The Elephant inside the Plastic Bag

Today’s rant by the Daily Mail on Plastic Bags pretty much ignores [as you would expect] what goes inside those Plastic Bags. If you do your food shop in a Supermarket, pretty much everything you buy comes in it’s own disposable plastic wrapping, most of which is NOT recyclable.

Even the Guardian does not pick up this point, and before anyone points it out, yes, I am guilty, that's my kitchen.

Vrooooooooooooooom!

So, while we are on the subject of green energy, today we had the launch of the world's first national motorway network of electric car-charging points provided by Ecotricity. What’s more they are free to use and solar powered.

So why not put the bloody solar panel on the car roof and then you don’t even have to stop? You can even make it look like an aerofoil for the boy racers.

Meanwhile the government have rejected calls to require car manufacturers to incorporate artificial warning noises in electric cars because they are so quiet.

"The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has warned electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles that operate on electric power at low speed, are "virtually silent". As a result there are "serious implications for the independent mobility and safety of blind and partially sighted people".

However, the government have obviously twigged that modern vehicles come with a 360° sound system complete with 1,500 watt speakers to provide entertainment for anyone who happens to be within 14 miles.

But to round off, whether you are driving on electricity at 1p per mile or petrol at 10p per mile here is a rather good piece on eco-driving.

“Staggeringly, the average driver can shave at least £300 off the annual petrol fuel bill simply by changing their driving habits.”

Plumb Green

(L-R) ABC Services apprentice David Clark with South Tyneside Homes apprentices Steven Johnson and Carl Drew fitting a solar thermal system as part of their training.

See those guys in the photo? They are Plumbing apprentices at Gateshead College with a twist. They were able to top-up their skills with a further certificate in renewable technologies - They learned how to install and maintain solar thermal heating systems, rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling as well as both air source and ground source heat pumps.

But get this: Gateshead College is the first and only college in the country to introduce the extra element to the current plumbing apprenticeship free of charge and we now have 13 third-year apprentices who have completed the BPEC qualification. Wow! 13. For the whole country.

Blaydon-based ABC Services will now be able to extend the scope of services it offers to customers. Rhoda Hutton said: “We are always looking to improve the services that we can offer our customers and we are keen to offer our clients renewable technology services."

“Now that we have an employee that is competent and qualified to complete this work, we will look to add solar thermal and other green services. It is certain to give us a competitive edge”

Their apprentice, 23-year-old David Clark, said: “Being able to extend my apprenticeship to include renewable training has been an invaluable opportunity.”

“The skills I learnt will certainly benefit me as more plumbing contracts diversify to incorporate green services.”

You never know it could catch on, we do have the Greenest Government ever and being “market” oriented they do seem to appreciate and encourage enterprise and new opportunities – don’t they?

Vocation, Vocation, Vocation.

Full Press Release Here.

Making a Little go a Long Way

NEW BBC SERIES IS LOOKING FOR FAMILIES WHO CAN MAKE A LITTLE MONEY GO A LONG WAY

Following on from Channel 4’s Super Scrimpers Auntie Beeb has commissioned an independent television production company (Crackit Productions) to make a new series where ‘frugal families’ advise other families who live beyond their means on how best to manage their finances.

Ideally, they are looking for families from all over the country with at least two generations who can visually demonstrate tips on how to budget and save. These families will not earn huge amounts of money, but they will have mastered methods on how to be resourceful with their finances.

Are you great at finding bargains?
Can you work out a budget and stick to it?
We're looking for frugal families to take part in a new BBC series, where families who can make the most of what cash they’ve got, give help and advice to families who live way beyond their means.

If you are good at making every penny count then don’t delay, get in touch with us. Call Zyreeta on 020 7156 7322 or email info@crackitproductions for more info.
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Compulsory viewing for MEPs, MPs, Mayors, AMs and Councillors, what?

The Art of Energy Generation

Do you recall the art installation due to be erected down on Gants Hill roundabout and dubbed by locals as The Egg Whisk? Well, imagine my surprise when dopeyf sends me a link to a piece talking about Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) which look like Egg Whisks. Of course they don’t all look like egg whisks, some of them are more like a drill bit or for the technically minded an Archimedes Screw. But let’s stick with the Egg Whisks.

