Homes in Havering Troubles Continue

It has been announced by Havering Council today that Homes in Havering (HiH) has discovered a gap in its finances. The Council is investigating the exact details with HiH to deal with the issue, and a report on the situation will be brought to Cabinet shortly.

Apparently, the Council has raised concerns about HiH’s financial position and accounting practice over a number of months. HiH agreed with the Council that a team of forensic accountants undertake an initial audit of finances at HiH in September and that an interim Director of Finance should be appointed. His report now indicates a budget gap from last year’s accounts of between £1.8 million and £2.2 million.

Further work is now underway to clarify this year’s financial position, with the Council instructing HiH to account for any and all past and present budget gaps and explain how they occurred. The Council has also instructed HiH to cease all unnecessary expenditure, whilst safeguarding services to tenants and leaseholders, until its financial position is clear.

Havering Park Councillor, Andrew Mann said "I am amazed that HiH have managed to get themselves into such a mess, to over spend £2 million pound in a year is just unbelievable, it now seems that the former Chief Executive (Stephanie Miller) jumped off the ship at just the right time (see previous story on her £87,000 pay off) along with the finance director, who resigned just a month or so ago".

He went on "The only people to suffer in all of this, is the residents, lease holders and tenants of this Borough, with all none urgent expenditure cancelled, this will only serve to have a negative affect on our tenants. The Council needs to urgent set out exactly what is going on at HiH"

Park Consultation

A consultation is being held today at Chelmsford Avenue Play Site, behind Gobions Avenue in Collier Row some four years after funding for the park was secured. Cllr Mann said "This is the chance for local residents to have their say on what they want to see in the park, please go along and take a look at the plans and talk to the parks officers"

The public viewing session is being held in the park next today, the 30th October (between 11am and 3pm) during the school half term holidays for children and parents to come and view the plans and comment on what they want to see in the park.

Police crack-down on Halloween troubls

We are only a few days away from the 31st October, which means its Halloween, so we thought we would offer a dew words of advice to those at home and who do not wish to have kids pestering them.

Most of the children that do trick or treat are well behaved and out with the parents or an older brother or sister at a safe distance, often the children have taken the time to make there own costumes for the nights fun.

What is not fun, is a small minority of children that feel it is funny to throw eggs and flour or other object at people houses, in particular the elderly or frail within our community, if you know someone who may be at home on there own tonight, give them a call and make sure they are o.k, or even invite them round to your own house.

Local shops in Collier Row will not be selling eggs or flour to minors during the coming week, the Police have the powers to seach and arrest anyone during this time if found carrying eggs or flour.

If you have any serious concerns about anti social behaviour tonight, then phone the Police, either the SNT in Mawneys ward, on 0208 721 2586 or the Havering Park team on 0208 721 2510. If the matter is serious, then always dial 999.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

Pupils from years 7, 8 9 at Bower Park School staged their own version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this week, dozens of children spent their own time working with staff and teachers after school and during lunch times practicing for the show.

Over the two evenings of the show, hundreds of parents, family and pupils came along to watch along with some of the North Romford primary schools for the afternoon dress rehearsal.

School Governor, Cllr Andrew Mann went along with his children to watch the show, he said "The show was fantastic and the students were, as usual, a credit to the school, with some truly amazing performances by some of the lead characters, in particular Willy Wonka (above).

Chelmsford Avenue Play Site

A park in Collier Row is to finally get a make over in the coming months, following four years of delay by Havering Council. The Chelmsford Avenue Play Site (Behind Gobions Avenue, in Collier Row) became so overgrown and dangerous that the Police closed the Park in 2006; it remained locked shut for almost 12 months. Click here for previous story

Havering Park Ward Councillor Andrew Mann said some two years ago “There is no reason why this park has been left to rot, the Council closed the gates months ago, it has left local kids with no park to play in and there is no excuse for this delay”.

Cllr Mann was behind the original plan that secured the park over £65 thousand for a new play-site and improvements, he went on “Some four years ago, whilst still a Cabinet member, I secured the deal that saw the money invested in the park, by agreeing to allow a small piece of land by the side of the park to be used for building affordable houses, this then allowed much needed funding to be released into the park”.

