CCTV Control Room, two faced Tories

Following the Romford Recorder story last week, with Five Conservative Councillors pictured in the CCTV control room, Havering Park (R.A) Councillor Andrew Mann has hit out at senior Conservative Councillors and Council Officers as being hypocrites.

Following the Recorders coverage of Cllr Mann visiting the CCTV control room in February of this year (pictured above), he was written to by Christine Dooley, head of Law at Havering Council to say he should not have been photographed in the control, this despite making a pre-arranged visit with the manager and asking permission to take a photo.

The letter from Mrs Dooley came following a complaint from a Conservative Councillor, he was told Councillors could not be pictured in the room, but then went back through the press archives and found various Councillors and M.P’s in the room over the last 2 years.

Now, only two months later (during a London Election) there are five Conservative Councillors pictured in the room, Cllr Mann said “Why does it need five of them, are they that worried about my press coverage, they complain that I am in the CCTV room, but then it is o.k. for them, this is typical of the two faced Administration we have at the moment”

As the overtly political photo was sent out during an election period, Cllr Mann has now lodged a formal complaint against the press office, Government legislation that controls Council press officers during any election states “In coming to any decision on publicity, the Council must have regard to the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity” Cllr Mann feels that this has not been followed in a proper manner.

That said, Cllr Mann is pleased that the CCTV Cameras have now been turned on and are working up in Collier Row and other area in the Borough.

River Rom Clean Up

Havering Park Ward Councillor, Andrew Mann has hit out at the goings on with the River Rom, he has accused the Conservatives and the Council of playing games and politics with the issues around the clearing of the River.

In particular, he has singled out Cllr Sandra Binion (Tory, Havering Park) as the Chairman of the North Romford Area Committee for the biggest criticism. Cllr Mann said, In January of 2007, I called for an urgent report to be brought before the committee to be discussed and to explain some of the issues that have arisen with the Environment Agency. This report was stalled and delayed and eventually took over a year to be made public at the last Area Committee meeting, over 12 months later, when it did arrive the report was full of nothing and did not explain the situation in any detail”.

The issue around the River first started at the end of 2006, when Council Officers wrote to residents that backed onto the river informing them that under riparian ownership laws, they would now be responsible for the clearance of the River, this caused a huge outcry as part of the information in the letter was in-correct.

Further issues arose, when Havering Council where one of only two Boroughs in the whole of London that refused to sign an agreement with the Environment Agency, which in turn meant Havering lost out on some short term funding.

Regular quarterly meetings that had been taking place for over eight years with Council officers, local residents and members were then stopped by Cllr Binion and Council Officers. These meetings had been of a huge benefit to both officer and residents as they helped each other understand the concerns. They then started again as a private meetings that Cllr Binion arranged and only invited selected residents and Councillors and then they stopped again.

Cllr Mann said “As a Councillor, I have worked hard with residents to build up a trust and understanding of the River Rom, it runs right through the middle of my ward, from the top to the bottom, with just three crossing points in over 1 ½ miles. Having lived as a child just 100ft from the river, it was often a place I visited as a youngster”.

“I watched in the late 80’s as hundreds of trees were planted along the banks following devastating storms of that time, I watched as the River Rom become the Green Link, leading all the way to Collier Row Recreational Ground. Sadly once the trees were planted that was all that happened, by early 2000, it was like an out of control forest growing along the river”.

“On first being elected in 2002, I made the River a priority, trying to convince Council Officers that we needed to do more work along there and to maintain it better, despite numerous obstacles we eventually got the trees to be pruned back a bit and for some sort of grass cutting to happen again”.

However, Cllr Mann now feels we have taken a backwards step, after the Environment Agency this week has asked residents to clear the litter and rubbish as they will only look after the water course, the Council has a budget to clear the River and they should be doing it each month, but this now look in doubt.

