Havering Council has recently submitted planning proposals to build a new state-of-the-art youth centre in Harold Hill as part of the Harold Hill Ambitions Project.

The Big Lottery Fund is providing £4.7m to build the centre which will include; a juice bar/cafe, creche, dance and music performance space, a recording studio, a bike workshop, an information service and a computer suite.

During the Ambitions consultation, local people on the Hill told the Council that there needed to be more things for young people to do, and the new youth centre should certainly help.

Young people have been central to the development of the project with their views helping to create the final plans. If you’ve been involved with the plans for the new youth centre, please write in and let me know what you think.

Best wishes,

Michael

This year we have got a fun packed schedule for the Christmas Light Switch On from 4.30pm in the Market Place in Romford on Thursday 12 Novermber.

Bob the Builder and his friends Spud and Wendy will be lighting up Romford Town Centre as the Christmas illuminations are switched on at 6.30pm.

The Council and Romford’s four shopping centres – The Brewery, The Liberty Shopping Centre, The Mall and the Romford Shopping Hall, together with Romford Market have organised a fantastic fireworks display, panto favourites from the Queen’s Theatre and a special visit from Santa and his reindeers.

Why not come down and watch the switch on and enjoy a family fun-filled event.

Best wishes,

Michael

Last week the Council gave planning permission for the rebuilding of Broadford Primary School in Harold Hill. £4.5 million will be spent redeveloping the school with new state-of-the-art buildings and outdoor areas for the 315 pupils together with a new nursery.

The new buildings will also be made available to community groups, giving them access to fantastic new facilities.

The rebuild is part of the Council’s Harold Hill Ambitions programme which is aimed at transforming the life of people who live on the Hill  and improve opportunities in employment, education, lifestyle and housing.

If you would like to talk to me about the plans for Harold Hill why not post a comment!

Best wishes,

Michael

Since my blog went live in November 2007, over 20,000 people have visited, with many of them posting comments about local issues.

The blog has proven a great way of being able to discuss different things with different people from right across Havering and I would like to thank you for taking the time to visit the site and letting me know what you think.

Best wishes,

Michael

A few weeks back, I mentioned that we would shortly be holding a free, all-day family event called Romfest.

With just over a week to go preparations are almost complete and, I must say, I’m very excited. Romfest takes place on Sunday 27 September and kicks off with a family fun run in Raphael Park, then it’s over to Romford market place for seven hours of music, dance and sport from midday.

Some of Havering’s finest local talent will be performing from two sound stages at either end of the market place, with headline performances on the main stage by family favourite and X-Factor finalist Chico, the newly re-formed Blazin’ Squad and UK soul legend Lemar.

The main stage acts will be introduced by top presenters from our local radio stations, Time 107.5 and Link 92.2m and, I’m told, there’ll be a number of surprise guests putting in a special appearance throughout the day.

There will be an active sports zone to try your hand at; music, art and crafts workshops; lots of great, free personal safety advice from the borough’s leading experts; a fashion show in the Liberty; guided tours of the 600-year old Golden Lion public house (a favourite haunt of Captain Blood and Dick Turpin) in aid of charity and even a roaming Chinese Lion Dance troupe!

Over at Brannigans nightclub in South Street, there’s the Romfest Best Rock Band competition from 5pm, where finalists ‘Kid Neon’; ‘Zalinski’; ‘L2N1′ (Loyal to No One), ‘Lobster’ and ‘Learn to Swim’ will battle it out.

The prize for the victorious band is a day in the recording studio, an unplugged set and live interview on local radio and the chance to perform in front of thousands at this year’s Big Christmas Light switch-on in Romford.

There really will be something for everyone – and it’s all Free! Visit the official Romfest webpage at www.havering.gov.uk/romfest for full programme details. See you there.

Best wishes,

Michael

This year the Havering Show had over 30,000 people attending, almost three times as many that came along to last year’s show in Hornchurch’s Harrow Lodge Park.

Headline music acts included the Manfreds, the Bay City Rollers and Take That tribute band Never 4get. Also on show were the Knights of Middle England, the Stallions of Substance and the Delta Dogs display team.

Planet Havering was also part of the show and this year generators were run on recycled chip fat making the show one of the greenest ever.