Now some four years later, the Council are finally going out to consultation with local people on what they want to see in the park. A public viewing session is being held in the park next Thursday, the 30th October (between 11am and 3pm) during the school half term holidays for children and parents to come and view the plans and comment on what they want to see in the park.

Cllr Mann said “Chelmsford Avenue Play Site was allocated £65 thousand pounds over four years ago and it is a disgrace that the money has still not been spent, I would like to know why Havering Council has been dragging its feet on this issue for so long and left the children of this area without a park to use for many years.”

Veolia Cleanaway Trust 10th Anniversary

I was very pleased to be invited to join the 10 year celebration event of Veolia ES Cleanaway Riverside Trust today. I went along with R.A Councillors Ray Morgon and Steve Whittaker (pictured below) we all had a great day talking with the Trust staff, Havering Council Staff and Councillors and Representatives from Veolia, charities that had gained funding such as schools, Church's and museums.

The Cleanaway Trust, funds projects in Havering to the tune of over £1 million a year and in the 10 years of the Trust, it has given over £12 million to schemes in our Borough. In total 637 individual projects have been completed, costing £23.5 million, that in turn helped match funding of an additional £36.5 million.

The trust was set up 10 years ago to manage the tax credits generated by the landfill tax credit scheme, the scheme still operates now that Veolia purchased Cleanaway in 2006 in exactly the same way.

Mark Hunter Civic Reception

Cllr Andy Mann was on hand at todays Civic Reception in honour of former Bower Park pupil, Gold Medal winning rower, Mark Hunter, being held in the Liberty Shopping Centre and then back at the Town Hall.

Mark spent time signing photos for members of the public and time with pupils from his previous schools, Bower Park and Parklands Primary school. Cllr Mann said "The pupils from both Parklands and Bower Park were excellent, very well behaved and a credit to their schools".

Hundreds of Havering residents turned out to see Mark on his big day, including his whole family, the whole event then marched off through Romford towards the Town Hall behind a marching band.

Back at the Town Hall, pupils and teachers from Bower Park got the chance to try on the famous gold medal from China, before watching the race again on a large screen.

Rise Park School Merger

Collier Row Councillor Andrew Mann has hit out at the Conservative Administration in their handling of the proposed amalgamation of Rise Park Infant and Junior Schools. The proposal to consult in joining the two schools together was started back in May, when Cabinet member for Education, Cllr Geoff Starns (Tory) signed an Executive Decision agreeing to consult on the amalgamation. Cllr Mann said “It would seem he has now forgotten that”.

Cllr Mann has been inundated with concerned parents who are very unhappy that the two schools could merge into one and feel that following the public meetings last week, the Council are biased towards merging the schools and gave no evidence as to what benefits it would have..

Cllr Mann, whose children have attended the school, for the last seven year said “I am amazed that the Council would want to even think about closing the infant and junior schools and making a new Primary school, this action should only be considered if the school is failing and Rise Park is far from that situation”.

The amalgamation has been labelled a farce by Cllr Mann, after the three Conservative ward Councillors for Pettits Ward have all objected to the proposal by their own Cabinet colleague, with a few of them turning out for a photo shoot with the M.P for Romford and Cllr Starns all pretending to be concerned, they even brought along former Councillor, Alby Tebbutt.

Cllr Mann said “The farcical situation is that the Tories made the decision to consult on its merger in the first place and now they are all shouting their heads off, how they are against it, Cllr Starns evens turns up for a photo shoot against his own consultation”.

He went on “It would seem that the Conservative Party in North Romford are not content on ruining the reputation of Bower Park School (when they produced a leaflet suggesting it would close) they have now moved onto Rise Park, it would seem this bunch of so called local Councillors could not run a bath between them, let alone a Council”.

