Smoke Free Havering

By the time you are reading this, the nationwide smoking ban in public places will have just started. On the 1st July, new regulations banning smoking in every workplace and public place will start and it will have huge implications for everyone, not just non smokers.

The key points are:

From 1 July 2007 it will be against the law to smoke in virtually all enclosed and substantially enclosed public places and workplaces.

Public transport and work vehicles used by more than one person will also need to be smokefree.

No-smoking signs will have to be displayed in all smokefree premises and vehicles.

Staff smoking rooms and indoor smoking areas will no longer be allowed, so anyone who wants to smoke will have to go outside.

Managers of smokefree premises and vehicles will have legal responsibilities to prevent people from smoking.

If you are uncertain where you can or can't smoke, just look for the no-smoking signs or ask someone in charge.

If you don't comply with the new smokefree law, you will be committing a criminal offence and local Councils across the Country will have enforcement officers issuing fixed penalty notices if you commit an offence.

For more on the new regulations, the campaign and full information see the official government site: http://www.smokefreeengland.co.uk/

Two Tier Parking Penalties

Motorists are being reminded that the country's first city-wide two tier parking penalties scheme based on the seriousness of the contravention committed will be introduced in London from 1 July.

The scheme will mean drivers parking at bus stops, on pedestrian crossings, or in the safety zones outside schools will receive a higher penalty than those overstaying at a parking meter.

A £120 penalty will be applied to serious contraventions in central London, while lesser contraventions will attract a penalty of £80. In outer London the penalty will be £100 and £60. All penalties will be reduced by 50 per cent if paid within 14 days.

This new system will mean that motorists committing some parking contraventions will receive a £20 lower penalty then they currently do.

The introduction of the scheme follows an extensive consultation with the public, motoring organisations and other interested parties carried out last year by London Councils and Transport for London (TfL).

More than 80 per cent of those who responded to the consultation said that acts of illegal parking causing the most disruption, frustration and danger to other road users should be penalised more heavily than others.

Motorists wrongly using bus lanes or committing moving traffic contraventions - including entering a box junction when their exits are blocked and going through a no entry sign - will receive a £120 penalty from 1 July.

Lorry company operators and drivers breaking the London Lorry Control Scheme will also receive £550 and £120 penalties respectively from 1 July.

Friends of Havering Park Meeting

This Thursday (the 21st June) a meeting is being held by the "Friends of Havering Country Park" at the North Romford Community Centre, in Clockhouse Lane, Collier Row at 7.30 pm. If you are interested in what goes on in the park and would like to have a say about its future, then you should turn up.

The meeting has been put together by the Havering Park Safer Neighbourhood Team, under Sgt Andy Barnes and his team of Officers. The aim of a friends group is to bring together like mined residents to support the work in the park and to raise money from external sources, something the Council can not do, unless it is supported by local residents.

It is not run by or organised by Councillors, Friends Groups can only attract outside money if is run by local residents, however any residents that joins the group will have the full support of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association and our Ward Co-ordinators in making it a success.

I hope to see you at the meeting.

Planet Havering - The show goes on

Despite the rain threatening to wash out the whole day, I made it to Planet Havering yesterday, numbers seemed lower than in previous year, which im sure was down to the rain, however that did not stop the show from going on !

I managed to do a whistle stop tour of the show with my eldest daughter in an hour and a half; we visited all of the marquees and managed to pick up a few goodies to take home, such as pens and pencils and the odd ruler.

The show is a great way of promoting and educating people in recycling and showing the benefits of environmental improvements that we can make to our homes and lives, with some simple changes in our life styles.

A lot of work goes into putting the show together, the staff that organise Planet Havering do a fantastic job, with not a lot of resource. However, I do think that the show suffered in a little way by lack of support from the Administration, it was very late in the day that they agreed to fund the short fall after a major environmental backer pulled out.

The Residents Association made a budget allocation to expand this show from this year, however the Tories voted down our budget, so there was no extra money. We do hope though that they take note from one, our budget and secondly this web site (as I know the Tories read it, how else would they know what goes on in Collier Row) and actually put the proper resource behind the show next year.

Residents Association win the St Andrews Ward By-Election

Hornchurch Residents’ Association candidate Mike Winter has won last Thursdays by-election held in St Andrew’s ward, in Hornchurch, by a massive 400 majority.

Married dad-of-one Mike represented St Andrew’s on Havering Council for a number of years before last years elections and is now welcomed back to continue working for the community.



The poll results are as follows:

Durant (Third Way) 184
Kamal (Lib Dem) 80
Logan (BNP) 580
Murphy (Conservative) 583
Vincent (Labour) 511
Webb (UKIP) 169
Winter (Hornchurch Residents’ Association) 993

Turn-out was low at 29.6%.

