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

The Audit Commission earlier this year published a report called ‘Risk and Return’ which branded Havering Council as ‘negligent’. The Council and I completely refuted this as the Commission failed to follow proper processes  and undertake thorough research.

Havering Council was one of seven local authorities that depostited money into the UK registered subsidiary of an Icelandic Bank on 1 October. The deposit of £2m into Heritable Bank was made at 8.56am. Fifteen minutes later an email was recieved from our financial advisors informing us that the bank’s credit rating had been dropped from ’strong’ to ‘adequate’, with it now being too late for us to get the money back.

This week the Commission has issued an amended report dropping the label of negligent as circumstances were beyond the Council’s control and that our staff and management acted professionally in following guidelines and advice.

The branding of the Council as negligent was an unfair, damaging and unjustified slur. All our efforts are focussed on getting our money back and I would like to reassure residents that the Council is very confident that the majority of our deposits will be returned.

Michael

This Saturday (27 June), Havering is coming out to show its support and appreciation for our Armed Services. There will be a parade through the town centre, where Veterans, Soldiers and Cadets will march through South Street and the Market Place.

Starting at 10.45am, the parade will be accompanied by the Invicta Rifles as well as Police and St John’s Ambulance cadets. It will be a great event and an opportunity to show our appreciation and support for the men and women who serve our country. All are welcome to attend, so please join us on Saturday for the parade.

Best wishes,

Michael

More than four times as many people have voted in this year’s Havering Nightlife Awards than ever before.

This year a whopping 32,455 people, compared with last year’s 8,000, cast a vote for best licensed premises, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony on 16 June.

A panel of judges will be choosing the borough’s Best Pub, Club and Bar, and last week visited several premises to decide which had the highest standards. The panel is made up of the police, fire brigade as well as staff from the Council’s licensing and community safety teams.

The awards now in their third year, recognise businesses which offer a welcoming and safe night time environment through good management and an active commitment to discourage antisocial behaviour.

The awards also follow hot on the heels of Havering Council winning a Beacon Award in the After Dark category for its excellence in managing the night time economy.

Thanks again to everyone for taking part and voting.

Best wishes,

Michael

One of the most popular events in the borough’s cultural calendar, the Langtons Summer Concert, will take place on Sunday 7 June and is free to all residents. The annual event, which last year attracted around 3,000 people to Langtons Gardens, will celebrate 80 years since Havering Council acquired the gardens of Langtons House from Elizabeth Varco Parkes in 1929.

In celebration of this anniversary, guests are invited to put on their best 1920s style fancy dress, and there will be a prize for the best costume in two categories, adults and children, presented by the Mayor of Havering.

The concert is performed by the Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra who will bring the sound of the 1920s to life with the help of long standing musical director Jonathan Butcher.

The concert starts at 3pm and visitors are invited to bring along a picnic.

Best wishes,

Michael

Havering Council has launched a new intiative to ease the effects of recession on the local economy.

Using the new Haveringcard, residents will be able to access money savings, discounts and special offers on goods and services simply by showing their card when they use local business who are part of the scheme.

For local businesses, the Haveringcard is a chance to attract more custom from people living on their doorstep in resturn for a discount or special offer. This new scheme is absolutely free to join!

What businesses offer is up to them: it could be a free taster session or introductory offer; 10% off certain goods or services, a buy one, get one free offer or discounted entry.

Already more than 100 local businesses – from shops to shoe repairers; driving schools to dry cleaners; plumbers to opticians and hairdressers – have expressed an interest in the scheme.

The Haveringcard is free to residents and officially launches next month. Residents will receive two cards with their copy of the Living newspaper which is out now.

Additional cards will be available to residents in the Public Advice and Service Centres and in the borough’s libraries.

This is a great scheme and I hope you will find it really useful.

Best wishes,

Michael

I am pleased to say that the changes we have made over the last few years have been recognised by the Audit Commission – the independent body that monitors local authority performance – with our latest assessment showing that we are improving well and demonstrating a three out of four star overall performance.

Improving local services is always an ongoing process and over the next financial year we will be investing £2 million in Adult Social Care to support the most vulnerable in our community.

Our GCSE results are some of the best in the country and this is testament not just to increased investment but to the dedication of our school’s teachers, the hard work of our children and the support of parents.

And with the recession increasing financial pressure on families, we have worked hard to make sure that council tax remains as low as possible with this year the overall rate increasing by only 1.9%, which will add just £28 to the average band D bill.

Best wishes,

Michael

Our efforts to make Romford a safer and more pleasant place for people to enjoy a night out was recently recognised by local government’s  Improvement and Development Agency with the Council given the Beacon award in the After Dark category.

These prestigious awards are designed to recognise and encourage excellence and innovation in improving the quality of life for local residents and communities. Moreover it means that Havering now has a share of £3m of government funding to expand and continue its work in this area.

The key to success was Havering’s partnership working with local businesses and people in the Romford area as part of the ‘Respect in Romford’ campaign that was launched in 2006.  A range of measures have been introduced since then, including high-visibility jackets for door staff, metal detectors for police and door staff, volunteer street pastors and drugs dogs patrolling queues outside bars and clubs.

I think this an achivement we can really be proud of and takes Romford and Havering in the right direction for making our borough even safer.

Michael

Last month we commemorated the International Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) in Havering.

This international event helps us to remember and to reflect on the horrors of the holocaust and to pay our respects to the millions of Jews, Slavs, Roma, disabled, gay and other minorities that were murdered by the Nazis.

Yet even today genocide persists in Darfur and the world has witnessed these horrors throughout the Twentieth Century in Cambodia (1975-1979), Bosnia (1992) and Rwanda (1994).

In 2009 HMD challenged us all to stand up to hatred. It urged us to look at our behaviour to others; to understand how hate is directed against different minorities in Britain today; and to explore how each of us can help make our communities stronger and safer.

Michael