The Mayor of London and London Assembly elections are on Thursday 5 May. A by-election will also take place in the Heaton ward on the same day, following the resignation of Philip Hyde. Details of each election, including a list of candidates nominated, can be found here.

You do NOT need your Polling Card to vote but it is helpful if you take it with you.

The full list of Polling Stations can be found here.

Jocelyn Brown has been booked to appear at the Havering Show on Sunday 28 August.

Check out who else is appearing at this two-day, free-to-attend music and family fun festival.

The showground has been redesigned this year and there will be three stages, including the Time 107.5FM music stage, the Fairkytes Live unsigned stage and the Chigwell Window Centre Community Stage

The next event at Fairkytes Live, on Friday 20 May, is the Solo Beatles who are unique in bringing to life the individual repertoires of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Book your tickets here.

See details of other events in the Fairkytes Live programme here.

Sign up here for a  new email update being launched this month to give regular information about concerts, events, workshops and courses at Fairkytes Arts Centre.

Talented young sports men and women in Havering have a unique opportunity to gain sponsorship, worth up to £5,000, from Everyone Active as part of its ‘Sporting Champions’ talented young athlete scheme.

Applicants should send a 150-word summary of their major sporting achievements to date as well as sharing their goals for the future, including potential upcoming tournaments and competitions by email before the deadline of Sunday 8 May 2016.

FreeSport is offering grants of up to £1,500 for sports organisations. FreeSport, in association with Coca-Cola Zero ParkLives, funds sports clubs, youth groups and community organisations to provide free sports activities for Londoners.

Applications are now open for grants to run activities between Monday 18 July and Monday 31 October, which includes the school summer and autumn half-term holidays. Deadline for applications is Monday 9 May. Click here for more details and to apply.

Fostering Fortnight runs from Monday 16 May until Sunday 29 May this year.

There’s lots going on including stands in various parts of the borough and the ‘Fostering Bus’ which will be touring Havering on Friday 27 May.

The Council’s main focus this year is recruiting carers who want to look after teenagers. More information on where to find our stand and drop in events.

Havering is representing London in the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Britain in Bloom competition 2016 and we need your help to win. We are calling for all residents, community groups, schools and businesses to plan a project. This can range from adding flowers to all front gardens on a residential street or creating a community allotment to grow vegetables. Find out more about what Havering is doing for the competition here.

Upminster Windmill through time and archaeology is the theme of an exhibition at Havering Museum which runs until Saturday 28 May.

Havering residents now have the chance to lower their gas and electricity bills in the New Year by taking part in the Big London Energy Switch.

​The scheme works by bringing together a large group of residents to use their collective buying power to get better deals from the companies that supply their gas and electricity.

Residents can sign up online for the scheme until Monday 16 May 2016. Get more information about the scheme and how to sign up at the Big London energy switch webpage​. ​ 

The Referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union will be on Thursday 23 June.

You need to be on the electoral register to vote. You can register to vote here.

If you need to update your details or if somebody has moved out, you can email the elections team.

Find out more about these votes and the deadlines, how to be added to the register or how to apply for postal or proxy votes here. 

If you own a dog a new law, which came into force on Wednesday 6 April, means it must be micro-chipped.

You can get your dog micro-chipped at your local vet or by The Dog’s Trust. More details of free microchipping sessions in Havering here.

More than 108,000 subscribers now receive the award winning email updates from Havering Council.

NEW THIS MONTH

Launching this month is a new email update for Fairkytes Arts Centre giving details of concerts, classes and other news. Sign up here to receive your copy.

The full list of award winning email updates currently produced by Havering Council can be seen here.

You can access information on everything happening in Havering by visiting our website.

You can also follow us on Twitter @LBofHavering, check out the Havering YouTube channel, see us on Instagram and stay up-to-date with Havering events on our Facebook page.