Because they have a vertical axis they don’t need whopping great propellor blades, don’t have to be so big and don’t suffer from vibration and noise. According to the article, if a wind farm is designed properly, using these VAWTs the efficiency can be increased ten fold. Also by alternating the direction of spin the knock on wind turbulance is minimised. They are only about 30 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter and according to Dabiri “the global wind power available 30 feet off the ground is greater than the world's electricity usage, several times over," Full article here.

So, the counter to all those people currently objecting to bloody great 150 foot propellor turbines is to offer them an Art Installation on the Gants Hill model.

Elsewhere in the Energy news the government City is urging Centrica to withdraw its plans to build new Nuclear Power Stations while the brakes are put on nuclear trains running through Redbridge, but only for the Olympics.

And Why installing solar power looks increasingly attractive for homeowners.

Inspiration 2011

Yesterday [Sunday] was the big Inspiration 2011 event over at Fairlop Waters, marking one year to go to the 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately I could not be there, as I was contracted to assemble one of those Garden Adventure Play things for my grand daughter using only a Swiss Army Penknife. But our Chairman was there and so was our resident photographer Ron Jeffries - see slide show below.

Meanwhile the Games minister fears London Transport is not up to the job. This is not just about Public Transport, for which there is always a risk of a breakdown, but also the way in which the road traffic is to be “managed”. If some of the schemes implemented around here are anything to to go by, then I think he has a point.

Then we have the beyond parody pledge by one of the Games sponsors to create the World’s Largest Macdonalds at the games site in Stratford. At 3,000 sq-meters it will accommodate 1,500 people at a time, and this is only one of four of such eateries in or around the site. They plan to serve 1,750,000 of their “meals” during the event. Gold Medal time?

And then we hear that the campaigners opposed to the use of Wanstead Flats for a temporary Police base are ready to submit a legal challenge. The real question here is not the use of Wanstead Flats but that the Olympic site was designed without any provision for accommodating Police Security. It’s these little details that give one confidence that the whole thing will run smoothly, don’t you think?

But to round off on a positive note, here’s the report in the Recorder.

And the Official Report on Red-i.

Story of London

The third Story of London festival runs from 1-31 August 2011. This year the festival celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, which was held to show a progressive view of post-war Britain and showcase contemporary design and innovation.

London museums are hosting displays and recreating some of the activities that took place in their boroughs in 1951 so you can relive the original festival and enjoy retro events with a 21st century spin.

Here in Redbridge we have a fun re-enactment of a 1951 performance of the comic-opera Merrie England, originally performed at Ilford's Festival of Britain celebrations by The Ilford Operatic and Dramatic Society. It’s at Valentines Mansion on 14th August with two performances. See details in poster below. In partnership with Redbridge Museum.

This event is free. For more details please call 020 8708 8100.

Click image to enlarge

River Roding Flood Consultation

Image: Dredging at Charlie Brown's roundabout

The Environment Agency is currently consulting on their recommendations for managing flood risk in the Roding catchment. These recommendations contain a number of proposals relevant to Redbridge, including pumping stations at (a) Charlie Brown's Roundabout and (b) Winn Brook (playing fields - cnr Broadmead Road and Chigwell Road) and a flood storage area to the south-east of the intersection of Snakes Lane East and Chigwell Road (between Chigwell Road and the Roding / M11, in the vicinity of Broadmead Baptist Church).

Consultation closes on 26 September 2011. There will be a public exhibition on 23 August 2011 from 11 am to 9 pm, at the Broadmead Baptist Church, Chigwell Road, Woodford Green, IG8 8PE. Full details of the proposals and consultation arrangements can be found on the Environment Agency website here.

And here is the Roding webcam, which is updated every 15 minutes. 

Investigation into King George & Queen's Hospitals

From Redbridge LINk

The Care Quality Commission is currently investigating care at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs King George and Queen’s Hospitals.

Have you used any of the following services at either of these hospitals?
- Maternity services
- Accident and Emergency services
- Care in the surgery department

If so, the CQC would like to meet with you in Ilford or Romford to hear your experiences during the week commencing 25th July 2011.

To book an appointment, call 03000 616161. Alternatively you can share your experiences by email or letter, quoting reference number 1-275538421.
Email: bhrut.investigation@cqc.org.uk

Environment and Behaviour

A round up of things that have caught my eye over the last week or two.