Planet Havering Show - this Saturday

This weekend see the ever popular Planet Havering Environmental show.

Come and join in the fun on 16 June. It's designed to promote environmental awareness whilst having fun! We've only got one planet! So let's learn how to care for it! Admission FREE!
It is being held at Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

It will be a chance to learn about protecting our environment and you can get useful tips on how to apply green ideas in your home.

There will be displays and demonstrations about recycling, wildlife, healthy living, travel, energy and heritage.

You can visit the Croissant Neuf Circus and the Green Roadshow or if you're feeling inspired, you can have a go at some arts and crafts. If you're feeling peckish, there will be a yummy selection of food to choose from and plenty of juicy drinks to quench your thirst.

If you are feeling active, you can try some of our energetic activities but if you want to relax, you can sit back and enjoy some music!

There's plenty to keep you amused all day long - and the good news is, that admission is free!!

Its an Honour !

At the Annual meeting of Havering Council held in May, Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association member, Graham Price received an award of Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Havering. He was presented with a certificate from the new Mayor and is inscribed “In gratitude for the long and eminent service rendered to the people and Borough of Havering” He was nominated for the award by Cllr Andrew Mann and the Residents Group of Councillors. You can only receive the award if you are an ex Councillor and should have served a minimum term of 16 years.

On receiving the award Graham said “This is an award that I greatly appreciate, indeed so does my family. I am grateful to members of the Council for conferring it upon me and to the Residents Group for nominating me. My public life in Havering began way back in 1974, when the Council appointed me as a member of the old Romford Area Youth Service Consultative Committee and I was also appointed as a school governor for the first time.

I served as a Councillor for the first time from 1978 to 1990 and then again from 2002 to 2006. During those 16 years, I served on various Council committees, in particular Health and Housing. I was also involved with the London Accident Prevention Council. Although, no longer a Councillor, I still continue to serve as a Governor on both Crownfield Infant and Junior schools”.

There are only eight Honorary Freeman of the Borough, five were created last year, the two others were appointed with Graham and are sitting members of Parliament in Havering, and were both Councillors for a total of sixteen years between them, which Graham did on his own !

Blog Update

Its been a few weeks since i have posted any new stories, lts of reasons for this, which i shall list in no particular order,

I.T issues with my p.c not allowing cookies, which blogger needs to work.

Have been busy in the Town Hall, in particular with the Car Park campaign

Have been putting together our next news letter which will be out shortly, with an increased size of 16 pages of local news.

Anyhow, come back over the weekend as i attempt to upload a few of the things that have been going on over the last few weeks. Today is also our monthly residents drop in surgery, so will be meeting people later to discuss issues and concerns.

Andy

Latest on the Parking Report

This Wednesday, the Tory Cabinet agreed the Parking Strategy Report, despite a lengthy debate and opposition from many Councillors.

Much was said by the Tory Cabinet members why this was the best thing since sliced bread, they just can not see what damage they will be doing to our small town centres.

However all is not lost, as the opposition spokesman on Environmental matters i will be "calling in" the report, which means that the Cabinet can not act on the proposals until a meeting of the Environment Overview & Scrutiny meeting has been held.

This will then give Residents Association and other opposition Councillors the chance to question the Cabinet on why they are bringing forward the plan and all of its 28 recommendations. Once the meeting date has been agreed, i will post more info.

In the mean time, the on line petition is increasing in size every day, if you would like to sign it, follow the link below.

http://www.gopetition.com/online/12181.html

Residents Drop in Surgery

We had another successful Residents Drop in surgery this Saturday at the Forest Lodge Activity Centre, in Lodge Lane, Collier Row. A number of residents came along to discuss issues that are concerning them and to meet the team.

Our next surgeries are held the second Saturday of the month, from 10.30 to 12.00 at the Forest Row centre in Lodge Lane, the next surgery is being held on Saturday

If you need any help or advice, just drop in and speak with us, or if your situation is more urgent, you can e-mail, andrew.mann@havering.gov.uk or phone on 01708 768 008.

The site currently has building work going on, however the centre it is fully open and operational, so don't be put of by appearances. Click here, for a link to see a map of the location of the centre.

Say no to Car Park Charges in Collier Row

The Conservative Administration ruling Havering Council this week launched a “Parking Management Strategy” report, with a 28 point action plan to agree the future management of the Councils Parking Services and associated operations. The report and press release sent out this week would have you think its all good stuff, but read deeper into the 40 page report and the real truth comes out.

The main changes in the report include:

The introduction of pay and display machines in all of the Boroughs Car Parks and new parking charges, this includes Rex Close, behind Tesco in Collier Row.

Restrictions changed so you can not park on single yellow lines on a Sunday.

