The Royal Court at the Rose Lipman

As part of their Theatre Local project, the Royal Court Theatre - in association with The Mill Project and Create London -  are staging a new play at the Rose Lipman building here in De Beauvoir during July and August.

The play, written by Annie Baker, is entitled Circle Mirror Transformation and will feature Imelda Staunton and Toby Jones.

Imelda Staunton has starred in many films and television series - including Harry Potter as Professor Umbridge and a BAFTA Award winning performance in Vera Drake - as well as numerous theatre productions. Toby Jones has most recently appeared in the film The Hunger Games as well as providing the voice of Dobby the house elf in the Harry Potter series.

Circle Mirror Transformation runs from the 5th of July to the 3rd of August.

The producers of the play have agreed to provide some complimentary tickets for members of the local community. These tickets are for performances on the 6th and 13th of July.
There could also be some complimentary tickets available for the dress rehearsal of the play, although this is still in discussion, we will provide more information when we have it.

The director of the play Ned Bennet has also agreed to host a workshop on the 13th of July to discuss the production. This will be open at the first instance to residents of De Beauvoir. Depending on demand for places for this there may also be another workshop at a later date.

There will be some front-of-house jobs created for the production run which will be advertised in local job centres.

If you would like to be considered for a place on the workshop or to apply for tickets please get in touch with us via email or call and leave a message on 07722 868937. All of the above activities will be administered by Mill Co and we'll pass your details onto them.

Details on the play are at the Royal Court's website, along with booking details and ticket prices.

De Beauvoir Ward Forum - Monday June 10th - The Rose Lipman Centre

Meet your ward councillors, raise local issues and explore opportunities to improve our community

June's ward forum will be held at the Rose Lipman Centre and will be a chance to find out more about what is going on at the former Hackney archives building which sits at the heart of De Beauvoir, on the corner of De Beauvoir and Downham Roads.

Create and Mill Co Project, an arts charity and a creative-sector social enterprise, have been managing the Rose Lipman Centre on a 'meanwhile' basis for sometime now, and - with the archives now fully moved to Dalston Square - they have recently had their lease confirmed for the next year. They have some really exciting plans for the building over the next twelve months, and they're keen that local residents have the chance to get involved.

Come along and hear about Open School East, Imelda Staunton, The Trial, Bank On It, the community groups that are currently using the community hall, and how to get more involved yourself - whether that be with one of the events, or just how to book the hall.

The forum will be held at the Rose Lipman Centre itself and therefore you'll also have a chance to look around and get a feel for what's happening within the Centre.

You can find out more about Create and Mill Co here:
http://www.createlondon.org/
http://www.themillcoproject.co.uk/


All those who live or work in De Beauvoir ward are welcome to attend our ward forums - we would be grateful if you could publicise this in your community and in any local organisations you are involved with.

The forum will begin at 7pm and we'll be all wrapped up by 8.30 at the latest.

Hope to see you on the 10th!

Hackney Housing Summit - 11th May

Hackney South and Shoreditch MP Meg Hillier will be chairing a Hackney Housing Summit on Saturday 11th May 2013 at Morningside Community Centre, Chatham Place, E9 6LL.

The summit will aim to develop a list of positive and workable policy proposals to improve the local housing situation which will then be put to the national political parties.


Keynote speakers will be:
Deputy Mayor of Hackney, Councillor Karen Alcock who has lead responsibility for housing in the borough.
Dr. Madeleine Davis, Housing Campaigner and Lecturer at Queen Mary University.
A tenants' representative yet to be confirmed will also be speaking.

The summit will consist of plenary sessions and workshops discussing the social rented, private rented and home ownership sectors.

To book places in advance email meghilliermp@parliament.uk giving your full name, postal address and telephone number, ensuring you put 'Hackney Housing Summit' in the subject line.

The summit starts with coffee and registration at 9.30 and closes at 13.00.

Table Top Sale at St. Peter's Church Crypt

The De Beauvoir Association is holding a Table Top Sale in the newly refurbished Crypt at St. Peter's Church.

There will be approximately 30 stalls selling bric-a-brac, household items, jewellery, accessories, toys, clothes, shoes, baby equipment, DVDs and many other interesting items.

Tea and cakes will be on sale and there will also be a raffle.

The sale is taking place on Saturday the 11th of May in the Crypt, St, Peter's Church, Northchurch Terrace from 11am to 3pm and entrance for the public is free.

Tables are available to book, for a £10 fee, for those wishing to sell their own items.

If you would like to join the team of volunteers running the sale and help out, or to book a table for the sale, please contact Kirsty at info@debeauvoir.org.uk

Hackney Council Overview and Scrutiny Board Survey

Hackney Council's Overview and Scrutiny Board are holding their annual residents survey.