I was there as well as part of my Leader’s Tours programme meeting residents and talking to them about the things that matter in their local community.

Please let me know if you were able to come to the show this year and what you thought of it.

Best wishes,

Michael

Earlier this year, Havering received a prestigious Beacon award by the Improvement and Development Agency for its work in creating a safer night time economy – the only London borough to have achieved such status.

It’s an achievement we can all be proud of, and one that merits celebration. So, tying in with the Cultural Olympiad and the London Week of Peace, there will be a very special, free, one day festival on 27 September called ‘Romfest’.

Romfest will start at 10am with a 5 kilometre Fun Run in Raphael Park which anyone can join. You can walk, run, jog or even push a children’s buggy around the circuit! I understand that some entrants will be using the event to raise funds for their favourite charities. If you’re interested in getting involved simply visit the Havering Council website or call Daniel on 01708 431742.

From midday until 7pm, Romford market place will be the venue for a non-stop programme of live entertainment, featuring a host of superb local talent. Some big name entertainers have also been booked to appear (details of that, coming soon).

The day will include arts and crafts workshops, an active sports zone, a fashion show, amusements and lots of helpful community safety advice – and it’s all free.

At 5pm there will a ‘Best Rock Band’ competition taking place at Brannigan’s in South Street, where the winner will be offered the chance to perform in front of thousands at this year’s Christmas Lights switch on.

It promises to be a great, free day out – hope to see you there.

Best wishes,

Michael

Romfest, Sunday 27 September 2009

You will have seen from my earlier post below how disappointed the Council and I were with the Government deciding to cut the money that Homes in Havering needed to bring many of the council properties in the borough up to the Decent Homes standard.

This week however, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson has pledged to step in and plug the funding gap. This is fantastic news and will come as a relief to thousands of families right across Havering. We’re looking forward to seeing details of the Mayor’s proposals and and we hope to receive these soon.

However we’re still not going to let the Government get off the hook over this and we will continue to lobby them over the money they originally promised.

Regards,

Michael

We all know about the recent decision by the Government that will see the withdrawal of millions of pounds earmarked for improvements to council houses, but the real effect of this for thousands of people is that families won’t get the new windows, bathrooms and kitchens that they have been patiently waiting for.

I think that this is a real slap in the face for families who need work done on their homes, but will now probably have to wait much longer whilst the Government builds new homes elsewhere.

The funding, to bring the borough’s council homes up to the ‘Decent Homes’ standard, was dependent on Homes in Havering achieveing two stars in its September inspection. £9 million would have been available this year, with a further £21 million next year. The remained of the £82 million would then have been spent over future years to ensure that all council homes have modern windows, kitchens and bathrooms. This funding had been promised to the Council in writing from the Whitehall department for Communities and Local Government.

Now the Homes and Communities Agency which distributes the funding has said the money won’t be available until at the earliest 2011/12, even if Homes in Havering achives two stars in September.

I think you’ll agree that this is an absolute disgrace, being promised the money and then having it taken away. I can assure you that the Council and I will do everything we can to try to make the Government reverse this decision and provide the money they promised. To this end we are working with Homes in Havering and London Councils to get this resolved and we will still be going for inspection this autumn as customer service is our top priority.

Regards,

Michael

Late last year the polling company Ipsos MORI carried out a survey of more than 1,200 residents on our behalf. The results of this ‘Place Survey’ reveal that local people are very positive about life in Havering.

They approve of the work the Council has been doing to improve our parks, make rubbish collections more efficient and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in partnership with the police and other local groups. Satisfaction with these and other major Council services has risen and, overall, more people are happy with life in the borough than two years ago, when a similar survey was undertaken.

So we were surprised to find that the same survey suggested that overall satisfaction with the Council is quite low. This picture is repeated across the country and many councils are asking themselves why this is the case.

In Havering, we would much rather ask you. We want to know what more we can do for you and how else we can meet your expectations for the borough.

That is why we are launching Let’s Talk, a new effort to listen to local people and encourage more residents to pass their views to us. In return we will tell you how your comments have been turned into action and give you a clearer understanding of what you get in return for your council tax.

So please come to one of the many events that will be taking place across the borough, visit our website, or drop us a line. This is your borough and we want to work with you to make it the best place to live in London.

Michael