tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35372374143311882792024-03-20T15:12:39.720+00:00What's happening in De BeauvoirNews from your local Labour CouncillorsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.comBlogger425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-65672550740151734722019-01-30T23:38:00.002+00:002019-01-30T23:38:49.897+00:00New Monthly Councillor Surgery - Kingsgate Community Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-7998791898049079642018-11-30T10:15:00.000+00:002018-11-30T17:28:31.271+00:00<h2>
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Hostel planning application - 359 Kingsland Road</span></h2>
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by Councillors Polly Billington and James Peters</h4>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">We've received a number of e-mails from De Beauvoir residents telling us about their opposition to and disquiet about planning application 2018/2783, in which the applicant - a private party - says that it plans to build a 292-place homeless hostel at 337 to 359 Kingsland Road. That's the plot of land between Kingsland Road and Enfield Road, immediately to the north of the old fire station site and immediately south of the Metropolitan Hostel, here:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">We took part in a recent discussion of the application convened by the De Beauvoir Association, and we listened to residents.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Below is a copy of a letter we have sent to the Council’s Planning Department, explaining a number worries we have about such a big hostel being built in De Beauvoir. In the rest of this blog post, we have tried to address some of the points made to us by De Beauvoir residents in person and by e-mail, and to place our thinking in the broader context of the dreadful housing crisis that we're facing in Hackney and, more broadly, across London.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">What we want to avoid is a private party making very considerable profits from the misfortune of our </span><span style="color: #45818e;">fellow citizens who can no longer afford the rocketing rents in Hackney. We certainly want to avoid that private party profiting but not ensuring decent living conditions for the people who will live in the hostel. That cannot be an outcome that the Council will allow.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Here's our letter to the Planning Department:</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #990000;">The context of the housing crisis</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">It should be clear to all of us that the housing market in Hackney is failing very many people who have grown up and live in Hackney.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Every week, as councillors, we see the impact on people – including very many young children and teenagers – of long stays in, frankly, unsuitable conditions in homeless hostels around De Beauvoir. The people we deal with are ordinary people. Most are small and growing families. Most adults living in our hostels are in work, in the same way that most people who go to food banks have a job and most people who claim benefits are employed. It's just that being employed and being from Hackney no longer means that you can necessarily afford to rent a home in Hackney (let alone buy one!).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">The reality is that many people find themselves homeless while employed, with children and through no fault of their own, often evicted by landlords seeking higher rents, exploiting the law that means that people have short-term, insecure tenancies. Short of a deposit, facing insecurity in work and with responsibilities to their families, people don’t choose to be in this situation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">It is in these circumstances that the Council has an obligation to house them and that is a duty that we should be proud to deliver. These circumstances don’t appear by accident. They are the obvious consequences of this Conservative government's policy and inaction.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">No one, least of all us, would choose hotel accommodation as a solution to the shortage of affordable housing in our borough. The length of time Hackney residents end up in “temporary accommodation” means that it's very far from being "temporary". In the absence of any meaningful Government support, Hackney Council continues to build as many social homes as it can - including in De Beauvoir. Unless and until there is a change of government and consequent radical change in housing policy, we will continue to live through a crisis of unaffordable housing. Hackney Council can’t solve this crisis alone but the Conservative government could fix it. It’s just that it won’t; they clearly don’t care.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Why not build permanent social housing on this site?</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Some residents have asked why this site cannot simply be used to build permanent social housing, in which local families could settle, rather than those families being housed in cramped, individual rooms (as, we understand, will be the case in the proposed development).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">There are two main reasons for this:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #134f5c;">The first reason is that the applicant hasn't asked for planning permission to build flats. The applicant has asked to build a hostel and this is privately-owned land. If the application complies with the relevant planning law and guidance, the Council's planning department will have to recommend granting the permission. We very much sympathise with neighbouring residents' views but we also recognise that it is unlikely to be within the planning authority's powers to reject the application out of hand.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #134f5c;">The second reason is that the Council desperately needs “temporary accommodation” to discharge its legal duty to provide housing for people who genuinely have nowhere to live. The Council's preference is always to keep people in Hackney, close to jobs, friends and family.</span></li>
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Local housing authorities, such as Hackney Council, have a legal duty to ensure that suitable accommodation is available to those homeless households accepted as in priority need (such as families with children and households that include someone who is vulnerable, for example because of pregnancy, old age, or physical or mental disability) provided they are eligible for assistance and unintentionally homeless.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Over the past few years, Hackney Council, along with all London boroughs, has faced a massive increase in the number of households approaching it as homeless and needing help. The situation in Hackney is probably worse than in most other boroughs because we've seen very sudden increases in housing prices here (both to buy a home, or to rent). For example, Foxtons estimates that the average weekly rental for a two bedroom flat in Hackney is £579, which is more than the estimated <u>average</u> weekly pay in the borough.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">But price isn't the only factor: insecurity of tenancies means that landlords can evict a family at the end of an annual tenancy if they think they can get a higher rent from someone else and the Conservative Government's welfare changes are pushing many in Hackney into precarity and deprivation. As we say above: many, if not most, people who are staying in Hackney's hostels are employed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">The flow of people approaching the Council as homeless, and to whom the Council owes a duty to house, is greater than the number of homes the Council has available and the number of new social homes it can build in the borough. So, the Council needs more of this “temporary accommodation” (which, sadly, is not particularly “temporary” given the 3 to 4 year duration of stays at the moment).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">If the Council doesn't find temporary accommodation in Hackney, it will have to look outside of Hackney, probably far outside. This may move people a long way from their families, jobs, children's schools and support networks, which will be highly disruptive for them and, probably, increase the burden on public finances.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Why isn't the Council building homes for everyone who needs them?</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">As Mayor Glanville said when giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s Inquiry into Homeless Households this time last year about a different hostel: “<i>We shouldn’t be proud that we’re having to open new hostels, but to respond to the pressures we’re facing we are. Rather than investing in that quick fix we need a new development of social housing.</i>”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">Rather than using hostels, we would far rather be building long-term, quality homes for people from Hackney.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">We're delivering one of the <a href="https://hackney.gov.uk/building">biggest programmes of council house building</a> in the country, and that’s with almost no help from the Conservative Government.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Until 2010, councils were given grants from the (then) Labour Government to build social housing. <span style="line-height: 107%;">Until the Labour Mayor of
London started funding council housing again this year, the Conservatives had stopped
all funding for affordable homes to rent</span>. But it's even worse than that, with restrictions placed upon councils' use of “right to buy” receipts and artificial restrictions on borrowing (only just abolished), this Conservative Government actively stands in the way of council home-building (at a time when the private sector isn't delivering the homes we need).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #45818e;">Social housing is part of the solution and will reduce some of the pressure, which is why the council is proposing to use its land to build 150 new homes on the De Beauvoir estate as part of the Council's "Housing Supply Programme" - two thirds of which will be affordable (either social rents or shared ownership), </span><span style="color: #45818e; line-height: 14.2667px;">with the rest for private sale to pay for them in the absence of Government funding. The Council will also offer the properties first to those in housing need in the local area, or living in overcrowded conditions on the estate. This is part of our plans over the next five years to build, directly or with our partners, over 3,000 new homes across the borough including 800 new council and social rented homes and 700 council shared ownership homes</span><span style="color: #45818e;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">You can read more about the new homes planned for the De Beauvoir Estate here: </span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://www.hackney.gov.uk/de-beauvoir-estate">https://www.hackney.gov.uk/de-beauvoir-estate</a></span><span style="color: #45818e;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;">& this is where they'll be:</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-32471711956394296982018-03-04T23:04:00.000+00:002018-03-04T23:04:04.282+00:00Our latest leaflet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNTWdxc1pw7GHXOII2ToZ0FaY-xR0PS6Ynju-8K0xEWrgYgIqUrVdExLwB2oQ49wUbSXqdKiCdZ58w0PF72hHoAm8tClgef1ImrbqDjkNThxHhJeiQXIwMSm55KQd_atvva7uTEom110/s1600/20180304+leaflet+%2528page+1%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNTWdxc1pw7GHXOII2ToZ0FaY-xR0PS6Ynju-8K0xEWrgYgIqUrVdExLwB2oQ49wUbSXqdKiCdZ58w0PF72hHoAm8tClgef1ImrbqDjkNThxHhJeiQXIwMSm55KQd_atvva7uTEom110/s640/20180304+leaflet+%2528page+1%2529.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-49070608404994670182017-07-02T13:08:00.002+01:002017-07-09T19:40:31.321+01:00Hackney Council's response to the Grenfell Tower fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
by <b>Councillor James Peters</b></div>
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The Grenfell Tower fire was a tragedy. We still don't know how many people died in it but we know that it was a lot.<br />
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The response to the Grenfell Tower fire continues to add to the tragedy. Hundreds of families in Kensington are homeless because of it. Their lives are in turmoil and most are living in hotels with little support and little idea of what their future holds, if news reports are correct.<br />
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Like 2009's <a href="https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Lakanal_House_fire">Lakanal House disaster</a>, the Grenfell Tower fire clearly has implications for every other council in the country, including Hackney Council. There are fire safety lessons to be learnt and immediate action to be taken to reassure residents that they are safe in their homes.<br />
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In De Beauvoir, we have 6 Council-owned tower blocks and some other tall, residential buildings in private ownership.<br />
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5 of the Council-owned towers are on the De Beauvoir estate. This photo shows 4 of them (I couldn't get all 5 in shot):<br />
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The 6th tower block is on the Kingsgate Estate, in the northern part of De Beauvoir, near Dalston.</div>
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The cladding installed on the outside of Grenfell Tower appears to have contributed to the fire spreading. None of the Council's tower blocks in De Beauvoir has any sort of cladding. Nor have any of the private tower blocks (from looking at them).</div>
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Since the fire, the Council's Director of Housing Services has written a series of letters to everyone living in a Council property to let them know what the Council is doing in reaction to the Grenfell Tower fire. Much of the rest of this blog post reflects what was said in the most recent letter.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Important headlines</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. The Council has an up-to-date fire risk assessment for every single one of its housing blocks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. The Council does not use the type of cladding, or the contractor, used at Grenfell Tower. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">What the Council's doing to check cladding </span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Initial inspection:</span></b> Council officers completed an initial inspection of all cladding on Hackney Council buildings within 48 hours of the Grenfell Tower fire. No Council-managed estate blocks have the same cladding that was used on the Grenfell Tower. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Further work:</span></b> </li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Specialists from a company called Cladtech Associates are visiting blocks to test any cladding. The idea is to provide more reassurance that people are safe in their homes. Cladtech Associates may remove sections of cladding from some blocks for testing – this is nothing to be concerned about, and is part of the comprehensive fire safety review.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Also, Council staff are checking the fire safety of things like fire doors and dry risers. They will be easily identifiable and will carry official ID. </li>
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Residents will not need to take any action while this work is being done. It will not affect the buildings in any way.</div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Other things the Council is doing</span></h3>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;">Getting expert advice:</span><b style="color: #274e13;"> </b></li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Independent fire adviser</u>:</span> in order to have an expert view on what the Council needs to do to be even more sure about fire safety in its buildings, we have appointed an independent fire adviser, someone who had been the London Fire Brigade's borough commander for Hackney. His name is <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-hill-howgate-27b74765/?ppe=1">Graham Howgate</a>. Graham provides advice on fire safety matters and is very familiar with the borough and our estates.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Hackney Fire Safety Response Group</u>:</span> the Council has set up a group which includes Hackney’s current London Fire Brigade Borough Commander and senior members of staff from across the Council. This group meets weekly to ensure the aims of our fire safety action plan are met and to keep the Mayor of Hackney and the Cabinet Member for Housing regularly updated.</li>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">A fire safety review:</span></b> this will happen across the borough. The Council will look into a range of fire safety measures, such as fire safety signs, the information given to residents and the use of sprinklers.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Looking at fire engine access:</b></span> we've asked the London Fire Brigade to visit estates over the coming weeks to look at fire engine access into estate car parks. It is important that vehicles are not parked in areas that could hamper the fire services access – please report any cars parked dangerously.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Putting all fire risk assessments online:</b></span> we will put all of the Council's fire risk assessments online. Due to the number of assessments and the need to present the raw data so that it is easy to understand, this may take a number of weeks. </li>
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When the Council's fire safety review is complete, Council officers will consider the findings with the independent fire adviser and the Council will write again to everyone living in its properties to tell them what it plans to do in each block. The recommendations will be agreed once the Council knows that all the fire safety measures have been addressed.</div>
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If you have any questions about fire safety in your block, please visit <a href="http://news.hackney.gov.uk/update-statement-and-faqs-about-fire-safety-on-estates/"><b><span style="color: #783f04;">the Council's website</span></b></a>, where we are regularly updating a list of frequently asked questions and answers: http://news.hackney.gov.uk/update-statement-and-faqs-about-fire-safety-on-estates/ </div>
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For up-to-date fire safety information from the <span style="color: #7f6000;"><b>London Fire Brigade</b></span> visit: <a href="http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan.asp">www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan.asp</a> and <a href="http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/staying-in-or-going-out.asp">http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/staying-in-or-going-out.asp</a> </div>
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It is important we all do everything we can to keep our estates safe. You can report any faulty fire doors or fire safety equipment immediately to <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>Housing Services</b></span> on: 020 8356 3691. </div>
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If you have any questions or concerns about fire safety on your block or estate, please contact the <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>Neighbourhood Contact Centre</b></span> on: 020 8356 3330. </div>
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The Council is currently receiving a very high number of customer enquiries at the moment. If you have <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>a question or concern which is <u>not fire related</u></b></span>, please refer to our website where there are contact details of how you can contact the relevant Council department: <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/contact-us">www.hackney.gov.uk/contact-us</a> </div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; color: #bf9000; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Frequently
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>I have cladding on my block, is it the same as that used on the Grenfell Tower?</b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">No. The Council does not use this type of cladding and it is not on any Council-managed estate.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> Will
the Council's fire safety review look at cladding?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>A:</b> </span> Yes.