It’s not often that the bookies get stung.
Why the insurance industry gets climate change
"Insurance companies understand risk – which is why, unlike our myopic political class, they do not have their heads in the sand"

Welsh Solar Cell factory is powered by……. Wind.

Inverness launch Solar powered Litter bin

"Location, location, location" is no more.
The value of a home is increasingly tied to it's efficiency and productive value.

And on that note, Paul Donovan meets the Wanstead Brownlees

The Future Friendly awards

Here's Redbridge Cllr Deakins talking rubbish.

How excess packaging costs us a packet.

How you can get involved to protect the local environment.

And now for something completely different....

How not to interact with a blind person.

This weeks rumpus at City Hall on video and a lesson in anger management.

Newham Councillor tells residents to get fingers out and do it themselves

Just one other speed awareness fact policymakers might like to consider. The faster you drive, the less able you are to respond to disaster and the more likely you are to kill someone. The faster you try to implement policy, the less your ability to handle unintended consequences.

Life at the Town Hall

Here are a few links which should be essential reading for those who walk the corridors of our Town Hall, and also for the rest of us to try and understand what goes on there.

First up we have “We love Local Government” and a post on the typical goings on in a local government office…. Like:

• that no-one is ever too busy to tell you just how busy they are
• Cllrs don’t read their briefings
• Residents don’t understand what you do
• Managers want you to explain on a side of A4 what has taken you 6 months, several 100 page documents, countless meetings and many wiki searches to understand
• A project team will bemoan an over complex process, then demand that each of their 27 actions and seven sign off procedures are followed in order to improve it
• the rest, click!

Next we have “Seven steps to getting communities involved” - Richard Wilson in The Guardian

1. Talk is cheap
The term consultation is a complete turn-off, so stop consulting and start action. Many of the best involvement projects, such as Envision, are led and delivered by their participants. The Envision team see themselves as facilitators helping students drive the changes they want.

2-7 here:

Of course this does rather assume that councils actually want to get their communities involved, but having said that it does sound rather like what Bob Littlewood was saying at our Coffee Morning last May. Unfortunately he is the Leader of the Opposition.

But then I somehow suspect, although I don’t know enough about it and am prepared to be proved wrong, that the leasing of Goodmayes Park Extension to Singh Sabha, [which was approved at Cabinet yesterday evening] is an example of such community action, even if some of Bob’s troops disagree.

Then we come to outgrouping. From the RSA

The advantages of having a closely connected group of quite similar advisors are obvious; loyalty, shared vision, team work, but there are disadvantages too. Teams made up of very similar individuals can become delusional, can adopt a bunker mentality and can fail to adapt to changes in circumstance. It takes a brave leader to bring in potentially disruptive individuals but sometimes it is the right thing to do.

And the wisdom of crowds may not be all it’s cracked up to be. From Big Think.

What happens if this so-called wisdom, while theoretically true, is, practically speaking, not so easy? A study just published in PNAS suggests that all it takes is a whiff of social influence (the knowledge of how others are acting) for the wisdom to evaporate – and for crowds to become even less wise than individual decision makers.

Some food for thought there, and also for B21.

Hat tips, @Noelito and @FleshisGrass

Highway Robbery

Someone has stolen the Dick Turpin Public House – shock! Well, not exactly the pub, just the name and the sign. It has now changed into this, below.

Ask any local, and even some not so local, and they still call it the Dick Turpin. In fact, as Ron points out, it is still listed in the telephone directory as the Dick Turpin and when you phone you are invariably greeted with the words “Dick Turpin”. Well, we appreciate that Miller and Carter are trying to build a national steak house brand and they don’t want to dilute the effectiveness by naming each site after a legacy pub name, but it is also a pub and part of the local heritage.

If I recall correctly the Cocked Hat in Southend Road and the Two Brewers in Chigwell Row both lost their names for a while when operated by such chains, but they now have their respective names back. If the Toby Chain can do it I’m sure Miller & Carter can too.

Ron Jeffries is on their case. Back in 2007 Ron had an agreement with Mitchels & Butler, the former owners who went bust, to replace the sign and indeed there was even a design produced.

In the meantime it will still be known as the Dick Turpin. As Ron says, “you can’t wipe out 100 years of history just like that”.