Parking Permits to be linked to Vehicle Emissions, so families with people carriers and large family cars will be hit hardest.

For those that live in a controlled Parking Zone, a huge increase in charges, with the 3rd car costing £100 (there are non in Collier Row at present)

A special pass for Council workers to park illegally in residents and visitors bays and some single yellow lines, free of charge, whilst residents and visitors have to park up and walk to there destination.

Parking Charges for Blue Badge holders in all Car Parks (except level 1 disabilities) therefore affecting many elderly and disabled residents.

Disk Parking bays to be scrapped if Pay & Display machine recover there money within 2 years. (currently quite a few in Collier Row)

Changes to allow just a select few to agree to installing double yellow lines, therefore removing local Councillors and residents views.

Consent for CCTV cars to enforce no right turns, yellow box junctions, no U turns, One way streets and other moving traffic offences, which could be a huge income generator for Havering.

Charges for Blue Badge Applications, affecting the elderly and disabled again.

Charges for traffic orders dealing with Carnivals, marches and parades, risking these free events to residents by huge charges.


If you wish to oppose this new parking regime, drop me a line via the Town Hall, or sign the residents Associations on line petition at the following web site. http://www.gopetition.com/online/12181.html

Friends of King Georges Quiz Night

I have been a little behind with my posts over the last 2 weeks, so most apologise for the delay in reporting on what i have been up to. Two weeks ago, i joined Karen & Graham Price (From our Mawneys team) and Cllr Ray Morgon and our family and friends to attend a Quiz Night in aid of the Friends of King Georges Playing Fields.

It was a great night, with over 50 local people present to raise funds for this wonderful organisation that has put the improvement of the park t the top of the local agenda. Well, we did not come last, that's all i can say, there was some debate on when we should play our joker, if we had played it on "Sport" we would have come forth, however due to our choices on the night, we came fifth and no, before you all wonder, there was more than five teams, i think there was ten.

Well done to Linda Trew and her team for putting it all together. Graham Price presented Linda with a framed photo highlighting some of the work that has been achieved.

Friends of Havering Park Meeting

As mentioned in the previous post, the meeting for the Friends of Havering County Park was last Thursday evening. I attended along with 20 - 25 local residents who had been informed of the meeting. However, there was some concern that not many people knew about the meeting.

Havering Council had kindly placed an advert in the April issue of Living mag, however most of them had not been delivered by the 26th April, the night of the meeting, this is not acceptable, as many residents missed out, and i have taken the issue up with the Assistant Chief Executive of Havering to ask for an explanation.

Apart from only a few people present, the meeting went very well, it was chaired by Sgt Andy Barnes of Havering Park Safer Neighbourhoods Police Team, Sgt Barnes was supported on the night by the rest of his team.

The basic idea of how a friends group works was explained to all present, lots of questions were asked and a lot of concerns where expressed about the park, in particular the amount of motor bikes that illegally use the park. Sgt Barnes outlined some of the operations and work that has already gone on, such as the operation that i attended some two months ago.

Another meeting is going to be held around mid June time t try and set the group up, if you would like to attend keep watching the blog site for an update when we know the date. Or, if you would like to get involved, drop me a line know and i can send you some details in the post.

Friends of Havering Country Park

This Wednesday, the 25th April, a meeting is being held at the North Romford Community Centre, in Clockhouse Lane, Collier Row to bring together local residents who live in Collier Row and Havering-Atte-Bower to talk about issues affecting Havering Country Park and to see about setting up a friend’s of the Park group.

The meeting has been put together by the Havering Park Safer Neighbourhood Team, under Sgt Andy Barnes and his tem of Officers. The aim of a friends group is to bring together like mined residents to support the work in the park and to raise money from external sources, something the Council can not do, unless it is supported by local residents.

It is not run by or organised by Councillors, Friends Groups can only attract outside money if is run by local residents, however any residents that joins the group will have the full support of the Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association and our Ward Co-ordinators in making it a success.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm, I hope to see you there.

Happy St Georges Day

Well today is St Georges Day, the 23rd April. Despite many residents and Politicians calling for a Bank Holiday for today, we still don’t have one. I do think that many residents would support the idea of introducing a National Day. As usual nothing is being organised by Havering Council, despite all the big words.

Apart from both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor attending the Scouts, St Georges Parades in Romford, Hornchurch and Squirrels Heath Scout Districts, nothing much happened, apart from the market traders displaying their flags in the market place, which of course they have done so for years.

As a Scout Leader of 15 years now, I was pleased to attend the St Georges Parade in Romford yesterday, Cllr Georgina Galpin, the Deputy Mayor was in attendance and looked great in all her splendour, she spent a lot of time talking with all of the young Beavers, Cubs & Scouts, which was nice to see.