The Council is reviewing cladding used on Council estates using
an independent specialist called Cladtech Associates. The cladding
will be visually inspected and will then be tested and fire safety-rated on some estates. Work started this week and you may see
inspectors on estates in the next few days. They will be easily
identifiable and will be carrying official ID. Again, there is no
reason for concern as this forms a part of our wider fire safety
check.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Other
local authorities have already removed cladding, why hasn’t
Hackney?</b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>A:</b> The Council
completed an initial inspection of all cladding within 48 hours of
the Grenfell Tower fire and found no fire safety concerns. The
Government requested samples of specific cladding. The Council does
not use any of this cladding and therefore is not required to send
any for testing. However, for added reassurance the Council will be
reviewing fire safety across all estate blocks. The Council has also commissioned an independent cladding specialist to visual inspect,
test and fire rate the cladding on some estate blocks.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Will
you be installing sprinklers in council blocks?</b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Once
we have the results of our fire safety review, and on the advice of
the independent fire advisory service, we will be looking at the
option to install sprinklers in our estate blocks.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ⧫</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><span style="color: #bf9000;"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Metropolitan
Police have said that a </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Hotpoint
FF175BP fridge freezer was the initial source of the Grenfell Tower,
what do I do if I have one of these fridge freezers? </b></span></span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Owners
should register their appliance with the manufacturer to receive any
future updates and recall notices. Check you model number which is
usually found on a barcode sticker behind the salad container in
the fridge.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Owners
of a Hotpoint fridge freezer model FF175BP (White) or FF175BG
(Graphite) should call the manufacturer's freephone hotline on 0800
316 3826. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ⧫</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #bf9000;">Will
I have to evacuate my block because of the cladding like residents
have in Camden?</span></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">No. All
of our buildings have an up to date fire risk assessment and no
Council-managed estate blocks have the same type of cladding that was
used on the Grenfell Tower. </span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Any priority work needed following these
assessments has been done and we continue to monitor fire safety, using estate inspections and our estates officers. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In addition, all
buildings have up-to-date certification for dry riser testing and
electronic certificates - these are assessed twice yearly with one
test and one visual inspection. The Council undertook its own
inspection of cladding within 48 hours of the Grenfell Tower fire and
found that no Council-managed estate blocks use the same </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">cladding
that was used on the Grenfell Tower.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Residents
of Camden Council estate blocks have been asked to leave their
properties temporarily for their own safety after cladding of a
similar type that was used on Grenfell Tower was found. There were also other fire
safety concerns inside of the estate blocks. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ⧫</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Should
residents stay put, or evacuate in the case of a fire in a block of
flats?</span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The London
Fire Brigade has advice about what to do in the case of a fire in a
block of flats, you can see this advice below or for more
information, visit:</span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #0563c1;"><u><a href="http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan-campaign.asp"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan-campaign.asp</span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ⧫</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>What
if I live in one of the Council blocks that’s been told to
evacuate?</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A: </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There are some
purpose-built blocks in Hackney that have an evacuation policy where
the London Fire Brigade advice is to leave because of the design and
layout. You must follow this advice if you have been told
specifically by the London Fire Brigade, the Council or if there are
evacuation signs in your block.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ⧫</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqESQW_utJkd9gEMKXGNbOVZsf3a71eutENACYbDz3UJjaKacNE8MJwU0xP4XGJHz-GuqwIIUV3WPGP51h1PrOcTAXtIITbgSJTZIladb98XRHrA-B8Z398oWKqqsq1i3aXvMhxV3JQVQ/s1600/London+Fire+Brigade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqESQW_utJkd9gEMKXGNbOVZsf3a71eutENACYbDz3UJjaKacNE8MJwU0xP4XGJHz-GuqwIIUV3WPGP51h1PrOcTAXtIITbgSJTZIladb98XRHrA-B8Z398oWKqqsq1i3aXvMhxV3JQVQ/s1600/London+Fire+Brigade.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: white;">Q:</span></span><span style="color: #bf9000;"> </span></b><strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">What
is the London Fire Brigade advice?</span></strong></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A: </b><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
London Fire Brigade advice can be seen below. </span></span></strong>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><u>Stay
put:</u></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
there is a fire in your building and you are inside your
purpose-built flat or maisonette, and you're not affected by
the fire stay put and call 999</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">You
are usually safer staying in your own flat or maisonette unless heat
or smoke is affecting you</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A self-contained,
purpose-built flat or maisonette will typically give you between 30
and 60 minutes protection from fire</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
you are in the communal areas of the building, leave and call
999</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The
exception to this is if you live in a scissor block or have been
told specifically by the London Fire Brigade, the Council or if
there are signs in your block telling you to evacuate if there's a fire.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><u>Get
out:</u></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
there is a fire in your purpose-built flat or maisonette, warn all
the people you live with and leave, closing the front door
behind you</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Follow
your escape plan (ie plan your escape and know how to exit the
building if you need to). </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
there is a lot of smoke, crawl along the floor where the air will be
clearer. Always use the stairs, rather than the lift, and make your
way out of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">the building</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Call
999 from any phone as soon as it is safe to do so</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Further
information for people who live in purpose built flats and
maisonettes is available at:
</span><span style="color: #0563c1;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan.asp">www.london-fire.gov.uk/know-the-plan.asp</a></span></u></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.49cm; margin-top: 0.49cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"><b>This
advice printed below is an extract from the Fire Brigade web site:
</b></span></span><span style="color: #0563c1;"><u><a href="http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/FireSafety.asp"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"><b>www.london-fire.gov.uk/FireSafety.asp</b></span></span></a></u></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"><b>
</b></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></u>
<u><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Test
your smoke alarms regularly </b></span>
</u></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Most
fires in the home start accidentally and ensuring you have working</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">smoke
alarms in your home will provide a vital early warning for danger.
That is why it is important and essential to test them every month to
make sure they are all in good working order.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Safety
advice for smokers </b></span>
</u></div>
<ul>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Never
smoke in bed</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Always
ensure you stub out cigarettes properly and dispose of them
carefully </span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Keep
matches and lighters out of children's reach </span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Never
leave lit cigarettes or cigars unattended</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Empty
ashtrays carefully, ensuring all smoking materials are stubbed out
and cold</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">If
you must smoke, do it outdoors</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><br />
</span></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="make"></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>How
to prevent cooking fires </b></span></span>
</u></div>
<ul>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Avoid
leaving cooking unattended </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Don't
cook if you are tired, have been drinking alcohol or taking
medication that might make you drowsy </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Take
care not to lean over hot hobs and keep tea towels and cloths away
from the cooker and hob </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Be
careful to keep the oven, hob, cooker hood and grill clean to
avoid a build-up of fat and grease, which could ignite and
cause a fire </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Use
spark devices to light gas cookers - they are much safer than
matches or lighters as they don't have a naked flame </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Double
check the cooker and hob are turned off when you've finished cooking
</span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Check
toasters are clean and placed away from anything that can catch fire
</span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Never
put anything metal in the microwave </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Never
use a barbecue indoors or on a balcony - burning or smoldering fuel
can cause </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">carbon
monoxide poisoning</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">
</span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Supervise
children and pets in the kitchen at all times and keep matches and
saucepan handles out of reach </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>If
a pan catches fire </b></span>
</u></div>
<ul>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Don't
tackle the fire yourself and don't attempt to move the pan </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Never
throw water over a fire as it could create a fireball </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Turn
off the heat, if it is safe to do so </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Leave
the room, close the door, shout a warning to others and call 999 </span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en"><b><u><span style="color: #990000;">Electrical
fires are common: know the limit </span></u></b></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="en">If
you're having trouble paying your energy bills don't use </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="en">candles
or naked </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="en">flames</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="en">
as a substitute for heating and lighting. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Your
electric and gas supplier may be able to provide you with free or</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">subsidised
energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, or a discount on </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">your bill.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Contact
them to find out if you qualify. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Many
electrical fires can be avoided by following some simple actions:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Don't
use imitation electrical chargers as they may be unsafe </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Make
sure electrical appliances have a British or European safety mark
when you buy them </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Keep
electrical appliances clean and in good working order </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Unplugging
appliances and chargers when you are not using them or when you go
to bed helps reduce the risk of fire </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hair
straighteners can get extremely hot. Always switch them off and
leave them to cool on a heatproof surface </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For
plugs that do not come fitted to the appliance, always check you're
using the right fuse </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Keep
to one plug per socket </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">If
you use an adaptor, use a fused 'in line' type. The adaptor or
extension lead will have a limit of how much power it can safely
provide so be careful not to </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">overload