Gravel Extraction – Exhibition

click on image to enlarge

Public Exhibition 22nd/23rd July
Proposed Extension to Fairlop Quarry Phase E
(west of Aldborough Road North)

The Fairlop building materials complex – operated bt Brett Lafarge – has been supplying the needs of local construction projects for several years. Extraction is currently taking place in Phase D.

Brett Lafarge is currently developing an application to extract approximately 900,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the proposed Phase E extension area, west of Aldborough Road North. At an average extraction rate of 150,000 tonnes a year, this would mean a site life (extraction and restoration) of some 7-8 years. The m ineral would be extracted in phases and the site progressively restored – primarily to agricultural use including some biodiversity improvements.

The company is holding a public exhibition in advance of the planning application, so local stakeholders can comment on our proposals.

The exhbition will be held in a marquee in the field adjacent to St Peter’s Church and will be well sign-posted. Please park in adjacent streets and not the Church car park.

Friday 22nd July 2011 4pm-8pm
Saturday 23rd July 2011 9am-12noon

Representatives of Brett Lafarge and its technical consultants will be available to discuss the proposals and answer your questions.

Note: This time last year it was 500,000 tonnes shared with Havering, so where the new 900,000 tonne figure has come from we don't know.

In with the New - Out with the Old?

Blimey, according to WWF we are discovering 15,000 new species every year. The question is, are they really “new” or have they been around for a while and we just haven’t noticed? We know that life adapts to the environment and as it changes it can wipe out entire species but also create new niches for other species to evolve into. Unless of course the species can adapt to the new environment - like the urban Fox.

On Climate Change pretty much everyone agrees that it is happening. The debate, if you can call it that, is about whether or not it is Anthropogenic [caused by us] and the sensitivity of the earth’s climate to CO2. But this pretty much ignores the elephant in the room. We are trashing the very environment that sustains us and has allowed [some of] us to prosper in such numbers. This cannot continue indefinitely. All things that grow – die! Period.

If we, the human species, want to survive we have to come to terms with this basic truth. Our so called leaders are quick to promote living within our means on the fiscal budget, but seem oblivious to the more important budget of the environment. A classic example of how a good education cannot compensate for a lack of basic intelligence. We are being lead by donkeys fixated on business as usual, and who have gradually undermined all creativity and initiative in both the workplace and education preferring instead robotic box tickers. We need to break free from this stranglehold and start adapting.

Here’s the Barreleye.

Meanwhile British waters are emptied of fish in just 6 months. And the key determinant of population is….. Food!

Redbridge, Naturally

This year’s Redbridge wildlife photography competition runs from 1st July to 30th September. It’s free to enter and all entries will be displayed at the James Leal Centre from the closing date until 8th October. The winners in each category will be decided by a public vote.

But to take a photograph of wildlife you have to get out there. So why not get in with our Ranger team for one of their guided walks, like:

Saturday 23 July
Guided river walk
Walk and explore the River Roding and see what wildlife you can spot along the way. Families are welcome, but not suitable for pushchairs.
11:00am-1:00pm
Meet at: James Leal Centre, Ray Park, Woodford Green, IG8 7JQ

More here:

And of course there is also the under-16 category, who will be kicking their heels during the summer school break and wondering what to do and what could take their minds of texting and onto the photo feature on their mobile phones. That is, if they are not re-programming their grandad’s video recorder or teaching him how to use a Wii.

Children’s Events – Summer buds club

Bring your child along for our range of exciting and fun learning activities over the summer holidays. 5 years+, £3.00 per child (Free for parent/ carer), booking essential. 2 pm to 4 pm.

Most activities take place at Ray Park, meet at James Leal Centre, Ray Park, Woodford Green, IG8 7JQ. Nature Detectives take place at Hainault Lodge Local Nature Reserve.

Wednesday 27 July
Meet the animals
Meet and learn about some of the animals that live at the centre, from hissing cockroaches to salamanders and handle some of these exciting creatures.

Wednesday 3 August
Nature detectives
Look for signs of wildlife and use magnifying glasses to find minibeasts with the rangers.

Wednesday 10 August
Pond dipping
You will use our pond nets and other equipment to see what lurks inside the river Roding.

Wednesday 17 August
Arty crafty creatures
By using recycled materials, use your creative skills to see what wildlife creatures you can make.

