Free Swiming for Under 16's or Over 60's

HAVERING RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO MAKE A SPLASH

From April this year thousands of Havering residents will be able to take advantage of a new scheme providing free swimming to the borough’s oldest and youngest people. Everyone aged 60 and over and 16 and under will be able to swim for free at the borough’s three pools, Hornchurch Sports Centre, Central Park Leisure Centre and Chafford Sports Centre.

With just weeks to go before the scheme starts, residents have been encouraged to register now. Then they will be issued with an Everyone Active swipe card, which they can use at their chosen pool from April 1.

To register, residents must fill in a form which can be obtained from libraries, leisure centres and other Council buildings, as well as on the website http://www.havering.gov.uk/. Completed forms should be taken, along with a valid form of identification such as a driving licence or birth certificate, to one of the leisure centres where the card will be issued.

The initiative aims to get more people active in the run up to the London Olympics in 2012. Free swimming is available during the pools' public opening hours. The scheme is funded by a £140 million package with contributions from the Departments of Culture, Media and Sport, Health, Children, Families and Schools, Work and Pensions and Communities and Local Government.

Havering will receive £72,614 per annum to provide free swimming for those aged 60 and above and £135,820 to provide it for those aged 16 and under. It is funded for two years after which it will be subject to a government review.

Romford Market Place Festival

With the 2012 London Olympic Games countdown now started, join the fun at the Romford Festival this Sunday 28 September. The free day includes music and performances, sporting activities and exhibitions, craft workshops and fashion displays and a fabulous parade lead by a giant phoenix. And one lucky sports fan will win a unique t-shirt signed by eight of our Olympic athletes - courtesy of The Mall shopping centre in Romford.

For more information, click on the poster below, to take you direct to the link on the Havering Web site.

Residents Association 2012 Olympics Petition

Residents Association Councillor, Clarence Barrett recently presented the 3,519 strong Havering Residents Association petition, which protests about the funding arrangements for the 2012 Olympic Games, it was presented to the Mayor of London via the GLA Assembly. Havering and Redbridge GLA Member, Cllr Roger Evans

Cllr Clarence Barrett said: “Whilst welcoming the Games to London in 2012, the issue of funding the Olympics and who will meet the overspend has a particular significance to the residents of Greater London. I am very pleased that the thousands of people who have signed our petition will now have their views expressed to the Mayor. Indeed, I shall be making sure the Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, also receives a copy.

“I am very grateful to the support given to this petition by the residents of Havering and beyond and firmly believe that the existence of this protest has and will make a difference to the outcome of this issue”.

The wording of the petition is as follows:

To: Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London

Under a pre-arranged deal with the government, council taxpayers across London are compelled to pay an additional £20 per year (based on an average Band D property) for up to eleven years to raise £625 million towards the total cost of the 2012 Olympic Games.
The average council tax across London has increased by 35 per cent over the last five years and has become a significant financial burden for many thousands of residents.

a) There has been no direct consultation with Londoners regarding the setting of an Olympic levy and we do not consider it fair to impose the charge on London residents alone. The 2012 Games is set to benefit the country as a whole and we submit that the costs, including the £625 million, should be shared across the country as a whole.

b) Should the staging the London 2012 Olympic Games result in an overspend against budget, we seek absolute assurance that Londoners will not have this deficit added to council tax bills beyond the pre-arranged period.