sockets</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
using a cable drum extension lead, it should be completely unwound
to avoid overheating </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Remember:
scorch marks, flickering lights, hot plugs and sockets, fuses that
blow or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reasons could be
signs of loose or dangerous wiring </span></span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b>Bedtime
routine </b></span>
</span></u></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></u></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Many
fire deaths happen at night when most people are sleeping </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Working
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">smoke
alarms</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">
should wake you if a fire does break out but you can further reduce
your risk by carrying out some simple checks before you go to bed. </span></span></div>
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<br />
<ul>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Close
inside doors at night to stop a fire from spreading </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Turn
off and </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">unplug
electrical appliances</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">
unless they are designed to be left on, such as fridges and freezers
</span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Do
not leave electrical appliances such as mobile phones
and tablet computers charging overnight </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Check
your cooker is switched off </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Don't
leave the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher on </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Turn
heaters off, rake out fires and put a fire guard in place </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Put
</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">candles,
incense sticks and oil burners out</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">
and never leave them burning when you are asleep </span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">Make
sure </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">cigarettes
are completely out</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span lang="en">
- it's best to wet them to be sure </span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Never
smoke in bed</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ⧫</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"> ?</span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
And finally...</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
...there have been reports about a building in Woodberry Down, in the north of Hackney, having cladding similar to the Grenfell Tower cladding.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It isn't a Council building but here's what the Mayor of Hackney has said on the matter:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQn97l3rtypiyLJJMNP4vvwo-CG8bU6xlB02_LHNfAuZjl90YLnjWXjkzBRT2ODlHehrNAm7mlP1VxqzqEj7fDkY-iDn00t74KSmaZpGGbQMAxm_03-DcArdsh98wXAuLmnDayn2x-7Q/s1600/Woodberry+Down+cladding.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="714" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQn97l3rtypiyLJJMNP4vvwo-CG8bU6xlB02_LHNfAuZjl90YLnjWXjkzBRT2ODlHehrNAm7mlP1VxqzqEj7fDkY-iDn00t74KSmaZpGGbQMAxm_03-DcArdsh98wXAuLmnDayn2x-7Q/s640/Woodberry+Down+cladding.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-28931179117999475332017-02-02T01:21:00.002+00:002017-02-02T01:21:26.965+00:00Taking struggling residents out of Council Tax<b>by Councillor James Peters</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3K31kxCKHRJyUpnOI95GLbvh6tTCaQM9CWQcHX6C3OWuF0defUSDMtpN71N88IHkqJXYhxmfT_PWQUivJAxECQYb19uD7oKAyAE3_a-ssYGSYs8489aprpFQn7mn56PriJ97LgmwcEoI/s1600/Council+tax.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3K31kxCKHRJyUpnOI95GLbvh6tTCaQM9CWQcHX6C3OWuF0defUSDMtpN71N88IHkqJXYhxmfT_PWQUivJAxECQYb19uD7oKAyAE3_a-ssYGSYs8489aprpFQn7mn56PriJ97LgmwcEoI/s640/Council+tax.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Next week, I'll be asking Council finance officers about how we make sure that we, as a Council, aren't adding to Hackney residents' financial hardship during these tough economic times. If residents are genuinely too poor to pay Council Tax, there is a scheme to help them.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">That scheme is called the Council Tax Reduction Scheme (or "<b>CTRS</b>").</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This a matter that Hackney councillors have discussed on a number of occasions recently, particularly when deciding to increase rates of Council Tax in Hackney. These are also matters that seem all the more pressing given that Council Tax is a regressive tax, hitting the poorest hardest, and the increase that we decided comes during a time when vulnerable residents face a significant reduction in other benefits (and ever-growing living costs - which seem likely to be about to accelerate as a result of the pound dropping in value because of the referendum result).</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">This is an issue that came to my attention last summer when I went to </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">a joint briefing of the poverty-alleviation charity </span><a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=SKW2PEhRhVDe4zpaFEfFimMmXoOytt2XIdaa0atftZ5349xnBEvUCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AegAyAGsALgBvAHIAZwA.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fz2k.org" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="s3">Z2K</span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> and the </span><a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=LCfUZKOqoBYXRO-cJ7THZxCyE4aClESaVQDaaI3O8eLXRN9nBEvUCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgBjAHAAYQBnAC4AbwByAGcALgB1AGsA&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cpag.org.uk" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="s3">Child Poverty Action Group</span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> to promote </span><span class="s3" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=DBau7TKVdndjoT10nk0mVwzjbKw7bFn1lH4C2Zhy2XDXRN9nBEvUCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgBjAHAAYQBnAC4AbwByAGcALgB1AGsALwBzAGkAdABlAHMALwBkAGUAZgBhAHUAbAB0AC8AZgBpAGwAZQBzAC8AUwB0AGkAbABsAFQAbwBvAFAAbwBvAHIAXwB3AGUAYgBfAHUAcABkAGEAdABlADUATwBjAHQAMQA2AF8AMAAuAHAAZABmAA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cpag.org.uk%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2fStillTooPoor_web_update5Oct16_0.pdf" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">this report</a>:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxUxdnty9PoMVeC02fdeDHYI-HbRhPDfsEwefR0fwYvz-LqjNaum_0Qua7ell9J3aWt2-kc_cU7C42XGZ-fOxwMtwwCqlr6jhK1Tfvh6g9k5uY2oSHlef3anqJuLYVoZ3WzsrBESHxKQ/s1600/Still+too+poor+to+pay+%2528cover%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxUxdnty9PoMVeC02fdeDHYI-HbRhPDfsEwefR0fwYvz-LqjNaum_0Qua7ell9J3aWt2-kc_cU7C42XGZ-fOxwMtwwCqlr6jhK1Tfvh6g9k5uY2oSHlef3anqJuLYVoZ3WzsrBESHxKQ/s320/Still+too+poor+to+pay+%2528cover%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">It is also over 2 years since administration of the CTRS was devolved to Councils by central Government (along with a not-so-sneaky cut).</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">For all these reasons, it seems to me that this is an important time to take a closer look at how we collect Council Tax, to make sure that we're not aggravating financial hardship.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Other London Councils have reacted to growing financial pressures on households by recognising that they (the Councils) may be major creditors of those households, so should do more to support vulnerable debtors. Put another way, we shouldn't be contributing to poverty in Hackney through our CTRS and Council Tax collection policies.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Examples of work done by other Labour-controlled Councils in this field include:</span></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1"><b></b><span class="s1"><b>Lambeth Council: </b>development of an "Income and Debt Strategy" that saw Council services working together to identify and support vulnerable residents who are slipping into debt. This strategy has led to a 75% reduction in summonses obtained by the Council (8933 to 2176) after one year and </span><span class="s2">ZERO</span><span class="s1"> use of bailiffs to collect Council Tax from residents on CTRS. Lambeth appears to have increased their Council Tax collection rates as a result of the strategy.</span></li>
<li class="li1"><b></b><span class="s1"><b>Lewisham Council: </b>brought their bailiff service in-house. Why:</span></li>
<ul class="ul2">
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">improved debt collection;</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">the introduction of a more sensitive approach to collection;</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">better feedback from enforcement agents on debtors circumstances; and</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">surplus income.</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">And it seems to have worked, as <a href="http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/documents/s42858/PAC%20EA%20update%200416%20report%20final.pdf">this paper</a> shows.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3KCTaekLmAZ3OFp-Ff8rMnvBgnnHuhh6Gwpe0EHJ_VfXtCYJVkwDOC1Hdn6G0TP2P3wsrJI4Ed1QvGF2uRTVYDnio6aIn5BIfpn44fDn_CSVq3pbUW7pTn_toJKhNMeUAc8n_iUORlg/s1600/bailiff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3KCTaekLmAZ3OFp-Ff8rMnvBgnnHuhh6Gwpe0EHJ_VfXtCYJVkwDOC1Hdn6G0TP2P3wsrJI4Ed1QvGF2uRTVYDnio6aIn5BIfpn44fDn_CSVq3pbUW7pTn_toJKhNMeUAc8n_iUORlg/s400/bailiff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Successes in the paper show better identification and support for vulnerable residents <b>AND</b> </span><span class="s2">£200,000 more Council Tax than the cost of bringing the bailiffs back in-house</span><span class="s1">. That's £200,000 that Lewisham Council would not otherwise have collected and the Council predicts that that figure will increase by £600,000 by the end of this financial year.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">On the basis of the above, I think we, in Hackney, should look into at CTRS and collection policies to check that they reflect our values.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-55747593902009750802017-01-22T16:28:00.000+00:002017-01-22T16:42:47.091+00:00Gardening trip with De Beauvoir Estate TRA & De Beauvoir Gardeners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>by Councillor James Peters</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdB7wH1i1yj12sEOQBj2v_nPQMHmm5jk1Z9tpALHfTo1cVDIT8R3-0Ck3RhLstpexQoqMZF2JjvR_-ZTnBTbXvCKHKmo29u2EkVE53gtD1__dGtV8nSocJx60zaoYSJCp0D39PTVwZu0/s1600/Clapton+Park+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdB7wH1i1yj12sEOQBj2v_nPQMHmm5jk1Z9tpALHfTo1cVDIT8R3-0Ck3RhLstpexQoqMZF2JjvR_-ZTnBTbXvCKHKmo29u2EkVE53gtD1__dGtV8nSocJx60zaoYSJCp0D39PTVwZu0/s640/Clapton+Park+13.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I invited members of the De Beauvoir Estate tenants and residents' association (or the "TRA") and members of the De Beauvoir Gardeners to visit estate gardening projects in the east of Hackney.<br />
<br />
The projects in question are in Clapton Park, in King's Park ward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijc1gnTQAh5mcnVw4t4NH9fWmJ8ez-QRV62CRJGy03BJgtkueLI4Va2UM7WGBVJnVQJh2AOewW-nI3YvRg4Aj5UwaB-mAVpyLzZ-rZYekXEg_qD42cTADdOUkR-pORMkbAkY8ve_jFL4s/s1600/Clapton+Park+-+map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijc1gnTQAh5mcnVw4t4NH9fWmJ8ez-QRV62CRJGy03BJgtkueLI4Va2UM7WGBVJnVQJh2AOewW-nI3YvRg4Aj5UwaB-mAVpyLzZ-rZYekXEg_qD42cTADdOUkR-pORMkbAkY8ve_jFL4s/s400/Clapton+Park+-+map.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Clapton Park estate is well know for its allotments, vegetable patches, fruit trees and, above all, the poppies that abound in even the smallest spaces across the three estates managed by <a href="http://www.cpmo.org/">the local tenants' management organisation</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswc4xrU0szOp6cQENkNdJJVATgVuxdDbbcpvT2r_zV56PArSpSZjXykgHCipRO9wVyWLVC4CMe7wPtiRmkNSavvcrKSQyzuPDXlNnwmj_1tY2LTYx5RqULSRN1UyFGk8AsyEZsKWXB9A/s1600/Clapton+Park+17+-+poppy+verges.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswc4xrU0szOp6cQENkNdJJVATgVuxdDbbcpvT2r_zV56PArSpSZjXykgHCipRO9wVyWLVC4CMe7wPtiRmkNSavvcrKSQyzuPDXlNnwmj_1tY2LTYx5RqULSRN1UyFGk8AsyEZsKWXB9A/s320/Clapton+Park+17+-+poppy+verges.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
What led to the visit was an initiative by the De Beauvoir estate TRA to start gardening on the estate, using money from its environmental improvement budget (or "EIB"):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkypdnBCp3hM9KzhbUvQx_M8j8fGrDpgwbcVpqdUPVQeEoPOcK1st2M8MRGdj82FbY0PuUYr1WQNgnhavVbmH7muqQ4l0KX5F8S65r-41zZqFvyKNe3YgP8WDUas8O2JjpOp7glxq7Qgw/s1600/DBE+gardening.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkypdnBCp3hM9KzhbUvQx_M8j8fGrDpgwbcVpqdUPVQeEoPOcK1st2M8MRGdj82FbY0PuUYr1WQNgnhavVbmH7muqQ4l0KX5F8S65r-41zZqFvyKNe3YgP8WDUas8O2JjpOp7glxq7Qgw/s640/DBE+gardening.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
The De Beauvoir Gardeners have been gardening in De Beauvoir for the last 40 years, although not necessarily on the estate. With that wealth of knowledge and experience, I saw an opportunity for them to lend a hand to the TRA in getting the estate gardening projects up and running. You can find more about the De Beauvoir Gardeners <a href="http://www.debeauvoirgardeners.org.uk/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
So, I thought it would be a good idea to get the TRA and the De Beauvoir gardeners together in Clapton Park to see things we can do in De Beauvoir.<br />
<br />