Cllr Mann said “I am very disappointed in the local conservative Councillors for Havering Park ward, Cllr’s Starns and Binion. In their newsletters to residents last year, they are pictured in their Wellington Boots telling everyone how they have sorted the issues with the river out, yet behind their backs their own Cabinet member along with themselves, did not know what was going on and I thought they were now running the Town Hall?”

The Environment Agency has called for a “Friend of the River Rom” group to be set up to help clean it up, however Cllr Mann feels they and the Council are pulling the wool over residents eyes, he said “The setting up of a friends group should be to complement the work that the Council and its partners do, not to do the work for them, residents in this Borough pay high enough taxes as it is and then to say we want you to clean up yourselves is a bit rich”

No Alchol Zone Review

Cllr Mann has joined a Scrutiny topic group in the Town Hall looking at the possibility of extending the No Alcohol Zone that is currently in Romford Town Centre, to other areas and smaller Town Centres around the Borough, such as Collier Row.

The first meeting was held last week in the Town Hall and is made up of 5 or 6 Councillors and supported by Acting Borough Commander, Supt Steve Wisbey.

The first meeting discussed some of the pro's and con's of the scheme in place at the moment and heard how Havering Police actually police the whole zone.

As part of the process, Councillors will be shortly going on a night visit to Romford town Centre to see how the whole thing works, this evidence will then allow the review group to get a better understanding of how things work and to see if there could be any merit in introducing the schemes around the Borough.

If you have any views about an No Alcohol Zone in the Collier Row area, drop Cllr Mann a line, details at top right of page.

Havering Country Park Clear-Up

The Collier Row and Mawneys Residents Association were out yesterday giving a helping hand at the Friends of Havering Country Park litter clear up morning. On Saturday Havering Park Ward Action members, Kevin Tonks and Denis Stevens turned up with about 20 local residents to help with the clear up.

Kevin Tonks said “In less than two hours, we cleared a load of rubbish out of bushes and trees and filled bag after bag with rubbish, myself and Denis had a great time working with local residents to clean up the mess, amongst other things, we also found an old motorbike burnt out amongst the long grass”.

The friends group was set up last summer and has gone from strength to strength, gaining new members each month in trying to work with the Council to help improve the Park. The group also recently held a fundraising quiz night, that raised over £700 to be spent on improvements in the park.

Havering Country Park is one of the oldest in London and dates back to the Romans. Most of Havering's residents know of the granting of the Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower by Edward IV in 1465. The medieval Palace of Havering was one of the principal residences of England's Kings and Queens until the 1400s. In fact, Havering Park was part of the estate of the Royal Palace and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Sadly, the palace fell into decay around 1650 and by 1816 no trace of it remained.

Havering Park Councillor, Andrew Mann said “The friends group have been doing a fantastic job in the park; they have been working well with the local Police Team and Council Officers in promoting and highlighting the good points of the park whilst working on more improvements and the Council commitment to put more capital money in the park”.

The friends group now have an e-mail address, if you would like more information about joining or being involved just e-mail on: fohcpg@googlemail.com

Clockhouse School

Clockhouse Primary school held its first Parents Association fundraising event today, Saturday 19th May, with a Pirates and Princess day. Residents Association Action members came along to support the day. Both Karen and Graham Price and Kevin Tonks popped their heads in for a while to see how the day was going. For Karen, it was a trip down memory lane, as she was a former pupil of the school, a little while ago we might add !


Clockhouse has gone through a big change in the last 6 to 12 months, with the former Junior and Infant schools merging to become a primary school and nursery. It was a big step for the school and so far things seem to be o.k. for them.

This event also marks the beginning of the first Parents Association in the school, this is also a big step, as it will allow the school to receive further funding from event such as this that are organised for the benefit of the school. The day raised over £1200, which is a fantastic start, event organiser Louise Stokoe (pictured with the Mayor on the left along with the Head Teacher on the right) done a wonderful job of co-ordinating the whole thing.