Wednesday 24 August
Science freaks
Come and do some exciting wildlife nature experiments on finding out the best way to get up close to mini beasts.

Wednesday 31 August
Nature Treasure Trail
Use a map and compass and see if you can navigate your way around the nature treasure trail.

Contact: 020 8559 2316 or email.

Are You Inspired By The Olympics

Guest Post by Adam Dennehey of @TheMotormen

It’s just over a year to go until Olympic-fever kicks fully into action in London – well 383 days to go to be more precise – and the London Borough of Redbridge is taking it’s very first few steps of an ‘Olympic Journey’ as it looks to make the most of Olympic-fever so to speak.

The London 2012 Games is due to start on 24 July next year, but on the 24 July 2011 – Redbridge is kick-starting it’s own Olympic celebrations with a big Olympic festival that’s being hosted at a large number of locations down Forest Road [the one where there is no bus - ed.].

The festival is called the ‘Inspiration’ festival and it is aiming to attract many local people to the event, in the hope of inspiring them and getting local people passionate about our borough’s plans and events leading up to the Games.

The Borough’s Olympic Development Team (ODT) is hoping to attract about 10,000 local people to the festival which has a whole heap of events and activities planned for all ages to have fun and enjoy the day out. For a full list of details surrounding the ‘Inspiration’ festival click here to see more.

So, why am I telling you all this. After all I am just a regular 23 year old from Barkingside who has lived in Gants Hill all my life. Why would I be an important person to listen to with regards to the Borough’s upcoming Olympic events?

Well, for starters I am directly involved with the Borough’s ODT with regards to Olympic-related events and plans. I have been an ‘Olympic Ambassador’ for the Borough for about 2-3 months now, which in essence is a ‘voluntary’ role in which local people assist and help out the Borough’s ODT at events promoting the Borough’s cultural events relating to the Olympics.

Without telling you all about myself as:
1) I am not a person who likes in fact to talk about myself, and
2) there are far more interesting people than me in and around Redbridge...
..I am somebody who has an interest in the London Olympics, having spent virtually my last year at University finding out all I could about it as my dissertation looked at the London 2012’s legacies, so working in/around the Olympics is something that interests me.

Having failed to get a job since graduating last year, I thought it would be good for me to give something back to my local community (not that I’ve been a burden for them in the past) and see what they were doing with regards to the Olympics.

An initial meeting with the Borough’s ODT manager Julie Creffield led to me being appointed an ‘Olympic Ambassador ‘and through my contacts in local sport (which I’ll get onto in a moment) and local media, I thought it’d be good for me to get as involved as possible so I can add something to my CV and gain experience.

I have helped out at a couple of events so far for the Borough, serving as a volunteer for an event at Fairlop Waters 2 months ago where I was part of a small team of ‘Ambassadors’ helping steward/ organise the event.

Obviously the Borough's ODT want the ‘Inspiration Festival’ to be as big as possible and over the next two weeks you may see more and more posters promoting the event across the area. The event can only be a success if people turn up and support it and I support the borough’s plans in trying to create a ‘buzz’ to the event as it’s about time local people had something good to look forward to which would make them ‘proud’ to be living in the borough.

Another reason why I am looking forward to the event is that Redbridge FC – the Ryman League club based at the Oakside Stadium down Station Road behind Barkingside Tube Station – will also be having a presence at the ‘Inspiration Festival.’

Many of you reading this may not know about Redbridge FC or their tenants Barkingside FC and many of you probably won’t know about the local Non League clubs in and around the borough. Well I have been involved with both Redbridge FC and Barkingisde FC since November 2006 when I first started out as a freelance sports reporter for Time 107.5 FM based in Romford.

Over the last four and a half years, I have become very passionate about both teams. Since August 2007, I have been Redbridge FC’s Press Secretary and had a similar spell with Barkingisde FC which ended around a year ago.

Anyway cutting a long story short, both clubs for a number of reasons (which I wouldn’t like to mention) have struggled to attract local attention in the last couple of years - despite being warm and friendly clubs – and are not barley known locally at all.

When I found out about the ‘Inspiration Festival’ after my initial meeting with Julie Creffield, I wanted to try and get Redbridge FC to have some form of involvement at the festival as it would be a great ‘free’ chance for us as a club to gain more publicity.