One of the local councillors, Rebecca Rennison, kindly offered to show us around. Here we all are:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciCL20Ojtilz_fG2NNBNZMq3p-wlRwSNa-dDdJ-4jtyIWL003ZZoGdUm3P5GeEAneNteX2NDIC8z4PleBAvkzbfvgGcVFB6_OhyHDBczEoL18puQ8pJE_uaf6JM0mvyv_XAbD85tCP0Y/s1600/Clapton+Park+7+-+group+shot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciCL20Ojtilz_fG2NNBNZMq3p-wlRwSNa-dDdJ-4jtyIWL003ZZoGdUm3P5GeEAneNteX2NDIC8z4PleBAvkzbfvgGcVFB6_OhyHDBczEoL18puQ8pJE_uaf6JM0mvyv_XAbD85tCP0Y/s640/Clapton+Park+7+-+group+shot.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was both very sunny and very cold. (That's Rebecca in the middle and my shadow in the foreground.)<br />
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Here are a few more photos of some of the things we saw:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggx0rNbmtL3bbUDlBoJi_5Tgv3Y4TJj7sLQRd1rDVA9fI5tAtMbcdLdfJsJ8w9DewI7scDiLs8QKU_5NBAmW1m-fW2Thyphenhyphen2QRaHVJ_DEvrTUUuxN2ui7la5__38Bx44QL2fnRmCskSj0K0/s1600/Clapton+Park+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggx0rNbmtL3bbUDlBoJi_5Tgv3Y4TJj7sLQRd1rDVA9fI5tAtMbcdLdfJsJ8w9DewI7scDiLs8QKU_5NBAmW1m-fW2Thyphenhyphen2QRaHVJ_DEvrTUUuxN2ui7la5__38Bx44QL2fnRmCskSj0K0/s400/Clapton+Park+12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Chairs and a green canopy to enjoy the fruits of the gardeners' labour.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1ZEdI4HSjTC6CD40i18xiLc82HufyGZmeIvjAfrabzL4yJJ86O6h-964aPGpaGMZlx_nzBx_Y_ULGwiLt-VqyD8MNekoGuSDqLPe-mDV9dGdYSH5QUkXWM6OwO3x9sVSs94ehIYXHW8/s1600/Clapton+Park+11+-+shed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1ZEdI4HSjTC6CD40i18xiLc82HufyGZmeIvjAfrabzL4yJJ86O6h-964aPGpaGMZlx_nzBx_Y_ULGwiLt-VqyD8MNekoGuSDqLPe-mDV9dGdYSH5QUkXWM6OwO3x9sVSs94ehIYXHW8/s320/Clapton+Park+11+-+shed.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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A good example of a green roof, a fruit tree on the right and homes for bees on the side of the shed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp_nJrqBpPhWSCAZ3IzJh-T5zBKkkVudLb4PIYZ7Iony6fcyNDHjTJfGkvwtS_LCsAYHKnvDfrm_oOaTPxh8Oiqntz31dFDy1Js4hXN24sOOmkoAlr6ucGn6s7jdaWOpo1WSZrpNDYSo/s1600/Clapton+Park+4+-+hangers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp_nJrqBpPhWSCAZ3IzJh-T5zBKkkVudLb4PIYZ7Iony6fcyNDHjTJfGkvwtS_LCsAYHKnvDfrm_oOaTPxh8Oiqntz31dFDy1Js4hXN24sOOmkoAlr6ucGn6s7jdaWOpo1WSZrpNDYSo/s320/Clapton+Park+4+-+hangers.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Brackets for hanging baskets, ready for when the weather's better.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGdzq8ALjL-UFakjRNLk4UqO19zAqq0FlSad2YB1oAIJ5JkGe5Y2EakbehQGOopsg4btT13Vy3Qv8TSfs3JEQQYmlVJ2XHc9Lo_7U5GTMrb0iOCJJeVVZJiLWPp4FPsjHkl6Cd71H3wE/s1600/Clapton+Park+10+-+maize.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGdzq8ALjL-UFakjRNLk4UqO19zAqq0FlSad2YB1oAIJ5JkGe5Y2EakbehQGOopsg4btT13Vy3Qv8TSfs3JEQQYmlVJ2XHc9Lo_7U5GTMrb0iOCJJeVVZJiLWPp4FPsjHkl6Cd71H3wE/s320/Clapton+Park+10+-+maize.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Planters looking wintry but ready for new growth come the spring.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBUbygAcbnenXTxd1OXRJarKaS_j_GdtxnCNogqZcICNRQLPvJPPF0FkCk_CQD0ogqYd4bEtnYeafY1-HDAh9KmatK-v1Bq6JBwltbablr0O2mGUC6emvH0hItBHjFf2N9OdNNVoo2ec/s1600/Clapton+Park+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBUbygAcbnenXTxd1OXRJarKaS_j_GdtxnCNogqZcICNRQLPvJPPF0FkCk_CQD0ogqYd4bEtnYeafY1-HDAh9KmatK-v1Bq6JBwltbablr0O2mGUC6emvH0hItBHjFf2N9OdNNVoo2ec/s320/Clapton+Park+8.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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More planters, also awaiting warmer weather to spring into life.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOIWeOx6m839YcWOZPa98-q4UtgbAFwu1u9OFR0eT-nZeoN-ppCR68AGMNygncdFV4DZheFXx_Rf0vmV8zPVeZiDyLhRRF43l-K3xdX4XLiAO3jI9LfYxEaD3amLOP6DANH-I4GlYp_w/s1600/Clapton+Park+5+-+silver+birch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOIWeOx6m839YcWOZPa98-q4UtgbAFwu1u9OFR0eT-nZeoN-ppCR68AGMNygncdFV4DZheFXx_Rf0vmV8zPVeZiDyLhRRF43l-K3xdX4XLiAO3jI9LfYxEaD3amLOP6DANH-I4GlYp_w/s320/Clapton+Park+5+-+silver+birch.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Trees can also spruce the place up.</div>
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I hope that we all came away with ideas that can be transplanted to the De Beauvoir estate. I also like to think that we may have started to form useful relationships between the TRA and the De Beauvoir Gardeners to help a gardening project like those shown here to flourish in De Beauvoir.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-82124257217751720512017-01-20T01:28:00.000+00:002017-01-20T01:33:22.270+00:00Fire station development approved with no affordable housing, none<b>by Councillor James Peters</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSXXPqiqgF9wIf9s2W372vtl0Df3RoMfK0MbzIOkP5-8wXZSsOVmPDiLYkyIJM7kpaMAIR8X8NhJWzQPtDb568DqaLz5B5YYIv2bGIeo5-pIe4fcm1LQe-s1kl8WZq4E0GU4X6jvKE2U/s1600/fire+station+development.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSXXPqiqgF9wIf9s2W372vtl0Df3RoMfK0MbzIOkP5-8wXZSsOVmPDiLYkyIJM7kpaMAIR8X8NhJWzQPtDb568DqaLz5B5YYIv2bGIeo5-pIe4fcm1LQe-s1kl8WZq4E0GU4X6jvKE2U/s640/fire+station+development.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last Wednesday, I went to the planning meeting at the Town Hall about the building planned for the site of the old fire station on Kingsland Road. I went to explain why the Council must make sure that those applying for planning permission include affordable housing in their buildings - that's to say, homes that people in Hackney can actually afford to live in.<br />
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A few other people had reservations about the application too:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8V_rTqzC9c0-q2Ut-vdAQPlFB7ChwiT6cM4mYvKSh29hL2cqmcze93jaBNwGBX2EpK7l2AxN9vgNmiwirSQcanAitBbj5s2aLwThx4oRG7hRi15X3J3hY3ZssDAAabzcmps65jKRX4A/s1600/Perry+tweet+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8V_rTqzC9c0-q2Ut-vdAQPlFB7ChwiT6cM4mYvKSh29hL2cqmcze93jaBNwGBX2EpK7l2AxN9vgNmiwirSQcanAitBbj5s2aLwThx4oRG7hRi15X3J3hY3ZssDAAabzcmps65jKRX4A/s640/Perry+tweet+2.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">What I was concerned about</span></h3>
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If you're interested, you can read my objection to the original application <a href="http://debeauvoircouncillors.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/kingsland-fire-station-planning.html">here</a>. You may have seen the <a href="http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/education/millions_in_profit_but_no_affordable_housing_cllr_rounds_on_hackney_new_primary_school_development_in_kingsland_road_1_4688544">coverage in the local press</a>.<br />
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At the meeting, we heard a variety of things about whether the financing of the scheme would allow the developer to build the new school on the site, the 68 flats for sale, and also provide some affordable housing. My back-of-the-envelope calculations suggested they could. I mean, look at this 2-bedroom flat going for comfortably over £1,000,000 a few dozen metres south of the fire station site:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkWZ2Oko57_xOgKNy1nq97ZSOiafWo_KbY3x86mLaEyTQvgEvduEpUR3j07OXNYziX4bpexOR-tEGE_PQHUD3vRswz6pSFivvu5A21O0qVNxujwsDwaC67uY1V-p4SvGohs6Q_UfgLLs/s1600/Quebec+Wharf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkWZ2Oko57_xOgKNy1nq97ZSOiafWo_KbY3x86mLaEyTQvgEvduEpUR3j07OXNYziX4bpexOR-tEGE_PQHUD3vRswz6pSFivvu5A21O0qVNxujwsDwaC67uY1V-p4SvGohs6Q_UfgLLs/s640/Quebec+Wharf.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Crucially, there were questions about how much money the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/education-funding-agency">Education Funding Agency</a> (the body that funds the Government's "free schools") wanted back from the £16 million it had paid for the land:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwfKW5XFnE8YbBNX1QI9hG6EsNcdyTso6Zywa4f1nPX4pBtzROti7PpPKwH0HtwXm7DL7D8wdAAci6-u1v2Lz-WLngQMOAURByv2j2F1aRoJFsmKESuJpjWcSa1RREryxN61w5LhLNEg/s1600/Perry+tweet+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwfKW5XFnE8YbBNX1QI9hG6EsNcdyTso6Zywa4f1nPX4pBtzROti7PpPKwH0HtwXm7DL7D8wdAAci6-u1v2Lz-WLngQMOAURByv2j2F1aRoJFsmKESuJpjWcSa1RREryxN61w5LhLNEg/s400/Perry+tweet+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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To put the discussion in context, I spoke about the housing crisis that we're facing in Hackney (here's <a href="http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/hackney_council_pays_35million_a_year_to_keep_the_homeless_homeless_1_4851576">a good piece about the dire local situation</a> and some <a href="http://mginternet.hackney.gov.uk/documents/s52433/CDM-17824522-v1-Homeless%20Families%20in%20temporary%20accommodation%20for%20scrutiny.pdf">more facts and figures</a>). We literally have thousands of Hackney families in emergency housing because housing is too expensive in Hackney. And I'm using the word "literally" literally in that sentence. We desperately need more homes that aren't priced out of reach for ordinary people.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">The planning system can (and has to) be part of the solution, not part of the problem</span></h3>
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Here in Hackney, we have <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/core-strategy">a "core" planning policy</a> that, amongst other things, says the following:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBK1P_L1Um9Vw-QYzL4GxTPpvQTkctG01r_kGmwTSl7OdMoBias65W-N6GSWXxLdrjERHAqSbAbwmRZmXbO3sKqDUqP3PQRIE7IRYqmteUmdZXLDsuuX3jt7G80fs50zXHY_1XzpwDpR0/s1600/Core+strategy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBK1P_L1Um9Vw-QYzL4GxTPpvQTkctG01r_kGmwTSl7OdMoBias65W-N6GSWXxLdrjERHAqSbAbwmRZmXbO3sKqDUqP3PQRIE7IRYqmteUmdZXLDsuuX3jt7G80fs50zXHY_1XzpwDpR0/s640/Core+strategy.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, if a new building is going to have more than 10 homes, 50% of them should be affordable (and, unless there are exceptional circumstances, the affordable homes must be in the building). Here, we had an original application for a block of 68 flats with zero affordable housing. None at all.<br />
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At the meeting, I asked how granting the planning permission could possibly be compatible with our planning policy.<br />
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We, as a Council, need to be holding developers to these planning policies so that they help the Council to build the affordable housing that we so desperately need in Hackney. (Being strong in applying planning policies requiring affordable housing will also mean that those developers factor in the cost of including affordable housing when buying land.)<br />
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The Council is building affordable housing:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lQpHrnte4hh-b2k45hvSwDTCbHtg1r1AMVtiYBejYa9FeTd3Jia9rau7Ufx570nH76zrjesxnXMHEBgm_xITAvos5Lsw_rcz9_Ynqi98Cr8bK4Voiq3JCWUBS_rkkrzbeKSSrQe6Mr8/s1600/Phil+-+HSP.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lQpHrnte4hh-b2k45hvSwDTCbHtg1r1AMVtiYBejYa9FeTd3Jia9rau7Ufx570nH76zrjesxnXMHEBgm_xITAvos5Lsw_rcz9_Ynqi98Cr8bK4Voiq3JCWUBS_rkkrzbeKSSrQe6Mr8/s640/Phil+-+HSP.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;">- Mayor of Hackney, Phil Glanville</span></div>
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...and we need developers to do so too.<br />
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As I pointed out at the planning meeting, Sadiq Khan has realised that we need to use the planning system to get affordable housing built and we need to examine developers' claims very carefully when they say they can't include affordable housing in their new buildings. Mayor Khan has published (<a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/draft_affordable_housing_and_viability_spg_2016.pdf">draft) guidance</a> that says about itself:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhpdRsStB5GgWs0UJWR3DxYavom6NXKaO06UdX-rZN501BduF12_4fgsyOJs-ZGB6UaFpb-GTaNMZkNcKUSTnc5oralawqrWe17adS1I4LmM_4GA3608xscFadoV9PTX4FczJxfEVkAw/s1600/Sadiq+viability+guidance.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhpdRsStB5GgWs0UJWR3DxYavom6NXKaO06UdX-rZN501BduF12_4fgsyOJs-ZGB6UaFpb-GTaNMZkNcKUSTnc5oralawqrWe17adS1I4LmM_4GA3608xscFadoV9PTX4FczJxfEVkAw/s640/Sadiq+viability+guidance.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The developers should put all their cards on the table and planning committees should examine very closely any claims that their schemes' finances don't allow them to build any affordable housing.<br />
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I asked the planning committee to postpone its decision and to really take a look at whether we could ask the developer to build affordable housing in the development for which they were asking for planning permission, or whether it would make the whole scheme unviable. After all, our "core" planning policy says that we will do this (see above) and during this housing crisis, we need all the affordable housing we can get.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">What was decided</span></h3>
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In the end, the applicant said that they would give the Council £1.5 million to build homes somewhere else in Hackney and the Council's planning committee granted the application.<br />
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You'll find news reports <a href="http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/kingsland_fire_station_school_project_signed_off_but_no_affordable_housing_1_4854422">here</a> and <a href="https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2017/01/12/zero-affordable-housing-kingsland-fire-station-site-approved/">here</a>.<br />
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The result of closing the fire station</h4>
And if you're wondering about what has happened to fire engine response times in De Beauvoir since Boris closed our local fire station, there are a few figures in <a href="http://hackneypost.co.uk/2015/10/15/kingsland-fire-station-sold-school/">this report</a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-27816239237212342852016-08-07T23:37:00.000+01:002016-08-07T23:37:46.794+01:00Kingsland Fire Station - planning application<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In 2014, the Boris Johnson decided that his austerity policies meant that a number of fire stations across London should be closed. The Kingsland Road fire station in De Beauvoir was one such fire station.<br />