As there is no bank holiday, I suppose I better get of to work, let’s see what happens next year.

SNT Police Ward Panel Meeting

I attended a panel meeting of the Havering Park Safer Neighbourhood Team this week; the meeting was held at Clockhouse School and involved a number of key people from within the ward.

The idea of the Ward Panel is simple. Local residents meet and discuss issues around Policing in the ward; they then set the local team their priorities. They are based on what residents feel are the highest priorities within the ward.

I was pleased to be invited to this weeks meeting by Sgt Andy Barnes, he has only been with the Havering Park team for a few months, he has a great team of officers that are always willing to listen and help. I hope to be at the next ward meeting, so if you have any ideas about what our team should be looking at more closely, drop me a line and I will pass on any comments.

The idea of Safer Neighbourhood Policing is basically going back to the old days when we had beat bobbies patrolling collier Row, each officer has his or her own patch, allowing residents to get to know the officers.

SNT are not emergency response teams though, they work different shift patterns each day of the week, including weekends. If you have an emergency you should always phone 999. I have included the contact details of the team below.

The number for the team is 0208 721 2510 or mobile 07876 392 006, or you can e-mail them on the following address, Haveringpark.snt@met.police.uk

Blog Site to be researched

I am pleased to inform all of my avid readers of this website that it has recently been recognised as part of a major piece of research being carried out by the De Montfort University in Leicester.

Cllr Mann’s blog has been selected from a range of political blog sites, from Members of Parliament and Councillors across the Country, the results of the in-depth analysis will be presented to the Political Studies Association Annual Conference later this year and published in a special issue of “Information Polity” that is being written by Dr Scott Wright and Prof Stephen Coleman of De Montfort University.

Cllr Mann said, “I am pleased that my web site has been recognised in this way, I look forward to seeing the results of the analysis later this year when published, I have tried to make the stories on the site, both interesting and informative to residents of North Romford”.

The addition of a new web counter to the site has shown that the website is now receiving over 100 hits a week, with this figure slowly increasing week on week.

Recent postings to the site include, Crackdown on illegal motorbikes, Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association Drop in Surgery details, Collier Row Regeneration Project, on line version of our recent News Letter and some personal views of Cllr Mann on the goings on in the Town Hall generally.

Area Committee

This Thursday will see the last Area Committee of this municipal year, being held at the usual location of the Immanuel School, Havering Road North, the formal meeting starts at 7.30pm, with StreetCare staff on hand from 7pm.

Do you have any issues with the local Council that you would like to discuss, there is one report on the agenda dealing with an upgrading of bus stops in Havering Road and Pettits Lane North.

A repoert requested by myself concerning the River Rom has failed to appear on the agenda, as i write this post i am still waiting to hear why this is the case.

Residents Drop in Surgery

The Collier Row & Mawneys Residents Association is holding its first residents drop in surgery this Saturday, the 14th April. They are being held at the old Forest Lodge School Site, (F.L.A.C) in Lodge Lane, Collier Row, from 10.30 to 12.00. Click here for location details.

Cllr Andrew Mann will be on hand with both “Mawneys” and “Havering Park” Ward Organisers to listen to local residents and any concerns they may have with Havering Council, such as Housing, StreetCare or Parks issues. There is no need to make an appointment, just drop in during the morning; we will even make you a cup of tea.

If you need to make a private appointment with Cllr Mann to discuss an issue, you can still do so by phoning 01708 768 008.

Safer Neighbourhood Team Police Meeting

I had one of my regular briefings with the Havering Park, Safer Neighbourhood Team last week. Sgt Andy Barnes the team leader for our ward outlined some of his current issues, concerns and operations. We spoke about anti social behaviour in Collier Row, motor bikes in the Country Park and other Police issues affecting the Ward.

The day we meet, happened to coincide with the third anniversary of SNT's in London, although Havering Park was one of the last wards in London to get a full team, they have now been in existence across the Capital as a whole for three years. They are probably the only expansion in the Mayor of London’s budget that I could agree with.

We also discussed the newly created Ward Panel, this is a team of residents who live in the ward, they help scope and focus the team on priorities that residents want. The SNT are not lead by the Borough, but by what needs the ward have, which helps them to become truly local.

Sgt Barnes is a big believer in partnership working, he has made a huge impact in the 4 months or so that he has been on the team, working hard with all of his team together, to tackle local community issues, identified by local people.

Sgt Barnes said, “This is a really exciting time for the Havering Park Ward. We now have a really fantastic opportunity to move forward and resolve issues that locals want resolving. Rolling out the Safer Neighbourhoods model of community policing and working closely with our partners including Councillors is what it is all about. Importantly - our `community' is one of those partners”.