The survey is open to anybody who lives, works or studies in our borough and is a chance to highlight the issues which are most important to people.
The information provided in the survey will help to inform the Board of which topics the Scrutiny Commissions will address over the coming year.

A list of the services and policies that the Scrutiny Board Commissions have covered in the past is located on the council website. The more recent reviews have their own webpage with a summary of findings, full reports and recommendations, the response from the Mayor's Cabinet and an updated recommendations tracker.

To contribute your opinion on the topics which most concern you follow this link to open the survey.

If you would like a printed copy of the survey call 020 8356 3029 or email scrutiny@hackney.gov.uk.

For further details on the work of Hackney Council's Overview and Scrutiny Board visit this page.

The survey is open until 30th May.

Golden Age Club - launches Tuesday 30th April

A new club for older people in De Beauvoir is launching next week and the organisers are calling on local residents to get involved.

The Golden Age Club is open to all residents aged 50 or over who live in De Beauvoir ward.

The launch takes place Tuesday 30th April from 12 until 2pm again at the Whitmore Community Centre 2-4 Phillipp Street, N1 5NU (map). There will be free light refreshments on the day and everybody is invited to find out more about this exciting new club.

The club offers a chance to meet new people and enjoy a variety of activities such as bingo, films and day trips.

Weekly activities at the club begin from Tuesday 7th May, 10am to 12pm at the Whitmore Community Centre.

If you are interested in attending the club or know of somebody who might enjoy the weekly activities you can call 020 7739 0685 or 0773 8713920 for more information. Or get in touch via email on whitmoregoldenage@gmail.com.

The club is being supported by funding from Metropolitan Housing Association and De Beauvoir Community First.

New Hackney Council ward boundaries announced, including changes to De Beauvoir ward

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has published its final decision for future electoral arrangements in Hackney.

This means from 2014 the current De Beauvoir Ward will be split at the Regent's Canal with residents in the south of the current ward becoming part of a new Hoxton East and Shoreditch ward.

The new De Beauvoir ward will be from Balls Pond Road down to the canal bounded by Kingsland Road to the east and Southgate Road to the west and will be represented by two councillors rather than the present three. Hoxton East and Shoreditch ward will cover what is currently the south of De Beauvoir ward and then follow Hoxton Street south as far as the southern tip of the borough.

A new Hoxton West ward will then cover the western part of the current Hoxton Ward. Both Hoxton East and Hoxton West wards will have three councillors.

The current wards will continue to exist as they are until the Local Government elections in 2014.

This new structure is the conclusion of a process that started in the middle of last year.

All of the details of the changes including the full consultation process and maps are available on the LGBCE website.

If you have any questions for the LGBCE regarding the changes the contact details are also available on their site.

RETZ's The Trial at the Rose Lipman Community Centre

The RETZ theatre company is performing the second part of it's production of The Trial in the Rose Lipman Community Centre building here is De Beauvoir throughout April.
The Trial is reworking of Franz Kafka's 1925 novel of the
same name.

The story is that of a year in the life of an innocent man arrested for unspecified crimes by an unnamed authority. The play's themes examine power and identity and how far we should go to protect them.

The first part of the production was staged in and around Shoreditch Town Hall and has so far received excellent reviews.

If you wish to see both parts of this production call to book tickets in April for perfomances after 6.20pm. You will then see the play in its entirety with an approximate 60-minute break between parts.

The play is a promenade performance which does not have seating and requires the audience to walk. There is no cloakroom facility so it is best not to bring large heavy bags along.

A £10 discount on admission is available from co-producers The Mill Project. Visit their site for details.

To book tickets go to the Barbican's secure website.

If you wish to read further details on RETZ and their work their website is here.

Kingsland Fire Station Closure - Public Consultation

A public consultation process has been launched on Boris Johnson's controversial plans to close many London fire stations including the Kingsland station in De Beauvoir ward.

Your De Beauvoir councillors have firmly opposed the proposed closure since the plans were leaked last year. They were joined by Hackney South and Shoreditch MP Meg Hillier, Hackney Mayor Jules Pipe and London Assembly Member Jeanette Arnold.

The petition organised by De Beauvoir councillors now stands at over 500 names of local people who wish their local station to stay open and it's dedicated staff to remain in place providing safety and peace of mind for the community. If you have not yet signed the petition it can be accessed here.

The proposed closures are part of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority's (LFEPA) Draft Fifth London Safety Plan.

The consultation on the plan including station closures is being held by LFEPA and contributions are invited from residents and interested parties. The consultation is open until the 17th of June this year.

Full details of the draft plan can be seen here.

To have your views considered please visit the consultation website.
You can also receive a hard copy of the plan and the consultation details leaflet as well as request translations by calling 0800 9888 569 or emailing the London Fire Brigade.
There will also be a series of public meetings to discuss the closures. The Hackney meeting takes place at Stoke Newington Town Hall on Monday the 20th of May from 7 till 9pm.