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The local Labour Party <a href="http://debeauvoircouncillors.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/kingsland-fire-station-sell-off.html">protested</a> against the closure because <a href="http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/kingland_fire_station_sale_close_to_completion_as_mp_warns_about_rocketing_response_times_1_3971324">we feared that response times would increase</a>, putting lives in De Beauvoir at risk.<br />
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In October 2015, <a href="http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/fate_of_kingsland_road_fire_station_announced_1_4264687">it was announced</a> that the site would become a free school, the "Hackney New Primary School. An <a href="http://planning.hackney.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=241048&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Hackney/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Hackney/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING">application for planning permission</a> for a school, with 68 flats above it, was submitted in July. None of those homes will be for rental at a <a href="http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns_/why_we_campaign/Improving_social_housing/what_is_social_housing">social rent</a> or to be sold by way of <a href="https://www.helptobuy.gov.uk/shared-ownership/">shared ownership</a>.<br />
<br />
We're in a housing crisis, in which people from Hackney can't afford to live in Hackney. Some would say it's a <a href="http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2016/07/25/beyond-crisis/">housing emergency</a>.<br />
<br />
Whatever terminology we use, we need developments that include substantial numbers of homes that people in Hackney can afford to live in.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aZgnkPKj0UH1H6u2M7bW9JgpPtKSyoFtE6SAcJBirN0od4mpVlEKiwU64RMS6II4wboiaCKzoR0WPgi2RhujEj-tBOKWV4WyX0vxHlGNcgLRg-Ysv3PII89X2DFxCpEcv1KVgXXV1ac/s1600/Housing+crisis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1aZgnkPKj0UH1H6u2M7bW9JgpPtKSyoFtE6SAcJBirN0od4mpVlEKiwU64RMS6II4wboiaCKzoR0WPgi2RhujEj-tBOKWV4WyX0vxHlGNcgLRg-Ysv3PII89X2DFxCpEcv1KVgXXV1ac/s640/Housing+crisis.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
That's why we've submitted the following response to the consultation on the application for planning permission for the 68 flats for private sale above the proposed new primary school:<br />
<br />
"Hello,<br />
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am writing in relation to planning application 2016/2207 (Former Kingsland Fire Station 333 Kingsland Road Hackney London E8 4DR).</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In particular, I take issue with the characterisation of the development as "<i>an enabling development, with revenues generated by 68 residential units and 298 sqm of retail space being applied to cross-subsidise the creation and fitting out of the new school</i>" (see page 1 of the viability assessment). </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">On the same page there is the following statement: "<i>The planning application focuses on the creation of a new, two-form entry primary school for 5-11 year olds at Hackney New Primary School (HNPS).</i>"</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Having looked further into the economics of this development, I consider that a second focus of the application to be the generation of a sizeable profit for the partners to this venture, primarily the people behind the Hackney New Primary School (who I understand to be the same people behind the Hackney New School "free school") and the Benyon Estate.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In Hackney, we currently have more than 2,600 of our residents living in temporary accommodation, mostly in largely unsuitable hostel accommodation. Our largest hostel is the next building on Kingsland Road to the north of the former fire station. Residents are being forced to leave private sector accommodation because it has become unaffordable for even those living on an average (median) London salary of £30,000. In this context, granting planning permission for a block of flats solely for private sale is entirely inappropriate.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am very surprised by the idea that the flats to be built above the proposed primary school are intended merely to finance the construction of a primary school (even taking into account any reimbursement of the Education Funding Agency). It seems to me that the applicants will make a substantial profit on this development and that appropriate planning contributions will not be delivered.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In light of this, granting the planning permission for this development would be contrary to the Council's political direction and its planning policies, as I seek to explain below:</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Hackney Labour manifesto 2014</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In 2014, the <a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=L9d7G5QGNxP_KRHQWF6Q_8oFcejbst42Qa7h3eWH-ZTBlDiSEb_TCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AZAAzAG4AOABhADgAcAByAG8ANwB2AGgAbQB4AC4AYwBsAG8AdQBkAGYAcgBvAG4AdAAuAG4AZQB0AC8AbABhAGIAbwB1AHIAYwBsAHAANQAyAC8AcABhAGcAZQBzAC8ANgA5AC8AYQB0AHQAYQBjAGgAbQBlAG4AdABzAC8AbwByAGkAZwBpAG4AYQBsAC8AMQAzADkANwAxADEANQA5ADUAOQAvAEgAYQBjAGsAbgBlAHkAXwBMAFAAXwBNAGEAbgBpAGYAZQBzAHQAbwBfADIAMAAxADQAXwB3AGUAYgAuAHAAZABmAD8AMQAzADkANwAxADEANQA5ADUAOQA.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fd3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net%2flabourclp52%2fpages%2f69%2fattachments%2foriginal%2f1397115959%2fHackney_LP_Manifesto_2014_web.pdf%3f1397115959"><span class="s2">Hackney Labour manifesto</span></a> claimed that "<i>we will do whatever we can to tackle the housing crisis</i>". Allowing blocks of flats to be built in which local people cannot afford to live is not tackling the housing crisis and not dealing with its effects in the borough. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Hackney's Sustainable Community Strategy 2008-2018</b></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s3">In Hackney's <a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=wghSDjGcFQIi2U08l2ozJQnkI0fffdqcKaNM1ls4OD7BlDiSEb_TCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgBoAGEAYwBrAG4AZQB5AC4AZwBvAHYALgB1AGsALwBtAGUAZABpAGEALwAyADcAMAA3AC8AUwB1AHMAdABhAGkAbgBhAGIAbABlAC0AYwBvAG0AbQB1AG4AaQB0AHkALQBzAHQAcgBhAHQAZQBnAHkALQAyADAAMAA4AC0AMgAwADEAOAAvAHAAZABmAC8AcwBjAHMA&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hackney.gov.uk%2fmedia%2f2707%2fSustainable-community-strategy-2008-2018%2fpdf%2fscs"><span class="s4">Sustainable Community Strategy 2008-2018</span></a>, we say that:</span></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">we have as a priority to "<i>promote mixed communities in well-designed neighbourhoods, where people can access high quality, affordable housing</i>"; </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">an outcome of our planning policy should be to "<i>promote and maintain mixed, sustainable communities in all our neighbourhoods by securing a tenure and dwelling mix, including affordable homes and homes adaptable for people’s changing needs</i>";</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">"<i>our approach is to provide quality, affordable homes for all income groups</i>"; and</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">"<i>Hackney’s Local Development Framework requires private sector housing projects and our estate renewal programmes to provide a range of mixed tenure homes for households with a wide range of incomes, including affordable housing for rent and for sale</i>".</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In the <a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=5qNvWIo01bchUw-Dxkcj0C3oXr8LlI1TY02xRHGoJR3BlDiSEb_TCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgBoAGEAYwBrAG4AZQB5AC4AZwBvAHYALgB1AGsALwBtAGUAZABpAGEALwAyADcAMQAyAC8AUwBlAGMAdABpAG8AbgAtADMALQBJAG0AcAByAG8AdgBlAC0AcQB1AGEAbABpAHQAeQAtAG8AZgAtAGwAaQBmAGUALQBhAG4AZAAtAHAAcgBvAG0AbwB0AGUALQBzAGEAZgBlAHQAeQAtAGEAbgBkAC0AYwBvAGgAZQBzAGkAbwBuAC8AcABkAGYALwBJAG0AcAByAG8AdgBlAC0AcQB1AGEAbABpAHQAeQAtAG8AZgAtAGwAaQBmAGUALQBhAG4AZAAtAHAAcgBvAG0AbwB0AGUALQBzAGEAZgBlAHQAeQAtAGEAbgBkAC0AYwBvAGgAZQBzAGkAbwBuAA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hackney.gov.uk%2fmedia%2f2712%2fSection-3-Improve-quality-of-life-and-promote-safety-and-cohesion%2fpdf%2fImprove-quality-of-life-and-promote-safety-and-cohesion"><span class="s2">State of the Borough report</span></a> conducted and published in 2013, it was clear that over the five years since the Sustainable Community Strategy was adopted, the need for affordable housing had become the most important factor for residents for our planning policy. In the three years since that report, residents' concerns about the affordability of housing in Hackney have sky-rocketed.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Allowing a tower block to be built containing no social or shared-ownership housing would be to create a middle-class ghetto, not a mixed, sustainable community. The current application is for a development of housing that is affordable only to people with high incomes and/or who are fortunate enough to have accumulated considerable wealth. As a result, to allow this development as it is described in the application would clearly run counter to our Sustainable Community Strategy.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Hackney's Core Strategy</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Council's <a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=2B_JeewkDpmhoO2YmPDAQWkCP7J-XHYJ2bCyi7nvZT_BlDiSEb_TCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgBoAGEAYwBrAG4AZQB5AC4AZwBvAHYALgB1AGsALwBtAGUAZABpAGEALwA2ADgAMgA2AC8ASABhAGMAawBuAGUAeQAtAGMAbwByAGUALQBzAHQAcgBhAHQAZQBnAHkALQBkAGUAdgBlAGwAbwBwAG0AZQBuAHQALQBwAGwAYQBuAC0AZABvAGMAdQBtAGUAbgB0AC0ARABlAGMAZQBtAGIAZQByAC0AMgAwADEAMAAtAC8AcABkAGYALwBBAGQAbwBwAHQAZQBkAC0ATABEAEYALQBDAG8AcgBlAC0AUwB0AHIAYQB0AGUAZwB5AC0AZgBpAG4AYQBsAC0AaQBuAGMAYwBoAGEAcAB0AGkAbQBhAGcAZQBzAGMAbwB2AC0ARABlAGMAMgAwADEAMAAtAGwAbwB3AC0AcgBlAHMA&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hackney.gov.uk%2fmedia%2f6826%2fHackney-core-strategy-development-plan-document-December-2010-%2fpdf%2fAdopted-LDF-Core-Strategy-final-incchaptimagescov-Dec2010-low-res"><span class="s2">Core Strategy</span></a> Policy 20, on affordable housing, contains the following statements:</span></div>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">"<i>Affordable housing will be sought from residential-only developments and mixed use developments incorporating residential use.</i>" </span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">"<i>On site provision of affordable housing will always be sought in the first instance.</i>"</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">"<i>Affordable housing will be sought on all developments comprising 10 residential units or more. New housing should seek to meet a borough-wide affordable housing target of 50% of all units subject to site characteristics, location and overall scheme viability.</i>"</span></li>
<li class="li1"><span class="s1">"<i>In line with identified need and as a borough wide guide the required tenure split of affordable housing will be 60% social rented and 40% Intermediate (by unit). On individual sites the exact tenure split will be guided by up to date assessments of specific local housing need and site and neighbourhood characteristics. On individual development sites, the exact tenure split will be guided by up to date assessments of local housing need and site or neighbourhood characteristics.</i>"</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The emphasis in the quotations above is on a consistently-applied policy of requiring substantial levels of affordable housing from private developments and the precise level will depend upon an assessment of specific local housing need. In De Beauvoir and across Hackney, that need is massive and extraordinarily pressing. The above are very clear policy statements that we will require new developments to have at least 50% of the homes contained in them as affordable. In the middle of a housing crisis, it is plainly inappropriate for 0% of the homes in this development to be affordable to local residents.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>The value of the homes</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I attach a number of screenshots of flats either on the market or having recently been sold within a few tens of metres of the former fire station [those screenshots were taken from Right Move and Zoopla]. These are either 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom flats.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The 2-bedroom flats have sold or are on the market for £650,000 or more. From brief research on <a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=n_QP8Bfljql9WkcrpSjKWvYo1FYKx-Fhy7f_0EsszxHBlDiSEb_TCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgB6AG8AbwBwAGwAYQAuAGMAbwAuAHUAawAvAGYAbwByAC0AcwBhAGwAZQAvAHAAcgBvAHAAZQByAHQAeQAvAGQAZQAtAGIAZQBhAHUAdgBvAGkAcgAtAHQAbwB3AG4ALwA.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.zoopla.co.uk%2ffor-sale%2fproperty%2fde-beauvoir-town%2f"><span class="s2">Zoopla</span></a> and <a href="https://mywebmail.hackney.gov.uk/owa/redir.aspx?SURL=nji5_qP0A_yZmhxHVFlTvMrcDnU244YXapQqhiIiQffBlDiSEb_TCGgAdAB0AHAAOgAvAC8AdwB3AHcALgByAGkAZwBoAHQAbQBvAHYAZQAuAGMAbwAuAHUAawAvAHAAcgBvAHAAZQByAHQAeQAtAGYAbwByAC0AcwBhAGwAZQAvAGYAaQBuAGQALgBoAHQAbQBsAD8AbABvAGMAYQB0AGkAbwBuAEkAZABlAG4AdABpAGYAaQBlAHIAPQBSAEUARwBJAE8ATgAlADUARQA3ADAAMwA5ADMAJgBtAGEAeABCAGUAZAByAG8AbwBtAHMAPQAxACYAbQBpAG4AQgBlAGQAcgBvAG8AbQBzAD0AMQAmAG4AdQBtAGIAZQByAE8AZgBQAHIAbwBwAGUAcgB0AGkAZQBzAFAAZQByAFAAYQBnAGUAPQAyADQAJgByAGEAZABpAHUAcwA9ADAALgAwACYAcwBvAHIAdABUAHkAcABlAD0AMgAmAGkAbgBkAGUAeAA9ADAAJgB2AGkAZQB3AFQAeQBwAGUAPQBMAEkAUwBUACYAYwB1AHIAcgBlAG4AYwB5AEMAbwBkAGUAPQBHAEIAUAA.