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Monday 6 July 2020
 Thank you to everyone who was sensible over the weekend as you took advantage of the loosening of lockdown restrictions and, at the same time, minimised the risk of a second spike in infections.
A number of our Council officers were on duty across the weekend to help ensure the lifting of lockdown restrictions went smoothly. I am pleased that thanks to cooperation from businesses and the public, good planning and preparations, the weekend passed with no significant problems.
If you had your hair cut, ate your first meal out with the family since March, or drank a pint in your local then I hope you enjoyed your time and that you will remain considerate of people who remain fearful of catching COVID-19. This includes vulnerable people who, from today, will begin to emerge from weeks of shielding.
Whatever you’re doing, it’s vitally important that everyone continues to maintain social distancing and regular hand washing.
Earlier today I visited Victory Place, the first phase of the Hollybrook housing development site in Crow Lane, Romford.
We are purchasing 38 houses that will go to local residents - people on our waiting lists who have lived in Havering for at least 6 years.
These will be top quality local homes and I was pleased to see that despite coronavirus they are on track to be available soon.
The name for the area was chosen to mark this year being the 75th anniversary of the end of world War Two. You can read more about this later in this bulletin.
If you would like to contact me directly, please email me. However, please be patient as there may be a delay of a day or two in getting back to you due to the volume of messages I am receiving.
Please stay safe.
Cllr Damian White,
Leader, Havering Council
 From today (Monday, 6 July) shielding guidance for millions of clinically extremely vulnerable people in England has changed.
On Friday night Havering's Director of Public Heath, Mark Ansell (pictured), issued a statement on COVID-19 infection rates locally following the re-imposition of lockdown measures in Leicester, and the publication by the Government on the number of cases by area within the UK.
The data showed that as of Friday (3 July) there had been 928 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 2020.
Latest data published by the Government this morning showed that by Sunday (5 July) that figure had risen to 931.
Havering's infection rate per 100,000 resident population is 361.1.
This is lower than the figure for London as a whole (379.6), or the whole of England (438.5).
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Havering Council has jointly completed a purchase of 82 brand new homes in Romford, to help tackle some of the housing shortage for family-sized homes.
The Leader of the Council, Cllr Damian White, was among those who toured the site on Crow Lane this morning.
The homes were purchased by a joint venture partnership between Mercury Land Holdings and Havering Council. They range from 1-bedroom apartments to a large number of 4-bedroom family homes.
As part of the purchase, 38 properties will be used as affordable housing, providing much-needed larger, high-quality homes for bigger families, reducing the levels of overcrowding in the borough. The remainder will be used for the private rented market, managed by Mercury Land Holdings.
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Play areas and recreational areas, including outdoor gyms and multi-use games areas in Havering’s parks, are now open, following updated Government guidelines.
Please be cautious when using these areas as the risk of coronavirus is still around especially on surfaces such as shared equipment. Follow the guidance on posters that will be displayed in play areas.
If you and your family are using these areas, ensure that you social distance at all times from other households, use sanitiser to clean hands before and after using any equipment, and wash your hands when returning home.
Please don’t use these areas if anyone in your household has coronavirus symptoms.
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If you travel on public transport you must wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth for your entire journey, including in stations, unless you are exempt.
Exemptions include people who have trouble breathing, children under the age of eleven and anyone who finds it difficult to manage them correctly.
To support people who are exempt from wearing a face covering, Transport for London has introduced an exemption card that can be printed off and carried with you, or displayed on your phone, which you can show if you are asked why you aren’t wearing a face covering.
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A mobile testing unit for COVID-19 will be at Havering Town Hall again this week.
The unit will be in Havering tomorrow (Tuesday 7 July) and this Friday, 10 July.
Before you attend the site in Romford, you will need to make an appointment.
The testing at the Town Hall rear car park is between 10.30am and 3.30pm.
Vehicles and pedestrians should enter via Park End Road, Romford RM1 4AU, where a one-way drive and walk through system will be in place. Please do not try to enter from Main Road.
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If you are contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service, you will not be asked to provide any passwords, bank account details or pin numbers.
Find out more about how NHS Test and Trace works and avoid fraudsters.
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 There are a number of signs that may indicate someone is the victim of modern day slavery.
They include:
• Abuse or malnourishment
• Appearing to be under the influence of others
• No access to identification documents
• Living in overcrowded accommodation.
Please don't turn a blind eye.
Havering Council has launched a search to recruit volunteers aged over 50 who can use their life experiences to help local young people to achieve their aspirations.
The volunteers are being sought to become Future Choice Mentors for young people between the ages of 18 and 24 who are in care, or who have left care, to help them to achieve their goals in employment, education and training.
There are currently around 250 young people in care in the borough living in foster care, semi-independently or in residential accommodation.
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If you are thinking it's time to quit smoking Good Thinking UK and Stop Smoking London have teamed up to give smokers some great ideas on how to keep calm and quit smoking.
Support is also available in a number of languages including Polish and Romanian.
Wiemy, że rzucenie palenia jest trudne. Stop Smoking London jest tu po to, aby pomóc Ci w każdym kroku na drodze do celu. Odwiedź naszą stronę internetową, aby dowiedzieć się więcej o dostępnych formach bezpłatnej pomocy.
Știm că este greu să renunțați la fumat. Clinica Stop Smoking din Londra este aici pentru a vă sprijini să treceți de fiecare etapă.Vizitați site-ul nostru web pentru a afla mai multe despre ajutorul gratuit disponibil.
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Emergency road works are taking place in Clay Tye Road, at the junction with St Mary's Lane in Cranham.
Work is expected to be completed by this Wednesday, 8 July.
In the meantime, avoid the area if you can.
From Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 July, carriageway resurfacing will be carried out in Hall Lane, Upminster.
The road will be closed between 9.30am and 3pm on these days between Shepherds Hill and the A127. Diversions will be in place.
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From today (Monday 6 July), this bulletin will be published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
If you have stories about an event or people in Havering that you think are worth sharing with the nearly 57,000 people who receive these bulletins please email: living@havering.gov.uk.
If you have a product or service you would like to advertise, then please use the same email address.
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