Monday, December 31, 2007

New Years Message from Cllr Mann

On behalf of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers (including the Tory Councillors, who log on to find out what is going on in Collier Row) and residents in North Romford a very Happy New Year.

As I write a personal blog for our site, the last for 2007 and also the 100th of the year I wanted to briefly look back at the year 2007. It has certainly been an interesting 12 months.

We started the year with the loss of Martin and Alexandra Smith, your former Mawneys Councillors who moved to Australia to start a new business venture, running a cafĂ© and restaurant for ex-pats in Melbourne, aptly named the “Britannia”. There loss was filled by Karen Price and now Joe Webster, I am pleased that we have a full team working in Mawneys Ward.


It has been a busy year for us, we started with the continued petition to Havering Council for CCTV for Collier Row and we ended the year in January with it almost up and running and in place.

I was pleased to be able to attend the opening of the Surestart Centre in Collier Row with the Mayor of Havering, Cllr Wendy Brice-Thompson. We also welcomed new residents to the area in Bushey Close in the new Gobions Estate.

I spent a day out on patrol with the Havering Park ward SNT trying to get a better understanding of how our local Police team works and seeing first hand the work that was taking place on the crackdown of illegal motor bikes in the Country Park.

Spring saw us launch our petition against Car Park charges in Collier Row, by the time the autumn had come round we had over 3500 in Collier Row and over 18,000 across the Borough, did the Conservative run Council listen, no they did not, the charges are set to arrive at a car park near you soon.

We continued our support of the “Friends of Park groups” in North Romford, we had a team at the King Georges Playing Fields Quiz Night and both myself and Graham have attending meetings or events of both King Georges Playing Fields, Lawns Park and Havering Country Park.

In June, Graham Price was awarded a Honorary alderman award in recognition of his 16 years service as a Councillor on Havering Council. I also attended the Planet Havering Show, which is always a most. The Residents Association also won the St Andrews By-Election, with Mike Winter returned to the Town Hall.

Building Work continued at a very rapid pace at the Forest Row Centre, the old sixth form block was knocked down and the work was finished by December with the hand over to the new Forest Row Centre. We also saw Bedfords park being awarded a green flag, for being an excellent park.

We saw over 1000 Scouts from around the World descend on Bedfords Park for the World Scout Jamboree, who took part in Environmental clean up work. We also saw the park over-run with travellers; they spent almost 3 weeks at the park, destroying all the good work done in making it a green flag park.

We also saw the Council CCTV car set loose on the streets of Havering, over 10,000 tickets have now been issued and we have been inundated with horror stories from residents who been caught on camera. I estimate that the car will make over £1.7 million in its first 12 months.

We continued to help residents fight un-wanted planning development around them, such as 101 Clockhouse Lane, more flats in Essex Road, 92 The Drive and 66 Clockhouse were the Conservative Councillors over-ruled local opinion to approve flat conversations.

We also saw the sell off, of our park land across the borough, in particular at King Georges Playing Fields, with no commitment to ploughing the money back into the parks, this can not be a good thing for residents.

We saw a new road being laid in the village behind the church; residents have campaigned for years to get the Council to take this matter seriously. We saw continued improvement in our exam results at Bower Park School and we also saw Frank Bruno open the new astro-turf pitch, which has to be one of my highlights of the year.

We also saw the Tory Council announce plans to cover the Borough in Billboards to try and recover the £5 million it over spent in social services, another one of there rash decisions.

We have also seen the introduction of our booklet style newsletter, which is delivered to over 11,000 houses and shops across North Romford; it went down so well, that after the first issue we were able to increase it in size from 12 pages to 16 pages. The comments we receive about the newsletter have been fantastic, we have proved that you do not need to send out a full colour glossy leaflet with nothing in it but super imposed pictures of people pretending they are working for the people of Collier Row !

Well that said, if you are still reading, may I wish you a very Happy New Year and I look forward to meeting you whilst out and about during 2008.

Best Wishes

Cllr Andrew Mann

Winter / New Year Newsletter Being Delivered


The latest issue of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association newsletter is currently being delivered to over 11,000 homes and shops across North Romford, which includes both havering park and Mawneys Wards.

You can read all about what we have been up to in the Community, updates on such issues as New CCTV cameras installed for Collier Row, Billboards set to be erected across the borough, Car Parking fees for Collier Row, latest news on the CCTV car, the latest on the Forest Row Centre and its official opening and much more

If you have not received a copy, please drop us a line, either by phone, e-mail or pen and paper, contact details at top of the page.