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rightmove.co.uk%2fproperty-for-sale%2ffind.html%3flocationIdentifier%3dREGION%255E70393%26maxBedrooms%3d1%26minBedrooms%3d1%26numberOfPropertiesPerPage%3d24%26radius%3d0.0%26sortType%3d2%26index%3d0%26viewType%3dLIST%26currencyCode%3dGBP"><span class="s2">Right Move</span></a>, this is relatively low for the area. The 3-bedroom flat in the adjacent block is being marketed for £1,450,000.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">If each of the proposed 2-bedroom flats in the proposed development were to sell for £650,000, this would generate over £20,000,000.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">If each of the three 3-bedroom properties proposed in the development sell for over £1,000,000 each, they will net over £3,000,000 in total. This is entirely possible and probably a very conservative estimate, given that the application drawings show that they will be penthouse-style flats at the top of a much taller building and each will have a spacious, roof-top terrace.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">New one-bedroom flats in the area are being marketed mostly for more than £400,000, so their sale is likely to raise over £14,000,000. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am unable to guess how much the sale of the commercial units on the ground floor would generate but, on the basis of the calculations above, it is likely that the sale of just the 68 flats will generate well over £37,000,000. This contrasts with £16,000,000 for acquiring the land acquisition (see the applicants' viability report) and around £6,000,000 for building the school, with construction costs (without land costs) of around £80,000 per flat (as I understand is broadly industry-standard). This would mean that the total cost of construction would be around £28,000,000. This would leave a very considerable profit for the free school trust, Benyon Estate and (maybe) the Education Funding Agency (although it is not clear whether the Agency requires full reimbursement of that money.).</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">These are very crude figures intended to illustrate the point that, even if a school is being built, it seems to me that the developers will make a large profit from the development. Instead of that happening, we should apply the clear statements cited above from our planning policies, and we should require considerable social and shared-ownership housing to be included in the development.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I am worried that this planning application is a commercial development, masquerading as a social development and that, as such, it makes insufficient contribution to the community in a time of dire straits for Hackney's residents in terms of housing.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Once it is built, people in De Beauvoir will ask me how much social and shared ownership accommodation is in the development, i.e., how much housing is in it that locals can afford to live in. Hackney's Planning Authority must ensure that a fair proportion of the homes in this building are affordable for Hackney's residents. By "fair", I mean "high". We cannot allow those putting up free schools and the Benyon Estate to make a big profit on a prime piece of land, which used to be occupied by a fire station until closed by the previous Mayor of London, without that land being used to mitigate the housing emergency in which we find ourselves. To allow that big profit to be made without homes being provided for ordinary people in Hackney would be a travesty, a mockery of the Council's policies and an insult to those people throughout the borough (but particularly in the Metropolitan Hostel on Kingsland Road) who are forced to live in desperately over-crowded and unsuitable accommodation.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I very much hope that this application will be referred to a planning sub-committee and that the sub-committee inquires very closely into the viability of this development, demanding considerable amounts of social and shared-ownership housing, in addition to the construction of a primary school.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">With regards,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><b>Cllr. James Peters</b></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">De Beauvoir ward</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">020 8356 3373</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">james.peters@hackney.gov.uk</span></div>
www.twitter.com/lovedebeauvoir"<br />
<br />
<br />
If you would also like to submit a response to the consultation, you can do so through <a href="http://planning.hackney.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=241048&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Hackney/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Hackney/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING">the application page</a> or by e-mailing planning@hackney.gov.ukAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-28317979110592969132015-10-02T00:25:00.000+01:002015-10-02T00:25:30.702+01:00Bogus caller alert!<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The De Beauvoir Safer Neighbourhood Team (<i>i.e.</i>, our local police), </span></span>who are very nice, and look like this:<br />
<br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">have asked us to publicise the following:</span></span><br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">There have been two attempts made to gain entry to houses in the Englefield Road area of De Beauvoir, by a man claiming to be a police officer in plain clothes.</span><br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">The man is of Asian appearance and aged between 30-40. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">On each occasion he knocked on the door and produced what he claims to be a police warrant card. This has been described as a metal crest with the words "police" emblazoned on it.</span><br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">This is actually what a warrant card looks like: </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Oeg9Co5wQ58Zfx6JfayH9cI_45G0eeSqNZsSxzkIWkgl363nJdJeKfvyUBh7D_EBkDDinTmyMnlI_PoGLRIRnG3X315cMG8SW0wlVxJh0w7DzFdQ9grolEQLgOFvuKXrqYMyX9wHGu0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-10-02+at+00.18.10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Oeg9Co5wQ58Zfx6JfayH9cI_45G0eeSqNZsSxzkIWkgl363nJdJeKfvyUBh7D_EBkDDinTmyMnlI_PoGLRIRnG3X315cMG8SW0wlVxJh0w7DzFdQ9grolEQLgOFvuKXrqYMyX9wHGu0/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-10-02+at+00.18.10.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">If you are in any doubt as to the authenticity of a police officer who calls at your home please call </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span style="color: red;"><b>999</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> immediately.</span><br />
<br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Kind Regards,</span><br />
<br style="color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;" /><br /><a href="http://content.met.police.uk/Team/Hackney/DeBeauvoir"><span style="font-size: large;">The De Beauvoir Safer Neighbourhoods Team</span></a><br />
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Mayor of Hackney's statement on the refugee crisis</h1>
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The Mayor of Hackney has released a statement explaining how Hackney, along with boroughs across London, is preparing to help refugees fleeing Syria.</div>
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The terrible scenes being reported from across Europe have moved many people here in the UK to demand that the Government should be doing more. Yesterday, on behalf of London Councils, I made it clear that boroughs across London are standing ready to help should the Government change its mind on the number of refugees it will allow to enter the country.<br /><br />Here in Hackney there is a strong history of offering help and support to refugees, such as in the 1970s when the borough became home to hundreds of Vietnamese refugees. We want to stand up and help again. We're already supporting a number of unaccompanied children and young people who have arrived here over past weeks and months, and are planning for greater numbers should the Government allow more refugees to enter, in particular how we might be able to source accommodation. One thing is clear, central government needs to step up as local government has done and commit funding to allow us to help these families in desperate need.</div>
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Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney</div>
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<a href="http://www.calaid.co.uk/guide/Calaid0609.pdf">Here</a> are details of a drop-off session for items to help people in the refugee camp in Calais.</div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/London+E8+4DG/@51.5378671,-0.0764399,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x48761c9678049847:0x8486ef57307dc9f4">The Hive, 2nd Floor, 260-264 Kingsland Road, E8 4DG</a></span></div>
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Btw, it's <span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">TODAY</span>.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-84781035244848745182015-03-02T16:32:00.000+00:002015-03-02T16:32:43.181+00:00Kingsland Fire Station Sell Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf5LtDEpIUTLG1Du1WQk4OLDsLsJskXTLCk7r9PTaHHmQCb48UzMHmxzF7ucXdjt-AfYrhyphenhyphenEKwPxO0xUX-V2E68wZiWjlXqCdEEuvUOghZkvZkd2cKr14VyOlfZh-qhHOz_1SIX3CNJyF/s1600/megnjim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf5LtDEpIUTLG1Du1WQk4OLDsLsJskXTLCk7r9PTaHHmQCb48UzMHmxzF7ucXdjt-AfYrhyphenhyphenEKwPxO0xUX-V2E68wZiWjlXqCdEEuvUOghZkvZkd2cKr14VyOlfZh-qhHOz_1SIX3CNJyF/s1600/megnjim.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
De Beauvoir Labour Councillor James Peters joined Meg Hillier MP along with other Hackney Labour Councillors and members in a demonstration at the site of the former Kingsland Fire Station on Saturday 28th February.<br />
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Tory London Mayor Boris Johnson forced through his closure plans for the station last year as part of swingeing budget cuts despite massive local opposition and a High Court challenge by Hackney Council in association with other local authorities.<br />
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Meg Hillier has now uncovered a secret deal to sell the site for a rumoured £28m.<br />
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Meg said 'If it is anywhere near 28 million it must be for a mass of private luxury flats which Boris Johnson has a track record of agreeing to. I would like to see provisions for fire engines to be reinstalled, because once you have lost that capacity it is impossible to put another one back in Hackney.'<br />
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Councillor Peters said 'Response times in De Beauvoir have increased since the closure to more than six minutes which could be the difference between life and death for our residents. Boris Johnson has put profit before the safety of the people of De Beauvoir as well as neighbouring wards.'<br />
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Meg added 'I would say to any potential purchaser that this is an important community asset which needs to be reinstated and we will not let this matter drop.'<br />
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<i>Cllr. James Peters with Meg Hillier MP and Labour Councillors</i></div>
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<i>and members at the Kingsland Fire Station site on Saturday.</i></div>
<br />Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-4240416669829463972015-02-25T17:14:00.000+00:002015-02-25T17:15:37.749+00:00Have your say on the proposed Cycle Superhighway Route One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08H-JNEsQRtBLJLDR9X11ovInC2o6dtBptjtP6ZypUu00dhAzDAABtj4SMdubVJHtWygcXM8BLHOPTLQvpqGwUItJ0EwDwuLIFWQCoqjzNPGVC-Nqt0pQS0w7BtC41JJHA8YNIGUsmqMb/s1600/CS1+Culford+Rd+junction2+visual.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj08H-JNEsQRtBLJLDR9X11ovInC2o6dtBptjtP6ZypUu00dhAzDAABtj4SMdubVJHtWygcXM8BLHOPTLQvpqGwUItJ0EwDwuLIFWQCoqjzNPGVC-Nqt0pQS0w7BtC41JJHA8YNIGUsmqMb/s1600/CS1+Culford+Rd+junction2+visual.png" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
A consultation has opened for public contributions to the proposed 'Cycle Superhighway' Route 1.<br />
This major new cycle route is proposed to run between Tottenham and the City of London passing through Hackney, Haringey and Islington. The aim is to provide safe journeys for cyclists along an 11km north-south route, running along residential streets away from car and bus traffic.<br />
The proposed route passes right through De Beauvoir, a route which many cyclists already take to avoid the heavy traffic of Kingsland Road.<br />
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Transport for London would like to hear from anybody with opinions and thoughts on this proposal. The consultation is open now and runs up to the 29th of March.<br />
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There are detailed explanations on TfL's <a href="https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/cs1" target="_blank">website</a> along with maps and photo visuals of how the route might look.<br />
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Councillor James Peters said 'Hackney is the number one borough for cycling in London with more residents cycling to work and more people using bikes than cars. De Beauvoir is at the heart of Hackney cycling and it is important that Transport for London know the views of residents.'<br />
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To see the full proposal visit the <a href="https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/cs1" target="_blank">TfL website</a>.<br />
There is a <a href="https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/cs1/consultation/intro/view" target="_blank">short online survey</a> which should take only a few minutes to complete.<br />