Cllr Mann has urged every parent of children at the school to write to the Borough with their objections, by the 26th October. You can do so by e-mailing primaryvision@havering.gov.uk or writing to Social Care & Leaning, 23 Eastern Road, Romford, RM1 3NH. Or you can log onto the Havering web site at http://www.havering.gov.uk/ and clicking “Education” and then “Consultations”.

Havering-Atte-Bower Horseman Show

The Havering Park team of Cllr Andy Mann, Kevin Tonks and Denis Stevens all attended the Havering-Atte-Bower Civic Societies first “Horseman’s Sunday Service” held on the village green. (I say first, the last one was held some 30 years ago, so it was the first event in modern times).

The event started with a parade of horses from across the various stables based in the Village, approx 40 where on display whilst an open air service was conducted by the Revd David Marshall of St Johns Church, with songs being sung and prayers said for the horses and for the residents of the village.

Tea and cake was kindly laid on by the Church, which some 100 plus people took advantage of in the glorious Autumn sun that came out especially for the day. After the horses had all been presented with a rosette by the M.P for Romford and a few by myself, it was over the road for daffodil planting.

Huge trenches had been dig for everyone to get on their hands and knees to plant some daffodils around the pond and green area. So next spring, we should expect to see hundreds of yellow flowers popping up through the grass.

The whole event was fantastic and really brought out the best of the village, my thanks to Nicky Gates and Heather Sherry (who are the Chairman and Secretary) and their team of helpers for putting the event together, I very much look forward to next years.

Cllr Andy Mann

Banking Crisis hits Havering

It would seem that Havering Council is one of 20 Local Authorities that has money tied up in Iceland in one of the two banks (Landbanksi or Heritable) in deep trouble; it has some £12.5 million at risk in one of the Icelandic banks that have filled for bankruptcy. Once again Havering has been caught up in the credit crunch (after pulling the plug on the swimming pool for Romford project)

The other Councils caught up in the banking fiasco are Kent County Council with £50m, Westminster with £17m, Sutton has £5.5m, Hertfordshire also has £17m and North and East Lincolnshire between them has £8m and whilst Buckinghamshire and Cornwall County Councils both have £5m tied up in Iceland.

Havering Park Councillor, Andrew Mann said “I have today written to The Chief Executive of Havering Council asking her to confirm how much we have on deposit with the banks and what risk there is of losing any the money and if this will affect the cash flow of the Council”.

There is a different set of rules around money held on account for Local Authorities to that of members of the public, where personal banking customers are now guaranteed the first £50k (up from £35k this week), no such guarantee exists for Local Authorities.

It is understood that Council Leaders from the Local Government Association are seeking urgent meetings with the Chancellor to discus the emerging crisis and to ask him to guarantee the money the same as personal bank customers.

New R.A. Web Sites Launched

New web sites have been launched by the Hornchurch Residents Association, at http://www.hornchurchresidentsassociation.org.uk/ and the Romford Residents Association at http://www.romfordra.co.uk/.

Both sites launched last month, provide local residents with up to date info on the work being done in Hornchurch wards, Hacton, Hylands & St Andrees and Romford wards, Pettits, Brooklands, Squirrels Heath and Romford Town.

You can also read the back issues of their newsletters, which have now all been archived on line, you can cheek out the sites by clicking the details above or on the link sites on the right hand side of this page.

Havering Country Park Litterpick

The Havering Park Residents Association team of Kevin Tonks, Denis Stevens and Cllr Andy Mann joined about a dozen members of the Friends of Havering Country Park group yesterday (Saturday) during its latest event.

The litter pick was organised by the group to clean up some of the mess that still remains in the park, such as litter and rubbish that blows into the deep foliage and bushes and then is lost as the summer comes along and the bushes and trees grow.

About 25 black bags were filled with rubbish, along with the old car tyres, containers, an old lawn mower and a deck chair were amongst the items found.

Cllr Mann said “This is the second litter pick the group has held and both Kevin, Denis and I are all pleased to be supporting the group that is trying to put something back into the park, it seems a shame that people still chooses to leave there rubbish in the park, or actually go out of their way to dump items”.

