold Wood Park - Gold
Country Park Award	Hornchurch Country Park - Silver Gilt Havering Country Park - Gold Bedfords Park - Gold and Overall Category Winner
Small Conservation Area	Lawns Park - Silver Gilt Harrow Lodge Park - Bronze
Large Conservation Area	Cranham Brickfields - Silver Gilt Dagnam Park - Silver Gilt Bedfords Park - Gold and Overall Category Winner
Large Cemetery	Romford Cemetery - Bronze South Essex Crematorium - Silver Gilt
Business Improvement District	London Riverside Business Improvement District - Silver Gilt
Best Front Garden	Sylvia Littlewood from Woodcote, Broxhill Road, Havering-Atte-Bower - Runner Up
London Borough City Award	Havering - Gold
It's your neighbourhood Award	Myplace Youth Garden Project The Friends of Bedfords Park and Walled Garden Upland Court Road