To contact TfL on this or any other consultations email: <a href="mailto:consultations@tfl.gov.uk">consultations@tfl.gov.uk</a>, or call 0343 222 1234Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-91646915096616748342015-02-16T15:35:00.000+00:002015-02-16T15:36:21.044+00:00Build a De Beauvoir Bee Hotel!!!This coming Saturday the 21st of February, the De Beauvoir Association in cooperation with Urban Bees and others will be holding a 'Bee Hotel Workshop' at St. Peter's Church.<br />
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A lot of bee dwellings in the city have disappeared and this workshop aims to teach adults and kids alike how to make a suitable home for our De Beauvoir bees! All equipment and materials are provided.</div>
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Details are in the flyer below.</div>
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For more information on city bees go to the<a href="http://urbanbees.co.uk/" target="_blank"> Urban Bees website</a> or email <a href="mailto:alison@urbanbees.co.uk">alison@urbanbees.co.uk</a>.</div>
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Build a bee hotel workshop. 2pm - 5pm at the hall, St Peter's Church, Northchurch Terrace, N1 4DA. Alison Benjamin, author of Bees in the City to give talk at 3.30pm.</div>
Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-63394098506518143602015-01-21T20:50:00.000+00:002015-01-21T20:50:26.660+00:00Make sure you are registered to vote<br />
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The way that everybody registers to vote has changed. The new system is called Individual Electoral Registration (IER).<br />
This has replaced the old 'household registration' system and means that each individual voter has to register.<br />
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Voting is the single most important right in a democratic society and everybody who is entitled to vote should be allowed to register easily.<br />
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Registration to vote is now available online. It only takes around five minutes and you will need to input your National Insurance Number if you have one.<br />
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If you need assistance with this or any other voter registration issues Hackney Council are running Voter Registration Days in four of the borough's libraries. Staff will be on hand to help people register and answer any questions.<br />
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Voter registration days are taking place on Wednesday 28th January and Monday 23rd March from 10.30am to 7pm at <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/woodberry_down_library.htm#.VL_hB4eDWA0" target="_blank">Woodberry Down</a>, <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/cl-shoreditch-main.htm#.VL_hK4eDWA0" target="_blank">Shoreditch</a>, <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/cl-hackney-central-main.htm#.VL_hR4eDWA0" target="_blank">Hackney Central</a> and <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/dalston-library.htm#.VL_hYoeDWA0" target="_blank">Dalston CLR James</a> libraries.<br />
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For more information of Individual electoral Registration (IER) go <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/individual-electoral-registration" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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To register or update your details go to the Government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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For full details on all ways to register to vote visit the <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/elections-electoral-register.htm#.VL_j8YeDWmA" target="_blank">Hackney Council website</a>.<br />
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<br />Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-35880057607622241832015-01-17T14:46:00.002+00:002015-01-17T14:46:18.043+00:00Find yourself in HackneyHackney Council can provide great opportunities for aspiring professionals in all areas of business.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZAEvBxqpMcg" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/jobs">hackney.gov.uk/jobs</a> or call general enquiries on 020 8356 3000.Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-28805166308476164722015-01-06T00:51:00.000+00:002015-01-06T00:51:15.049+00:00Ward Forum - Tackling Inequality in Hackney<br />
The De Beauvoir ward forum is taking place on <strong><u>Tuesday, 13 January 2015, at 7pm</u></strong> and we would like to invite all residents of De Beauvoir ward (which stretches from the Regent's canal in the south, north to Balls Pond Road and from its eastern edge on Kingsland Road, west to Southgate Road).<br />
<br />
We, as Labour councillors, want to hear your views about how we can ensure that everyone in Hackney benefits from the ever-growing prosperity in the borough.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4-oscBrscl3S-Nihj13y5xMaY0e1NlEM4I05xBBQd2YBkNms1-KsG88_DDHZKsUBM3u5ftbsyIbtuzv9iAnSN1-3EXAjqxE2jyKiJmoDX1Yf_98ukTE7pHavmI6k7NN1rTHw_psrO7s/s1600/De+Beauvoir+ward+forum,+13+January+2015.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz4-oscBrscl3S-Nihj13y5xMaY0e1NlEM4I05xBBQd2YBkNms1-KsG88_DDHZKsUBM3u5ftbsyIbtuzv9iAnSN1-3EXAjqxE2jyKiJmoDX1Yf_98ukTE7pHavmI6k7NN1rTHw_psrO7s/s1600/De+Beauvoir+ward+forum,+13+January+2015.png" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In 2015, your Council is launching "<em>Hackney: A Place for Everyone</em>", a wide-ranging community engagement programme to hear residents’ views on inequality, cohesion, and the way Hackney is changing.
<br />
<br />
This follows an announcement, by Hackney's mayor, Jules Pipe, when he told the Council in October 2014:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatDcYeKXSkjbQfEueTc2o1g_yaTEpiDawtRxp4jHSlN76MLUfTjeixGdIekNTYfkglArA4rmVp7bAmymh5nBcmnqcCUAPlbY3ksHOvMPg8Nl3R1qBeFMa-Vf1sPF5IROxRTM7OkEhYns/s1600/Jules.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br />"<em>There can be no doubt that Hackney is a far better place than it was 10 or 15 years ago – cleaner, safer, and more prosperous. It is a better place to live, to work and to raise a family. But that success has brought with it a whole new set of challenges centred on the widening gap between those at either end of our borough’s social spectrum.</em></div>
<em><br /></em>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>We want to create space for people to share their feelings about the way the borough is changing and to tell us how the change is affecting them, in both positive and negative terms. </em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><br /></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>We want people to give us their ideas about how we can promote community cohesion, and protect what is best about Hackney.</em>" </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The De Beauvoir ward forum on the 13 January, at 7pm, is part of that process, and we hope very much that local residents will be able to join us at the Rose Lipman Centre (on the corner of De Beauvoir Road and Downham Road).<br />
<br />
We will be joined by representatives of the Council's <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Ways into Work</a> job agency, as well as Council officers from the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">Hackney 100</a> apprenticeship scheme, as examples of ways in which the Labour-run Council is trying to improve life for the most socially and economically marginalised in Hackney. But these are just examples of what your Council can do to make Hackney work for everyone in this borough but <strong>we want your views and ideas</strong> about what else we can do.<br />
<br />
<br />
An earlier, borough-wide discussion was arranged at Hackney Town Hall in November 2014, with invited expert speakers. You can see videos from that well-attended event and download the presentations at <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/tackling-inequality-in-a-changing-borough.htm">this site</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-12793920633365788812014-12-05T16:30:00.001+00:002014-12-05T16:30:19.868+00:00The De Beauvoir Association Christmas Fair - 13 December 14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2fbKp11kI2dmBE8n3gYeC3N0RSOoabQHaUFsO2qL9iMp921g0casUTty2_oRFj54OfMQpzc7ViKxoZFj6lcwwn_WATyflm2Nsj2au_cxVTzmtgKox5O4-1d63hDhHrh7KwIZ3uDovdpH/s1600/DBA+logo+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2fbKp11kI2dmBE8n3gYeC3N0RSOoabQHaUFsO2qL9iMp921g0casUTty2_oRFj54OfMQpzc7ViKxoZFj6lcwwn_WATyflm2Nsj2au_cxVTzmtgKox5O4-1d63hDhHrh7KwIZ3uDovdpH/s1600/DBA+logo+small.jpg" /></a></div>
The De Beauvoir Association Christmas Fair 2014 takes place on Saturday 13th December.<br />
This year there will be 40 stalls offering food, homewares, handmade jewellery, Christmas cards, mulled wine and much more.<br />
<br />
Profits from the fair will be donated to help fight against Ebola in Makeni, Sierra Leone.<br />
<br />
The Fair takes place on Saturday 13th December from 11to 5pm in the Crypt of St. Peter's Church, Northchurch Terrace and is £1 entrance on the door.<br />
<br />
Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-39311979098513729242014-11-20T17:03:00.000+00:002014-11-20T17:03:27.576+00:00Hackney Play Streets!<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sbBOqxGPMus" width="480"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For more information or to apply for a Play Street Order go to the <a href="http://www.hackney.gov.uk/play-streets.htm#.VG4bM4dNY8F" target="_blank">Hackney Council Website</a>,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
or the <a href="http://www.hackneyplay.org/" target="_blank">Hackney Play Association</a>. Or call 020 8356 3000</div>
Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-9640813609747649612014-11-19T18:33:00.001+00:002014-11-19T18:33:57.078+00:00The Hackney Winter Warmer is back!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvvgQ_Rqq0-Pub3ABjKg78GaQQcEAgaWmFSW-www4GpRgCBHmoN9d6ky741x2j22ahClTn-uWuyisRvrhEdSyHinG362yFIUS52bT3k7EcdvK2JfWaKqaFKMbOl1h3likJoupks4yZtbQ/s1600/WWD14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvvgQ_Rqq0-Pub3ABjKg78GaQQcEAgaWmFSW-www4GpRgCBHmoN9d6ky741x2j22ahClTn-uWuyisRvrhEdSyHinG362yFIUS52bT3k7EcdvK2JfWaKqaFKMbOl1h3likJoupks4yZtbQ/s1600/WWD14.jpg" height="124" width="200" /></a></div>
The popular Hackney Homes Winter Warmer event returns this December.<br />
<br />
This is a day for Hackney Homes residents over the age of 55 to get advice about keeping warm healthy and active over the coming winter months.<br />
<br />
Along with energy advisors and health practitioners there will also be computer training. There will also be information on community and social opportunities for Hackney residents.<br />
<br />
The Winter Warmer takes place on Wednesday 3rd of December 2014 from 12.30 to 5.30pm in the Assembly Rooms at Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, E8 1EA.<br />
<br />
Places are limited and this event is always well attended, so if you wish to book a place, get in early to avoid missing out.<br />
<br />
To book a place at the Hackney Winter Warmer December 2014 call 020 8356 7845, email <a href="mailto:getinvolved@hackneyhomes.org.uk" target="_blank">get involved@hackneyhomes.org.uk</a>, or visit us in Hackney Downs at 1-4 Olympus Square, London, E5 8PL.<br />
Spaces will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.<br />
<br />
More info on the <a href="http://www.hackneyhomes.org.uk/winter%20warmer%202014.htm" target="_blank">Hackney Homes website</a>.Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-60122618955740465862014-11-10T23:07:00.001+00:002014-11-10T23:07:12.439+00:00Hackney Council Public Discussion - Tackling Inequalities. November 24th<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
For more information go to <a href="http://news.hackney.gov.uk/tackling-inequalities-debate" target="_blank">Hackney Council's site</a>.</div>
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Follow the discussion on twitter using #hackneydebate</div>
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<br />Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-33728298299822654822014-10-24T00:04:00.000+01:002014-10-24T00:12:09.621+01:00Lest we forget<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rrJvu_9PLjSnbH6O3r4QacFwboT3nG5kMDken9jM-KUr-cnz70_bQ3j2BPINvqlQzDcdZVjc7t8-8NUZOTFRSd8eYEaqakvm9cQG7tbPIGTefckq34Z2SLnQsyVB9UJlJ3PfJwadWjI/s1600/DBA+war+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rrJvu_9PLjSnbH6O3r4QacFwboT3nG5kMDken9jM-KUr-cnz70_bQ3j2BPINvqlQzDcdZVjc7t8-8NUZOTFRSd8eYEaqakvm9cQG7tbPIGTefckq34Z2SLnQsyVB9UJlJ3PfJwadWjI/s1600/DBA+war+poster.jpg" height="640" width="452" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-28992895614720384912014-10-20T00:29:00.000+01:002014-10-22T00:09:59.850+01:00Consultation: Returning housing management to the Council<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hackney
Council is consulting on the future of social housing services in
Hackney. The Council is asking its secure and introductory tenants
and leaseholders to tell it if they support or oppose returning
housing management services to Hackney Council from April 2016. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">At
the moment, a body called Hackney Homes is responsible for managing
council homes in Hackney. Hackney's council homes are owned by the
Council but they are run separately from Council control, by Hackney
Homes. Hackney Homes collects council housing rent, and it repairs
and maintains council homes.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iSilDU807dUQTUVGC1r8nSlSlgCP12skHkp955WN9yQpQ5HUU078pdOHs33-HD61GAMDBPVkIogCZNeF6S8wdVjcdUm4IMevA5Z6XVDg9bHFjvlMRrx2QcVTsDC7Qi0gUUTmJgFBpXM/s1600/HH-Consulting_banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iSilDU807dUQTUVGC1r8nSlSlgCP12skHkp955WN9yQpQ5HUU078pdOHs33-HD61GAMDBPVkIogCZNeF6S8wdVjcdUm4IMevA5Z6XVDg9bHFjvlMRrx2QcVTsDC7Qi0gUUTmJgFBpXM/s1600/HH-Consulting_banner.jpg" height="212" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Why
the Council is Consulting</span></b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hackney
Homes was set up in 2006 to manage the improvement of tenants’
homes to meet the “Decent Homes Standard”. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
“Decent Homes Standard” applies to all housing rented from a
council or housing association. In 2000, the Labour government
announced that all council tenants should live in a decent home.