Friday, December 28, 2007

Letter in the Romford Recorder

Below is a copy of a letter in this weeks Romford Recorder, following the recent report on Joe webster joining the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association.

The Editor of The Recorder,

I would just like to set the record straight, and to correct a factual error contained in the report, “De-selected Webster joins Residents’ Group- Tories rocked by another defection”, the Recorder, 14th December.

The article states that “Mr. Webster is one of a three former Tories - deselected as prospective councillors for the party in controversial circumstances in 2006, to go on and join the R.A's”. In fact, when Collier Row and Mawneys Residents Association was launched in March 2006, there were no less than five Councillors, all deselected ex-Conservatives, who formed the new Residents Association.

These were, Cllr. Andy Mann, Jean Gower, Martin Smith, Alexandra Smith, and myself. The welcome addition of Joe Webster now makes six, and a seventh is also evident in the form of Cllr. Ray Morgon, who was the first to resign from the Conservatives, in protest at our numerous de-selections, and move to The Residents Associations in Havering.

GRAHAM PRICE
Mawneys Ward Action Team

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Christmas Refuse Collection Times

Refuse and recycling collection dates will change over the Christmas and New Year period. Please see below for a list of revised collection dates. Normal collections will resume on Monday 14th January 2008.
Please note that all revised collection arrangements also apply to the clinical, cardboard and trade waste services. Garden waste wheeled bin collection cease between 25th December and 4th January, normal collections resume 8th January.
Please click on the table on the left for an enlarged copy that you can print out and keep.

For opening times of Gerpins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre, please see section below.

Christmas Eve 0730-1630
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day 0930-1600
New Years Eve 0730-1630
New Year Day 0930-1600

All other times 0730-1745



Monday, December 24, 2007

Turkey Tips

Cooking on Christmas Day should be fun and enjoyable, however it can often lead to serious illness with food under cooked, in particular the Christmas Turkey.

If in doubt, follow these simple instructions from havering Councils "Captain Turkey" at the Environmental Health Department, the simple leaflet explains how to defrost and cook the turkey without getting food poisoning, click on the link below to go to the site for more details.


Friday, December 21, 2007

Letter to the recorder

Below is a copy of a letter in this weeks Romford Recorder, following the recent report on Park Land being sold off and the Editors Column last week.

Dear Editor

Your view from the editors Column published last Friday is absolutely spot on with “Parks, time to be worried”. Well at least we now know officially what the Conservative Administration in the Town Hall intend to do, with the open area of land behind Linley Crescent in King Georges Playing Fields.

After several months of rumours that they wanted to use it for the Council’s vehicle depot, it now transpires that they have identified the former children’s play area as a potential site for disposal and suitable for development as detailed in a report to Cabinet on the 24th October.

It is one of several sites identified in the same way, two of which are in Mawneys Ward, the other being the grassed play area situated between Hood Walk and Clovelly Gardens.

The Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association have been simply inundated with comments from dozens of residents in Linley Crescent, all of which have signified to us their firm and vociferous opposition to the proposed disposal of the open area of land, we have not received even one comment in favour of the proposal, from any resident in Linley Crescent.

After the Cabinet decision was made, The Residents Group requisitioned a special meeting of the Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee which was held on the 12th November, a meeting which I attended in an observant capacity, together with approx 50 members of the public. After a discussion of the cabinet report and their decision lasting over an hour, the Conservative members voted by 4-2 to uphold the decision.

In your editorial published last Friday, you have directed criticism at “Council Leader Michael White & Cabinet Member Paul Rochford”. However, it is interesting to note that two of the Mawneys Councillors are heavily implicated in the proposed disposal, as Peter Gardner is also a Cabinet Member and Roby Misir actually chaired the special Requisition meeting and used his vote to uphold the decision.

Like all Conservatives, they are fond of putting out leaflets stating that they are “On Your Side”. However, the residents of Linley Crescent now know for sure that two of their Mawneys Councillors are most definitely NOT on their side !

Graham Price
Mawneys Ward

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Crime Figures down in Havering


Figures released by the Metropolitan Police indicate a significant decrease in the number of offences committed in Havering for the year ending November 2007.

The total number offences for the 12 month period to November 2007 amounted to 17,640 compared with 21,137 for the same period in 2006, equating to a 20 per cent decrease in recorded offences.