To download a copy of the Mayor's closure plans please visit this link (pdf).

Your De Beauvoir councillors would like to hear from you regarding this action and they will be preparing a response to the closure plan. Please get in touch using the contact details on the right of this page.

Welfare Benefit Changes – what these are, and what help is available if these affect you

From April 1^st a number of changes to the benefits system are being put in place. These changes will affect more than 25,000 households who live in Hackney – that’s over 1 in 4 of all the households in the borough.

Much has been written about the rights and wrong of these changes – including this article by Tom. This piece is just to outline on a factual basis what the changes are. Apologies for the length of this post, but the changes are complex and difficult to explain simply.

If you believe you are affected by these changes and would like help or advice please contact Hackney Citizens Advice Bureau, Hackney Community Law Centre or contact Hackney Council via the Service Centre or on 020 8356 3399.

The key changes this year are:

• Council Tax Benefit Reform
• Introduction of the Bedroom Tax
• The Benefit Cap (to be introduced in Hackney from July)
• Changes to Local Housing Allowance
• Transition from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments
• Replacement of the Social Fund with a  Local Assistance Scheme

Further benefit changes – including the introduction of universal credit – will be introduced in 2014.

Changes this year

Council Tax Benefit reform

From 1 April 2013 Council Tax Benefit, a DWP-funded benefit administered by local authorities designed to help people on a low income pay their Council Tax, has been abolished. This has been replaced by a new scheme, Council Tax Reduction.

The funding provided by central government for the new scheme is 12.5% less than the full cost of running the scheme with the criteria as they were prior to April 1^st. The Government has mandated that pensioners will be protected from being impacted by this change, and therefore this cut in funding will hit the remaining people who were previously receiving this benefit. Therefore this means all working age people receiving this benefit will now be required to pay at least 15% of their council tax.

You can find the details of Hackney’s scheme here.

More than 25,000 households in Hackney will be affected by this reform.

Bedroom Tax

The Bedroom Tax (or Social Sector Size Criteria) means that people will be charged 14% extra rent for one additional bedroom over size requirement and 25% extra rent for two bedrooms or more over size requirement.

One bedroom will be allowed for each:

• Couple
• Person over 16
• Two children (under 16) of the same sex
• Two children under 10
• Any other child
• A carer providing overnight care whose normal home is elsewhere
• A Border or Lodger

No rooms will be allowed for children whose main home is elsewhere. Due to a last minute change, rooms will not be allowed for foster children, using the above criteria.

You can find out more here.

In Hackney, the bedroom tax will affect more than 4000 households.

The benefit cap

The benefit cap restricts total benefits for households to £500 a week for a couple and £350 for a single adult. If benefits exceed those amounts then housing benefit will be reduced. The cut is being trialled now in four London boroughs but it will also hit Hackney residents on 15 July this year.

The Department for Work and Pensions will calculate the weekly income from benefits and inform local authorities who will reduce housing benefit in order to keep below the cap.A household's combined income from job seekers allowance, income support, employment and support allowance, housing benefit, child benefit, child tax credit, carer's allowance and maternity allowance will be added together and tested against the cap. If it exceed the cap, the housing benefit will be cut by the amount it exceeds it.

The following are exempt from this cap:  

• Individuals on disability living allowance, personal independence payments or attendance allowance
• War widows or those in receipt of widows pension
• Pensioners - or couples where one is above pension credit age 

In addition, the following benefits are not included in the caluation:

• Working tax credits
• The support component of the employment and support allowance

You can find out more here.

In Hackney, the benefit cap will affect more than 1000 households.

Changes to Local Housing Allowance

From April 2013 the way in which Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is being calculated will change. Local Housing Allowance is the way in which housing benefit is worked out for people who rent from a private landlord.

Historically, LHA rents were calculated in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) - which includes the cost of housing - but from April 2013 LHA rents will be uprated in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which does not.

You can find out more here.

Personal Independence Payments

From 8 April 2013 the Government is introducing a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for eligible working age people aged 16 to 64.

There are no current plans to replace Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 and people aged 65 and over who are already receiving Disability Living Allowance.

Personal Independence Payment is based on an assessment of individual need. The new assessment will focus on an individual’s ability to carry out a range of key activities necessary to everyday life.

You can find out more about the change here.

Replacement of the Social Fund

From April 2013 Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for general living expenses, which were administered by the DWP, will be abolished and replaced by new local assistance administered by local authorities.

Hackney Council has been working with representatives of the third sector to create a scheme called “The Discretionary Crisis Support Scheme”. With only a very limited budget the Council will only be able to meet the most urgent needs not met by regular welfare benefits, tax credits, or other council/third sector provision, and to ease exceptional pressures on families.

You can find out more here.