For more information about the friends group, you can go to their web site at http://sites.google.com/site/fohcpg. You can also phone or text the dedicated mobile number 07531-250463, or e-mail the group at fohcpg@googlemail.com

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.

Mayors New Car

Just as you think this Conservative Administration has taken us all for fools for the last time, they go and do it again, this time Leader of the Council, Cllr Michael White, surpasses himself by authorising the purchasing / lease of a new car for the Mayor.

However, it is by no means an ordinary car; it is a £50 Thousand plus Mercedes S class, in black of course. The decision was taken this week in what is know as an “Executive Decision” and signed by the Leader himself.


Cllr Mann said “The Tories have got ideas of grandeur above themselves, to spend that amount of money on a new car for the Mayor is unbelievable, the old car is still running perfectly well, even if it is a Rover 75 (pictured above), it is serviced by our own garage staff at Purfleet and has very low mileage”.
Leader of the Residents Association, Cllr Clarence Barrett said “At a time of rising inflation, cutbacks and the economic uncertainty, the need to exercise prudence is more important than ever. The current proposal to lease a Mercedes S class gives us no indication of costing, no idea of running costs and little evidence of alternative options being pursued. Whilst the car should be suitable for mayoral duties, there is a compelling need to ensure that council taxpayers are getting value for money and that environmental issues are also considered”.

The Residents Association will now be “Calling In” the decision, which means it will have to go before a special meeting of the Corporate Overview & Scrutiny meeting before the decision can be acted upon, the date of the meeting is not yet know, however it should be within the next two weeks.

Before anyone accuses me of making it up, follow this link to the Havering Web site http://www.havering.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=15361&p=0 where you can see a copy of the document yourself.

London Open House Weekend

Open House London, the capital's largest architectural showcase, is set to take place this weekend, Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September. Many of Havering's most interesting buildings, some of which don't usually offer public access, will give visitors a chance to take a peek behind their doors and participate in guided walks and tours.

The event is a celebration of architecture past and present and the weekend aims to be fun and interesting to all. There are 690 sites taking part London-wide and in Havering there are 14 locations for you to visit as well as two guided walks.

Open House Weekend is a great opportunity for you and the family to come and see the new sails at The Upminster Windmill, and why not come and have a nose around The Town Hall in Romford, The Queens Theatre, The roundhouse in Havering-Atte-Bower and Fairkytes. For full details on all of the properties that are open, please follow the link below.

http://www.havering.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=14022

If you're a Havering resident don't miss the first Discover Havering weekend this Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

During the weekend many Havering attractions, restaurants and sports facilities will offer free entry, discounts or special offers to anyone who lives in, works in or is visiting the borough. For more details go to the link below.

http://www.havering.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=13987

KERB STONES

Loose kerb stones are creating a nuisance if not a danger in Rodney Way and the surrounding streets. When these were laid, the shallow kerbs were set on the concrete road base. Over time weathering, vibration, tree roots and pavement parking have taken their toll. The stones have come loose and are finishing up in the road creating a hazard particularly to cyclists.

Mawneys Team Member, Joe Webster (pictured above) has alerted StreetCare to the problem several weeks ago but as yet nothing has been done. Apart from urgent repairs to what is a dangerous situation, the Council should be looking to next years StreetCare budget for some planned maintenance in Mawneys Ward. There was nothing in this year's.

School Governors wanted

Have you ever considered becoming a School Governor? Every school in the borough has a Governing Body which is responsible for the Management of the School. Duties include staffing, budgets, monitoring and acting as a Critical Friend. It offers personal development, training and the opportunity to include something positive to a CV.

If you feel you can contribute to a Governing Body and are looking for a challenging but very rewarding role please contact Cllr Any Mann 01708 768 008, or e-mail andrew.mann@havering.gov.uk for more information.