Essentially, this meant that homes should be safe, wind- and
weather-tight, warm and have reasonably modern kitchens and
bathrooms. Unsurprisingly, most of the improvement to council homes
was needed in the most deprived local authority areas, such as
Hackney. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">To
receive additional funding, councils had to consider a range of
options all of which meant transferring management of council homes
to another body. That is why, after consultation with residents,
Hackney Council created Hackney Homes. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hackney
Homes is due to complete the improvement of Hackney's council homes
to the Decent Homes Standard in 2015 and funding for this type of
work is no longer dependent on having separate management of council
homes, so Hackney Homes is no longer needed. This is one of the
reasons why the Council feels it is right to review the existing arrangement.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before
2006, the Council managed its own housing, providing some services
directly and some through a variety of contracts. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
outcome of the consultation will not affect any works scheduled to
take place under the current Decent Homes programme or those
identified as part of its successor works programme, the Hackney
Investment Programme. The outcome of the consultation will not
affect anyone's tenancy or lease with the Council either.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">As
the Council’s management contract with Hackney Homes is due to end
on 31 March 2016, the Council wants to gather council tenants' and
leaseholders' views on how their homes should be managed in the
future.</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hackney
Council and Hackney Homes' board recommend that housing management
services return to the Council when the Council’s management
contract with Hackney Homes ends.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugK2tkfL42o6B3RyHxs6xL6HNcW3S__xe1HiojBtv6zRCexo6tzXv0lT4uwiOM_GzhQGogSxFQYJBsRwgtIUTftHilwm8Id8HWGVT4Glf7t6ibdoCQa_r0N6YTvf5Uy9619X4aiN3u1E/s1600/All+De+Beauvoir.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugK2tkfL42o6B3RyHxs6xL6HNcW3S__xe1HiojBtv6zRCexo6tzXv0lT4uwiOM_GzhQGogSxFQYJBsRwgtIUTftHilwm8Id8HWGVT4Glf7t6ibdoCQa_r0N6YTvf5Uy9619X4aiN3u1E/s1600/All+De+Beauvoir.png" height="419" width="640" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">How
to tell the Council what you think about the proposal</span></b></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every
registered Hackney Homes secure and introductory tenant and
leaseholder will have been sent a letter, a questionnaire and a
summary document explaining the proposal. It is important for each
person who received a letter to reply by returning the questionnaire
or taking part on-line.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">If
you wish to take part on-line, you should have received a code in your
letter, allowing you to respond to the Council's on-line survey. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">You
can find that survey here:
</span><a href="https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/hackney-homes/hhconsultation"><span style="font-size: small;">https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/hackney-homes/hhconsultation</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeueLTStd;"><span style="font-size: small;">Make
sure you respond by </span><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">31 October</span></b></span><span style="font-size: small;">,
when the consultation will end.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-70890733805533613362014-10-17T01:17:00.001+01:002014-10-27T00:39:12.676+00:00Consultation: Hackney Draft Transport Strategy 2014 - 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-TxLQWOTGT6Sry-S5tcrJmeHKYLfHu38iPnUrOIgwsd7AiJV4FPnWAnWU0LN8zxFobOBSpVSNOQ7n4SFngQfZq8FnbeX4tajpbyYAImgeZkLdLoqs1xPlyn66bW6BZnX2a794Emx4RI/s1600/Cycling.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-TxLQWOTGT6Sry-S5tcrJmeHKYLfHu38iPnUrOIgwsd7AiJV4FPnWAnWU0LN8zxFobOBSpVSNOQ7n4SFngQfZq8FnbeX4tajpbyYAImgeZkLdLoqs1xPlyn66bW6BZnX2a794Emx4RI/s1600/Cycling.png" height="444" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hackney Council is consulting on the
future of transport in the borough for the next ten years with the
launch of the Draft Transport Strategy 2014 - 2024.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The transport strategy consists of an
overarching document which sets out the Council’s transportation
aims, objectives and priorities, and six “daughter” plans that
will make up the Hackney Transport Strategy:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hackney Transport Strategy
Overarching Document</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Walking Plan</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cycling Plan</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Public Transport Plan</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Liveable Neighbourhoods Plan</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Road Safety Plan (2014-2016)</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sustainable Transport Draft SPD</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b>Why the Council is consulting
residents</b></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The big idea is that, by 2024,
Hackney’s transport system will be an exemplar for sustainable
urban living in London. It will be fair, equitable, safe and
responsive to the needs of its residents and businesses, helping to
create the highest quality of life standards for a London borough and
leading in its approach to tackling the urban transport challenges of
the 21<sup>st</sup> Century.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hackney’s Draft Transport Strategy
contains a number of policies and proposals that seek to continue the
borough’s success in achieving high walking rates, the highest
cycling rates in London, and securing better public transport options
with respect to Crossrail 2, the West Anglia line and improving
accessibility in the east of the borough.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The results of this consultation will
inform Hackney’s Transport Strategy which is expected to be
finalised by spring 2015.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
The consultation</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As part of the public consultation
process, the Council would like your opinions and comments on the
draft document. The Council is particularly interested in whether
you support the aims, objectives, principles and targets in the Draft
Transport Strategy and associated plans, and especially the
individual proposals and policies included in the documents.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A hard copy questionnaire and strategy
document is available at the Hackney Service Centre and at all
libraries around the borough or by phone request to 020 8356 8023.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Alternatively, you can read the strategy documents and complete an on-line questionnaire, giving your views, on the following website: <a href="https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/streetscene/draft-hackney-transport-strategy/consult_view">https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/streetscene/draft-hackney-transport-strategy/consult_view</a> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
All comments must be received by 5pm on
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Friday,
7 November 2014</b></span></span>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
More explanation:</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<br />
As part of the consultation process, officers from
the Council's Transport Planning team will be available to discuss
the draft Transport Strategy at the following times and venues: <br />
<br />
<br />
Friday, 17 October, 11am to
1pm – <b>Stoke Newington Library</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Friday, 17 October, 2pm to
4pm – <b>Dalston Library </b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Tuesday, 21 October, 11am
to 1pm – <b>Clapton Library</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Wednesday, 22 October, 2pm
to 4pm – <b>Stamford Hill Library</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Thursday, 23 October, 2pm
to 4pm – <b>Homerton Library</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Friday, 24 October, 11am to
2pm – <b>Hackey Central Library</b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
And finally...</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In addition to completing the
questionnaire on the draft strategy, you can also log specific issues
using this interactive map tool:
<a href="http://www.map.hackney.gov.uk/InteractiveMap/">http://www.map.hackney.gov.uk/InteractiveMap/</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Council is also consulting on its
Air Quality Action Plan:
<a href="https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/chief-executives-office/air-quality-action-plan-2014-2018/consult_view">https://consultation.hackney.gov.uk/chief-executives-office/air-quality-action-plan-2014-2018/consult_view</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11955482907682341477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-41088313173015984602014-09-02T22:47:00.000+01:002014-09-02T22:47:07.573+01:00De Beauvoir Ward Forum - 7pm 15th September, at the Rose Lipman Building<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VBMTNrAoBJAhRooyc5DMztOpS29ZSdlOvAXWmW21sIAkejNuLLuQhuYDBPkwLa6kUSfuQoCGy23flDgJSvqfMEryQqWMYDmIgRhPq9o5vIM5-K8XlEqv1InSITUko3uhXEk9FHrbUz8/s1600/Cycling-banner-lp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VBMTNrAoBJAhRooyc5DMztOpS29ZSdlOvAXWmW21sIAkejNuLLuQhuYDBPkwLa6kUSfuQoCGy23flDgJSvqfMEryQqWMYDmIgRhPq9o5vIM5-K8XlEqv1InSITUko3uhXEk9FHrbUz8/s1600/Cycling-banner-lp.jpg" height="203" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">September's Ward Forum will focus on proposals for sustainable transport in De Beauvoir and Hackney. What should be the priorities for transport planning in the borough? How can we make De Beauvoir a great place for cyclists and non-cyclists to travel? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">If you're interested or have ideas for how transport and cycling in particular could be improved then do please join us for what we hope will be a lively discussion. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Joining us will be:</span><br />
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">
<li>Ben Kennedy, from Hackney Council's transport planning team, who will share proposals for sustainable transport;</li>
<li>Representatives from <a href="http://apps.hackney.gov.uk/servapps/hackneydirectory/details.aspx?OrgID=7391" style="color: #606060; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">StreetScene</a>, who are responsible for sustainable transport policy and planning across Hackney. </li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">All those who live and work in De Beauvoir are welcome to attend our ward forums. We would be grateful if you would publicise this event in your community and to any local organisations you are involved with. If you're getting this email and live in Hoxton East, please email hoxtoneast@hackney-labour.org.uk to join your Councillors' email list. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">We look forward to seeing you at 7pm on Monday 15th September. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Laura Bunt and James Peters</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">De Beauvoir Councillors </span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18029987290054957881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3537237414331188279.post-36793857066865444582014-07-28T15:51:00.000+01:002014-07-28T15:51:11.506+01:00Young Hackney Summer Events 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0hAyKf8uRyPU2D_3GsDUbK7kXD9Pk16eQCNgO53qHQL4__FXOeIJhL-wqfOCdpnYnHJcEtacE_RzI0ujFlLhE2PSLDy8oiFNYnOxihxTnuhRvYjmK0YwoBPLiH4CqrWL74LRoZbVbERX/s1600/YHS14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0hAyKf8uRyPU2D_3GsDUbK7kXD9Pk16eQCNgO53qHQL4__FXOeIJhL-wqfOCdpnYnHJcEtacE_RzI0ujFlLhE2PSLDy8oiFNYnOxihxTnuhRvYjmK0YwoBPLiH4CqrWL74LRoZbVbERX/s1600/YHS14.jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
There is a full calendar of events for young people up to age 19 taking place across the borough of Hackney this summer.<div>
Hackney Council's Youth Service has produced a guide to all the events taking place.</div>
<div>
There is information on sports, arts and culture, technology and literature along with play schemes and activities taking place in libraries, children's centres and museums.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To download a pdf of the guide go to <a href="http://www.younghackney.org/content/pdf/PJ51925_Summer%20Guide_V2__(WEB).pdf" target="_blank">this link.</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Young Hackney <a href="http://www.younghackney.org/" target="_blank">website</a> has a continually updated <a href="http://www.younghackney.org/whatson/all.php" target="_blank">What's On Guide</a> for news on the latest events.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For reminders about activities and more ideas follow @younghackney and @hackneylabour on Twitter.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Stuart WRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17584247614722077819noreply@blogger.com0