Aside from that it would be the perfect chance for us as a club to show local people that we want to move forward and ‘build bridges’ with people and show that we want to become an important part of the local community. I told our chairman Dan Holloway about this and he like me thought it would be a great idea for us to be involved as he (like everyone at the club) wants to see us progress as a club and gain more of a following than the small one we do have.

The club, thanks to our chairman Dan, will be helping to design and run an ‘Olympic Podium’ which on the day will be an area of the festival, where local people will get the chance to meet local Olympic/ Sporting stars. This will be an area of the festival where the general public will get a chance to get autographs and photos with these stars and I think it’s great that we as a club will be involved with it as we’re guaranteed to get more awareness as a result.

I know that we as a club are targeting to have a big event planned for our first home match of the upcoming 2011/12 season, in which through Julie’s work and the Borough’s ODT we will be trying to ‘sell out’ our first home game which will have an ‘Olympic theme’ to the day from what I’ve been told.
This will be a great way for us to start a new ‘era’ at the club, as we have changed our club colours and crest over the summer and will now be playing in a red/black kit similar to what AC Milan wear from what I understand.

On the face of it, it’s quite a challenge that’s been set for our first home game as although last season our average attendance was up to about 90, on most days we average about 60 supporters at games - of which more than half sadly come from the visiting team whomever they may be. To be brutally honest I don’t think we will quite sell out our first game, but at least we’re doing something to try and attract local people (of all ages) to our club and even if we only attract 20-30 more fans that’ll be great for us.
We want to be a ‘community club’ for local people and with our clubhouse recently renovated (as you’re see by the picture) we really do think we’d be a good alternative not just for local people wanting to see a game of football but for families and organisations who might want to hire out our clubhouse for social and corporate events.

In conclusion I understand that not everyone is excited about the Olympics and that the money and the controversies surrounding it can cause people to not want to get passionate about it. I am however someone who is passionate about the Olympics and local sport in general and hope that the Borough’s events relating to the Olympics can help create a ‘feel-good factor’ locally that I feel has maligned over the last couple of years.

That’s just my view though. All I know is that I’ll be there at the Borough’s ‘Inspiration Festival’ where I am due to be leading a small team of young ‘ambassadors’ who will be going around the site around Fairlop speaking, filming, photographing the day’s festivities’ as with my media background that’s the task that I’ve been given to on the day. The event might not be perfect and it might not run as well as the organisers want it to be. But it’s an event that local people of all ages should think about attending and I know that the Borough’s ODT want as many local people to turn up and give those views on the day.

It’s up to you citizens of Redbridge: Do you want to be Inspired by London 2012 or not. Should anyone want to discuss anything to do with the Borough’s Olympic plans or Redbridge FC you can do so at @ADennehey87 or @TheMotormen (Redbridge FC’s twitter account) for more information.

I have also applied to be a London 2012 Gamesmaker in the LOCOG’s Press Operations team and recently had in interview with LOCOG about a possible voluntary position during the Games. That of course at the moment is just an ‘idea’ but it’s something I would like to do although the chances of it happening of course are slim, though there’s nothing wrong in me thinking about it.

By Adam Dennehey

Goodmayes Giveaway?

Guest post by Councillor Ali Hai – Goodmayes Ward

This post relates to one of the largest and most valuable open public park spaces (25 acres of public land) in Redbridge that the council is proposing to give away (on a 99 year lease) to a private organisation for the paltry sum of about a £1 (one pound Sterling) next week. The private organisation will be allowed to charge and keep all the revenue as well as the land, that some have estimated to be worth around £100m.

It was evident at the council scrutiny meeting this week when GPE was debated, that there is a clear split of opinion between the councillors (other than in the Redbridge Labour group who appear strongly in favour of the private organisation) on the future of this valuable asset and one of the largest park spaces in the Borough. However there was no split amongst the residents who want to see a community wide trust set up to oversee and control the park and have park revenue reinvested into the Redbridge community. Naturally the private organisation representatives were strongly in favour of the current proposal.

Given this issue is so finely balanced I would therefore strongly encourage you to come along to the final council meeting on GPE next Tuesday 12 July at 7pm in Ilford Town Hall and have your say on the future of our valuable 25 acre park space and whether it should be given away like this. This decision will affect you, whether you live or work in the area or not. It could impact upon all other open public spaces and open the floodgates to all other private organisations to ask for and get public land on the same giveaway terms.

