Last week I met staff at Wates Residential, our joint venture partner, to celebrate the first phase of our £1billion 12 Estates regeneration project.
Demolition of the old Napier and New Plymouth tower blocks in Rainham started in July. Earlier this month work began on the Solar, Serena and Sunrise Courts site, in South Hornchurch, which is set to become a modern retirement village.
Our ambitious borough-wide regeneration project will double the number of council homes and more than double affordable homes for local people. In addition, social value benefits for phase one of the project are predicted to be worth around £6.8m to our local economy. Social value includes creating apprenticeships, skills development, work experience and training opportunities to help our residents improve their skills, find employment, and work for local businesses.
Lastly, I was delighted to hear that Havering has won a host of awards at this year's London in Bloom ceremony. Our haul included 16 Gold Awards - two more than last year. Well done to everyone involved.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
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Following last year’s success, the Havering Literary Festival returns to the borough with a host of award-winning authors, acclaimed journalists and social media sensations.
Held from Monday 4 November to Saturday 23 November in libraries across the borough, the Festival programme is packed with events, talks and workshops for all ages, designed to celebrate, inspire and nurture a love of reading.
Heading a line-up of 44 events this year will be Martina Cole (pictured), crime author of more than a dozen bestsellers. Click for a full line-up of events and to purchase tickets.
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The Mayor of Havering, Cllr Michael Deon-Burton has officially opened a new exhibition at Romford Cemetery in Crow Lane.
The "Lives Remembered" exhibition reveals intriguing tales behind 80 headstones and bare cemetery plots where many past residents are laid to rest.
The free exhibition is open every day between 9am and 3.45pm.
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You could lower your energy bill by joining the many local people who have made the Big London Energy Switch.
You have until 8 October to register your interest.
Signing up for the scheme is free and without obligation. Completing the registration form takes less than five minutes.
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 If you are an EU citizen living in Havering, a business that exports to the EU, or planning a holiday to an EU/EEA country, you may have questions about how the UK's planned exit from the EU will affect you.
Havering Council's website has a page of useful information and links.
A list of places that offer an ID document checking service is updated regularly on the UK Government's website.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, EU/EEA/Swiss citizens arriving in the UK between 1 November and 31 December 2020 will still be able to live, study, work and access benefits and services as they do now, for a temporary period. This includes access to social housing, including supported housing, and homelessness assistance.
To remain in the UK after 2020, EEA and Swiss citizens moving to the UK after exit, and their close family members, will be able to apply for European Temporary Leave to Remain, a new scheme that will launch after exit, which will last 36 months, running from the date the leave is granted.
Langtons Gardens in Hornchurch is holding free forest school sessions.
The sessions will include craft, den making and campfire cooking in Fielders Field for children of all ages and their parents/responsible adults.
They will be held on the following dates:
- Thursday 26 September 4 - 5pm
- Thursday 10 October 4 - 5pm
- Thursday 24 October 3 - 5pm.
Those taking part are asked to bring food to cook (e.g. sausages, marshmallows), wear shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting muddy, long sleeves and trousers, and shoes that cover your feet.
Please note that the session will be cancelled in the event of high wind or heavy rain.
No booking is required, but please email to save registration time: Lisa.DLock@havering.gov.uk
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Dozens of budding entrepreneurs from Havering and East London have successfully set up new businesses and kick-started their careers after completing a free business training course.
The PopUp Business School, which runs across the UK, came to Havering in May following a grant application by joint venture partners Havering Council and Wates Residential.
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Do you think about how you use plastic?
Changing the way we think to help us all enjoy a greener and cleaner borough, is what Havering Council is focusing on at events to mark Recycle Week that runs until this Sunday, 29 September.
The Council’s waste and recycling team have been giving out free reusable aluminium water bottles as part of the national Refill campaign.
Collect your bottle at these locations:
- Thursday 26 September, Liberty Shopping Centre, 9am - 4.30pm
- Friday 27 September, myplace, Harold Hill, 12noon - 4pm.
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Students in school years 10 - 13 can get advice and find out first-hand the learning, training and career opportunities available to them at Havering Council’s annual Moving On event on Tuesday (1 October).
This year’s event at Hornchurch Sports Centre, Harrow Lodge, Hornchurch, from 10am to 6pm, will also provide post-18 options.
Exhibitors include universities, colleges, sixth forms, and training providers. Schools across the borough will attend during the day, while parents and carers can go along on the evening.
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Every Thursday throughout the academic year until July 2020, a Havering primary school pupil will be selected at random to take home a Veggie Run roast dinner box if they have eaten a school-catered lunch that week.
The Veggie Run Family Roast Dinner Box prize, worth £25, is aimed at developing children’s healthy cooking skills with their family.
School lunch credit can be purchased at www.haveringcatering.co.uk
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If you live in Havering the latest edition of our sister publication, Living in Havering magazine, is set to drop through your letterbox next week.
Packed full of news and features about events, places and people in Havering it also includes an extensive listings section, tips for healthy living, and advice on firework safety and home security.
If you run a business and would like to advertise your product or service by reaching the audience reading the most-widely distributed publication in Havering, email living@havering.gov.uk.
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