Cllr Mann said "I will be looking forward very much to the next event, the school children will benefit hugely from the fund raising efforts of parents and the local community"

Havering Mayor, Cllr Georgina Galpin also made a visit to the school, (pictured with Karen and Graham Price) which is nice for the children, as they always like to see the Mayor, especially in her robes.

Drop in Surgery this Saturday

Our latest Residents drop in surgery is being held this Saturday, the 19th April at our usual location of the Forest Row Centre in Lodge Lane, Collier Row, between 10.00 and 11.00, all you have to do is drop in, no need for an appointment.

Our Residents Association Councillor for Havering Park, Andrew Mann will be on hand along with Mawneys team members Graham & Karen Price to help with any issues you may have about havering Council, such as Housing, StreetCare, Council Tax, Education or any other matter that you may need help with.

If you can not make the surgery, you can always phone us for an appointment at a different time or drop us an e-mail or letter, contact details on the right hand column.

Havering Park Police Team briefing

Cllr Andy Mann met with Sgt Andy Barnes, the Havering park Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant yesterday, to discuss the latest Police issues affecting Collier Row and the surrounding areas.


Sgt Barnes (pictured with Cllr Mann at a previous meeting) has been in post for about 15 months now and the hard work of him and his team is starting to be felt around the ward, with far less problems than we had this time last year.

The main priority for the Team is still dealing with illegal motor bikes in Havering Country Park and Bedfords Park, along with a few youth problems in various locations and becoming more involved in the local schools in the ward, in particular, the only secondary school in North Romford, Bower Park.

The SNT can be contacted on the phone at any time 0208 721 2510, however it is only answered whilst on duty, at all other times you should leave a message for the team. If your issue is an emergency, you should always call 999.

Friends of Havering Country park

Mawneys Action Team member Joe Webster was on hand to represent the Residents Association at the latest meeting of the Friends of Havering Country Park on Monday night. A good-turn out of local people means this group is still growing and making a mark on what it is trying to do.

Discussion took place concerning the forthcoming work day in the park and the fund raising quiz next week, also at the meeting was Havering Councils Park Manager, Martin Stanton who was answering questions and informing the residents of what action the Council will be taking in the coming months to help improve the park.

The group meets monthly, if you would like to get involved or come to the next meeting, drop us a line on the contact details on the right hand side and we will pass your details on.

Post Office Objection

Below is the full copy of the objection sent in by Cllr Andrew Mann on behalf of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association and the local community as a whole.

Anita Turner
Network Development Manager
Post Office Ltd.
c/o National Consultation Team
Freepost Consultation Team

Dear Madam

Re: Gobions Avenue Post Office 37 Gobions Avenue, ROMFORD, Essex, RM5 3SS

As well as writing on behalf of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association, to which I am the Chairman, I am also writing as the local Ward Councillor for “Havering Park Ward” which takes in Gobions Avenue, I would therefore like to comment and object on the plans and inform you of not just mine but the local residents serious concerns if this plan to close continues and the devastating affect it will have on the local community.

I have also enclosed with my letter, a series of original and copies of letters from residents that were addressed to yourself, however residents sent them to me by mistake, you may or may not already have them, but I would like you to include them in the consultation.

Gobions Avenue Post Office is a very important and well used Post Office, with a large amount of elderly residents living in the local area of Chase Cross, Collier Row and the village of Havering-atte-Bower using it. The village in particular, would suffer more than most if this Post Office was to close, as the difficulty residents have with transport from the village is already a problem due to not being adequate.

The Post Office has been managed by Mr Sunny Patel for almost 20 years, his shop is a focal point local residents and he runs a very well organised Post Office that deals with many issues apart from just selling the odd stamp. His Post Office, I also understand, is one that produces a profit and to that end, I feel it will not be a burden on your Company if it was to stay open, as it will indeed produce a profit.