Green Flag for Bedfords Park

Bedfords Park in Broxhill Road, Havering-atte-Bower has again been awarded the coveted Green Flag status, the award is the national standard for parks and green spaces. Bedfords is also home to Essex Wildlife Trust, with the visitors centre entering its fifth year in the park, bringing in visitors far and wide. The park occupies some 210 acres


Cllr Andy Mann (pictured with last years flag) said "It is wonderful that the park has again achieved green flag status, it is largely down to the hard work of the staff in the park, Essex Wildlife and the Friends Group".

Havering Council had made previous submissions and last year gained its first award for the park. A great deal of work had gone into the bid and a lot of that work was supported by the "Friends of Bedfords Park" group, a group of volunteers that give up their own time to improve the environment of the park, along with the Grounds Maintenance staff that have been doing a great job in keeping everything clean and tidy.

Bedfords Park was enclosed in the 15th century by Sir Thomas Cooke, one-time Lord Mayor of London, and remained in his family for almost 200 years. It was acquired in 1771 by John Heaton who built a the manor house of Bedfords on the crest of the hill which was enlarged in the 19th century and extensive gardens laid out around it, much of which still remain such as the monkey puzzle trees, cedars of Lebanon and rhododendrons.

Olympic Rower Mark Hunter at Bower Park

Former Bower Park student and Olympic gold medal winning rower, Mark Hunter was mobbed by hundreds of pupils as he returned to his former school today.

Mark, who used to live in Collier Row, spent almost the whole day in the school, meeting and talking to the 800 plus children and staff and of course showing off the now famous Beijing gold medal. He also attended classes, school assembly and a question and answer session. He was mobbed by hundreds of pupils during morning break and spent his day constantly signing autographs for the children.

Head Teacher, Mary Morrison said “It was fantastic having Mark back in school today, he is an inspiration to us all, he has proved that with a little hard work and commitment you can achieve whatever you set out to do, we are all extremely proud of him and wish him all the best in America for the next 12 months coaching women’s rowing in Los Angeles”.

Mark and his rowing partner, Zac Purchase crossed the line in first place in the men's lightweight double sculls on Sunday, August 17, winning gold. Their boat crossed the 2,000-metre line in a world beating 6.mins 10.99secs, at the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park in China in an Olympic best as they beat Greece and Denmark.

School Governor and Ward Councillor, Andrew Mann said “It was a great privilege to meet Mark today, he has achieved something that almost all of us can only ever dream about, he was fantastic in school, taking time out to talk with the children about his achievements and what is was like to be part of the U.K Olympic team”.

Marks visit today was one of his last public appearances in the Borough and the U.K as he heads of to America to start a new job as a rowing coach at the University of Los Angeles.

Before visiting the School, Mark said: "I want to go to the school and to see the teachers and the kids and to give them the opportunity to touch the medal and wear it, so that they can get a sense of how amazing it is to follow a path that you want to go down.

"I've been dying for this day since I started rowing. The national anthem, the flag, it's a dream come true, It feels like a dream has come true and I feel so relaxed and complete because I have achieved the one thing I always wanted “. He went on "Nothing else can ever live up to this moment."

Romford Crossrail Information Session

Crossrail is the new £15.9 billion railway project to improve rail journeys across London between Maidenhead in the west and Shenfield in the east. The project is the largest single investment in London transport infrastructure for 50 years. It aims to improve journeys, provide more comfort for passengers, reduce congestion as well as create job opportunities throughout the region.

The new railway will run in underground tunnels from Paddington to Whitechapel, then on to the Isle of Dogs and Stratford. It will connect to existing railways to serve stations across London and the South East, including Heathrow, Maidenhead, Shenfield and Abbey Wood.

Funding for the project was agreed in autumn 2007. The Crossrail Bill received Parliamentary approval in July 2008 and provides powers to build the railway.

Crossrail is holding exhibitions throughout September 2008 as part of its longstanding commitment to keeping the public and other stakeholders informed.

As part of this initiative, Crossrail are holding an exhibition in Romford Town Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, 10th and 11th September 2008. It will be open to all in the community between 2pm and 8pm on both days.

You do not need to book in, just tuen up and see for yourself the info on display, you can also ask questions of Crossrail staff who will be onhand during the two days.