Your voice really does matter. This was exactly how Redbridge residents recently managed to keep Goodmayes Library (the first library to be saved from the cuts in London) and open Seven Kings Library after 20 years, after successive councillors failed.

To register to speak at the council meeting please email Tony Prescod by Monday.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Background:

London 24 - 28 April 2011
Ilford Recorder - 6 May 2011
Ilford Recorder - 26 June 2011

Safer Communities News

Crime and Safety Roadshow coming to Redbridge

Residents will have the chance to discuss the changes to London’s police force as Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse hosts a special Crime and Safety Roadshow at Ilford Town Hall on Monday 11 July.

The event, which will take place between 7 pm and 9 pm, is part of a series of events being held around the capital giving residents the chance to discuss the future and get an update on the Mayor’s key strategies. Mr Malthouse will be joined at the events by either Assistant Commissioner for Territorial Policing Ian McPherson or Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh.

Find out more and book your place here.

Performance on crime  

• For crime prevention advice visit the crime prevention website.   
• Find out more details about crime statistics in the Borough.

Burglary

Following concerns about a sharp increase in household burglaries, the Council and the Police launched a campaign called ‘See it. Report it. Don’t ignore it.’

The aim was to encourage residents to  report suspicious behaviour and leaflets were delivered to every household in March 2011, with a message from the Borough Commander in Redbridge Life.

The Police saw a 22% increase in 999 calls reporting ‘suspect on premises’ during March compared to the average number of calls for the previous four months. During April 2011, the number of actual burglaries went down by 40% from their peak in January.

101 new non-emergency number for Police

From this summer '101' is to be the new public non-emergency contact number for the Metropolitan Police Service following a successful pilot in other force areas.

The move from the existing number to 101 is due at the end of June and will see the Metropolitan Police Service being one of the first police forces in the country to adopt the number.

By 2012 all police forces in England and Wales will have introduced 101 as their main contact number.

The 101 number is for situations that do not require an immediate police response.  Residents should still phone 999 if there is an emergency.

Council crackdowns on noise nuisance

The Council is continuing its fight against noise nuisance in the Borough as it sees a sharp rise in the number of complaints about animal noises.

As part of Noise Action Week which ran between May 23 and 27, Redbridge Council, together with the Town Centre Police Teams, held an information stall outside Redbridge Town Hall in Ilford offering local residents and shoppers help and advice on how to report noise nuisance and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

During the summer months from June to August, the Team received an increased number of complaints from residents about noise. It operates from Sunday to Thursday between 5 pm and 1 am and on Fridays and Saturdays between 6 pm and 2 am.

Residents can call the ASB Hotline on 020 8478 4679 or email asb.team@redbridge.gov.uk. Further information can also be found on Redbridge i.

King George Hospital – Catch Up

We are informed that Lee Scott MP will present the Parliamentary petition to Andrew Lansley in the House of Commons on Wednesday 6 July. The petition totalled 32,000 signatures so a big well done to everybody involved for helping to get such a great result.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, there was the meeting with the Independent Reconfiguation Panel.

You can read Roger Evans AM submission on his blog here, and also note the comment from ‘sjm’.

Cllr Andy Walker went along to support Neil Zammett with his submission, which can be found here, via the Chadwell Labour blog.

On the same day it was reported that a major investigation had been started by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) into standards of care provided by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, with particular emphasis on Maternity care.

There is a photo shoot today outside the Health for North East London Office, Becketts House on Ilford Hill, where a letter signed by local MPs and councillors from all parties will be delivered and calling for the reorganisation to be withdrawn while the Trust is in such difficulties.

There is also a meeting on Friday evening in Romford re: Queens.

The Fun of the Fairlop Fair

Well, it wasn’t the riotous and tumultuous affair that it has been in the past, although the Police did turn up at one point, I know not why. Nevertheless it was a jolly good way to spend a Friday afternoon and evening on a bright, sunny but not too hot day. It was arranged without any budget to celebrate the completion of the works at Fairlop Waters and what a wonderful place it is now. New paths and signage, lots of new landscaping and planting, a new adventure playground and the boulders. Plus the wall on the east side of the clubhouse has been removed, so now you can sit on the patio and actually see the lake and the birds on it and also watch old boys playing Pentanque. All the entertainment was provided free by Big Society volunteers, so a big thank you to them all. We had Tony Cranston telling stories to the children, crafts and apple bobbing plus music from the Redbridge Music fest. All very agreeable and relaxing. Let’s hope it becomes a regular feature in our calendar.