A lot of money has recently been spent by Havering Council and Transport for London on a regeneration project in the Gobions Avenue shopping parade, almost £80,000 has been spent on new paving, seating and extra lighting, all of this good work will go to waste if the Post Office was to close, as the closure would have an adverse affect on the other local shops.

Other options that have been put forward, such as North Street (Hainault Road) or the main Post Office in Collier Row just will not do. The main Post Office is just too far for many elderly people to travel to, with a lack of local parking. The Council has recently introduced charges to Collier Row Town Centre and there has been a very large back-lash of people not wishing to travel and park there. The free parking outside the Post Office does not allow for many vehicles to move in and out and there are only two disabled bays.

The Parking at Hainault Road is also non existent; it would be extremely difficult to park in a car in that area, as there is on street parking restrictions. I except that there is a limited bus service to Hainault Road, but this does not help the residents of Havering-Atte-Bower. However, the bus routes do not easily connect Collier Row Post Office to the local area of Gobions Avenue.

I would therefore ask you to reconsider these proposals; I have enclosed copies of letters and a petition that we have collected and ask that you consider the comments enclosed within them very carefully. I know many residents have written to you direct and I hope between all parties the local message has been communicated to you, I do hope you can keep this vital service open for our local community.

I await your response in relation to this matter just as soon as the proposals have been considered.

In the meantime, if I can be of any further assistance on this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me, either via the Members Room at the Town Hall or on Romford 432 034. You can also contact me via my e-mail address: andrew.mann@havering.gov.uk

Yours faithfully

COUNCILLOR ANDREW MANN

Shadow Cabinet Member for StreetCare
& Havering Park Residents Association Ward Councillor

CCTV Car - Top 20 Schools

Cllr Mann has hit out at the Conservative Administration over the amount of tickets the CCTV car has been issuing, in less than 9 months the total is now up to 21,000, however the most disturbing reading was the breakdown of how many tickets have been issued around schools in that time.

In a recent question at Full Council, Cllr Mann asked for a top 20 breakdown of vehicles around schools issued parking tickets, the top two were Ardleigh Green at 58 and St Edwards (although it does not make clear if this is primary or senior) was at 50. However the average was less than 10 tickets in 9 months outside the rest of the schools. Not one school in the North Romford area was on the list.

Cllr Mann Said “This is just another example of the CCTV car being used to target motorists, the very people the car was designed to protect are being neglected, at the cars launch Councillors were told it was going to be used outside schools, but this is not the case, I feel Cllr Barry Tebbutt (The Cabinet Member) has a lot of explaining to do”.

He went on “Lets not forget that Cllr Tebbutt also told us the CCTV car would only issue 2200 tickets in a year, yet it done that in its first month of operation and at 21,000 tickets in 9 months it is well on its way to issuing 25,000 in a full year, which should bring in approx £1.7m if the sums are correct”.

The Residents Association successfully called for the Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee to launch a review of the cars policy, this will then allow local residents to air their views and for the Cabinet to realise that they are using this car as a revenue income stream and not indeed improving road safety issues.

Question: The Breakdown of the Question is as follows.

Can you tell me how many tickets the CCTV Car has issued to vehicles parked around schools, with a breakdown of the top twenty across the Borough ?

Answer:

The database in Parking Services records the road in which each PCN is issued, but does not distinguish whether a ticket is issued in conjunction with enforcement around schools during the ‘school run’ period, or general enforcement at other times. However, records maintained by the parking attendants indicate that a total of 586 PCN’s have been issued, the top 20 schools being as follows;

Ardleigh Green 58
St. Edwards 50
St. Ursulas 35
Brady 25
Rainham Primary 18
Branfill 17
Brooklands 17
Crowlands 15
Chaffords 14
Gaynes 13
Dame Tipping 12
Mawney 11
St. Marys 10
St. Patricks 9
Nelmes 7
Engayne 7
Parklands 7
Whybridge 7
Harold Wood 7
Hilldene 7