Among the most significant reductions were:

131% drop in gun enabled crime (from 67 to 29)
41% drop in motor vehicle crime (from 4,095 to 2,905)
15% drop in all violence against the person (from 3,903 to 3,397)
15% drop in all burglaries (from 2,569 to 2,235)
10% drop in domestic crime (from 1,174 to 1,066)

Key activities over recent months include a specific operation targeting burglaries, which led to an increase in the number of people arrested and intelligence gathered. In addition, a week long campaign targeting road safety was launched which led to 158 fixed penalty notices being issued for offences ranging from no seat belt to jumping a red light.

To view the complete set of figures please click on the following link.

Picture: Havering park Ward SNT Sgt Andy Barnes and Cllr Andy Mann out on patrol earlier in the year.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Joe Webster joins the Residents Association

The Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association has welcomed the decision of former Councillor, Joe Webster in leaving the Conservative Party and joining our Association.

Mr Webster has a huge amount of experience in helping the local community, first elected in 1998, he represented the Rise Park ward and then, following Boundary changes in 2002, he contested the newly-formed Pettits Ward, a seat he held until 2006.

Now Mr Webster intends to go back into local politics, by becoming an action team member for the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association, representing the Mawneys Ward in Collier Row, where he will join long-standing activists Graham & Karen Price.

Joe, who was also the Cabinet member for Education for almost three years, has a huge wealth of experience of local issues that will be a great benefit to the local community, having previously been a Councillor for 8 years. He is also a Governor at no less than three schools, Marshalls Park, Rise Park Junior and Parklands Infants.

Commenting on Joe’s decision, Chairman of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association, Cllr Andrew Mann said “I believe that Joe Webster will be a brilliant asset to our team in Collier Row, he is dedicated and hard-working and just wants the best for the local community, I know he will fit in well with our team and I look forward to working with him in the run up to the next local elections in 2010”

Joe Webster said “After 25 years of working for the Conservative Party, I have found this decision very difficult. After my deselection in 2006, I waited to see how the new Council would operate. I have been very disappointed. The worst aspect is the complete absence of transparent democracy, the Overview and Scrutiny is just a joke. Any dissent within the Conservative Group is snuffed out by threats of deselection”

He went on “I have come to the conclusion that the only way to oppose this arrogant treatment of the people of Havering is to join forces with the Residents Association to elect Councillors into the Town Hall who are of independent mind and are prepared to stand by their principles”

Friday, December 07, 2007

So you think you can dance ?


Cllr Mann was lucky to be at Bower Park school yesterday to watch the "So you think you can dance", a 90 min plus show of dance and music, put on by the students to raise money for the school to purchase a portable dance mat that can be moved around the school and used in different locations.

Students from all five years were dancing, although almost predominately girls, we did have a few brave boys that put on an excellent show, although out numbered massively.

Over 70 students took part in the dance show, with some 250 turning up to watch in the audience, the hall was fall up and after the raffle, the school made good progress towards the £2000 they need to buy the dance mat.
Once again, the staff and pupils of the school put on a great show, as a Governor of Bower Park i am no longer surprised by the quality and determination of all the pupils that want to achieve, they were all a credit to the school.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Major Power Cut in Romford


Whilst working in the Town Hall this morning, I was somewhat thrown into the dark when the lights when out and the power shut down at 08.45. The result of a StreetCare operative being a little to keen to dig a hole with his kango to install a bench in Main Road, Romford.

I am informed by the Head of StreetCare at Havering Council that the young man is o.k, although taken to hospital it was only a precaution and he was quite shook up. At one stage there was three fire engines and two ambulances following somone calling in the incident as an electrical fire. The resulting power cut, knocked out the whole of the Town Hall until early afternoon and parts of Romford.

The power was also affected at Marshalls Park School and the A12, as the traffic lights lost power and turned off, however i have to say when i travelled home later that day, the lack of lights made the junction far easier to navigate and the two traffic Police on their bikes were rather redundant as they really were not needed.

The power went back on late afternoon, and the Council was back to usual, with Full Council taking place later in the evening.

Pinewood Christmas Bazaar


I had the chance to attend The Pinewood School Christmas Bazaar yesterday and it was great to see so many people supporting the school by turning out to buy Christmas gifts for family and friends and to join in some of the fun, even Santa himself was in school giving out gifts to the children.

As a former pupil and now a Governor it is always good to be back in the school, there is something about being in a primary school that is different to when I am in Bower Park as a Governor. I am however, positive it is down to the small chairs, it always makes me laugh when you have to sit down and your knees come up above your head.

That said, I did not get much of a chance to sit down, the teachers and staff do such a wonderful job at Pinewood and often the school does not get much public praise for what it does, so hopefully this little plug for the school will go some way.