Photos by Ron Jeffries

Between a squat and a hard place

Guest post from Mira Vogel.

A home is a basic right and yet there are simply not enough homes. When there aren't enough homes the rental market becomes inundated and the poor are excluded. Private landlords tend to perceive welfare money as not as reliable as private tenants' - mainly because there isn't enough of it to go round the bills, food, &tc.

Max Dunbar on the housing shortage.

"We need around 240,000 new homes per year to meet demand and are building about half that. Whether we allocate by need or virtue, millions of people are losing out. It is a futile game of musical chairs. And it has become a G-spot issue for people who argue over the few remaining seats without stopping to think who’s playing the music."

Perhaps it's because I walk through both Whitechapel (a disadvantaged area where I don't notice any unoccupied buildings) and the City of London (one of the world's wealthiest, where I notice several) most days, but in this country there are few more squanderous things than a building unoccupied.

For those without a home one alternative has been to form a group and take possession of an abandoned or empty building (aka squatting). There are an estimated 10,000 squatters in the UK. Since the 1994 Criminal Justice Law and Order Act, providing the building has been empty for one year, squatting has been a civil, not criminal, offence. Unless the person trying to gain entry is the residential occupier, squatters have been protected by:

"...section 6 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, which makes it an offence to use violence or threats of violence to gain access to premises when there is someone on the premises who is opposed to such entry."

However, as well as withdrawing support for squatters as part of the great legal aid cuts, as of early 2012 the Coalition Government has announced plans to make squatting a matter for the English and Welsh criminal courts (it's already a criminal offence in Scotland). The responses has been mixed. A poll at The Student Room shows nearly 80% in favour of squatting incurring either a custodial sentence or a fine. There have some queries about resourcing from a judgement enforcement company (whose vested interests presumably lie in being able to carry on getting paid to do evictions which under the Clarke plans would be carried out by the police).

The most organised response has been from a coalition of charities and squatters groups, SQUASH (Squatters Action for Secure Homes). SQUASH produced a parliamentary briefing on the dangers of criminalising the vulnerable, and a government consultation in now imminent. Their next public meeting is on July 13th in The House of Commons.

Most people will sympathise with home owners like the Hamilton-Browns who, apart from leaving their Archway property unsecured (and it is hard to secure a building which is being renovated), did everything by the book and yet found themselves unable to occupy the house they had bought for their young family. Squatters who had choices forced them into rented accommodation, would not leave, did not respect the space, and their example was a gift to The Mail, The Telegraph and The Sun - no matter that many squatters improve the abandoned and dilapidated buildings they inhabit.

Where I part company with the Hamilton-Browns is their call (if indeed they did call) for squatting to be made a criminal offence. We do not want to put the growing numbers of involuntary squatters (39% of single homeless people have squatted at some point) in prison, or fine them. We don't want to put anybody in prison if we can possibly help it - it costs a packet.

I can't see what is wrong with an amendment to the current law to incorporate buildings which are being used but are unsecured for good reason.

As veteran squatter Anna Oderich comments, “It's very dangerous just to point fingers. There's all kinds of squatters. There are freeloaders – I know all about this; at one point I had someone living on my bathroom floor for two months – but there's freeloaders everywhere. There's no reason to destroy it all for the sake of a few people.”

Katharine Sacks-Jones of Crisis:

"What we really want to make sure ministers are aware of is that there's a large proportion of squatters who are very vulnerable people who are squatting because they simply don't have another choice. This law would be criminalising very, very vulnerable people, and I don't think anyone wants to see that. It's counter-productive. It's not going to address the underlying problems that these people face: that there's a lack of housing."

More on this:

• Keep up with >SQUASH’s campaign.
• Crisis has a substantial report about people living in squats, worth reading if you have any preconceptions
• Graduates are squatting more because they can't afford a home
• Wiki How and How Stuff Works on how to squat
• Matthew Bell in The Independent on squatting as exemplary Big Society practice
• Practical squatting evenings in Hackney
• The Squatters Handbook (may be out of date)
• Paul Palmer, Empty Properties Consultant