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Friday 21 August 2020
 This is the 100th special edition of our Living in Havering bulletin that we have produced since the start of the coronavrius pandemic lockdown in mid-March.
I hope you have found them useful.
If you have, please encourage other members of your family or friends who have email to also sign up to receive them. It's quick and easy to do so.
Do read the piece in this bulletin about scam calls and letters.
A new letter has been circulating this week that claims we are working with the NHS and the Government to require people to take part in mandatory tests. This is not the case.
However, if you feel you are suffering any of the symptoms of COVID-19 (a new continuous cough, a loss of smell or taste, or a high temperature) it is really important that you get tested as soon as possible. There is information on quick, easy, convenient local testing below.
Please continue to wear a face covering when outside your home, they are an important measure to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Wearing a face covering when in enclosed spaces help to protect your community and the NHS. If you are visiting any of our fantastic facilities in the borough then please do your bit and wear one.
If you are planning on enjoying our wonderful parks please don't gather in large groups, maintain social distancing from people you don't live with, and don't litter so that others can enjoy the park as much as you.
If you are going to a bar or restaurant the establishment should keep a record of your visit. This is in case they need to contact you should a case of coronavirus be reported by someone who has visited the venue.
If you are not asked for this information by staff, and you haven't already provided the information with an online booking, please do your bit and ask staff to record your details.
Have a great weekend. Please stay safe.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
A mobile testing unit for COVID-19 will be at Havering Town Hall again on Monday, 24 August.
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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Havering Council has launched the final public consultation that will give residents the opportunity to provide their views and feedback on the Havering Local Plan.
The Havering Plan is a guide to the development of the borough until 2032.
It sets out the strategy for our growth and improvement for the local economy, housing, transport systems and environment over the next 12 years.
The consultation runs until Monday 12 October.
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Every year Havering Council checks the electoral register to make sure that any resident who is eligible to vote can do so.
The Annual Household Canvass is currently under way and Havering Council's Election Services team will be making contact over the next few weeks with every address in Havering.
If we hold your email address you may receive an email from us. The address it will be sent from will be: havering.election.services@notifications.service.gov.uk.
If we hold a mobile phone number on our records, you may receive a SMS text message from ‘Havering’.
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The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is running a public consultation on its draft recommendations for new electoral boundaries for Havering Council.
The consultation is open until 5 October 2020.
The draft recommendations, which have been put forward by the Independent Commission, propose that 54 councillors should be elected to Havering Council in future, and proposes new electoral ward boundaries, or wards, across the borough.
Interactive maps of the proposals can be found on the Commission’s consultation portal, where you can have your say on the proposals, or submit alternative suggestions for consideration.
Once the Commission has considered all the responses to the consultation, it will aim to publish final recommendations in January 2021.
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We have had reports in recent days of Havering residents receiving calls from people pretending to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and some receiving letters that claim recipients must take part in a "COVID-19 prevention plan."
Below are some tips to avoid being scammed or your personal information stolen.
HMRC calls
Callers claim that you may face penalties unless you promptly pay tax that you owe.
You will never get an email, text message or phone call from HMRC which:
- tells you about a tax rebate or penalty
- asks for your personal or payment information.
Check HMRC's guidance on recognising scams if you’re not sure.
Letter about "COVID-19 prevention plan"
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This is quite a sophisticated scam letter that claims to be from the Government, Havering Council and the NHS. (See picture).
If you go to the website address on the letter you are taken to a bogus website that purports to be part of the NHS.
Tell-tale signs in this letter that show it is a scam include:
- spelling mistakes: the letter says that failure to reply will result in persecution rather than prosecution
- the area post code is already pre-printed in the letter although it doesn't match the postcode of the recipient of the letter
- it refers to John Mylod as "First Citizen". He is the Mayor, not First Citizen of Havering.
If you are in any doubt, call our COVID-19 hotline, 0800 368 5201, Monday – Friday, 9am to 5pm.
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Wedding ceremonies in Havering resumed in accordance with Government guidelines, from Saturday 4 July.
Since then weddings have been held regularly at Langtons in Hornchurch (pictured) and other approved venues in Havering, albeit in a restricted manner. (They can only be attended by a maximum of 30 people.)
Due to social distancing requirements some venues will not be able to accommodate 30 people and from 8 August guests have been requested to wear a face covering to a ceremony.
Langtons has already receiving lots of enquiries about weddings at the venue in October and November. Bookings can be accepted for up to two years in advance.
If you wish to get married or form a civil partnership in England or Wales you must both give formal notice at least 28 days before the date of your ceremony.
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With Wimbledon tennis, Glastonbury, the Olympics, and the Eurovision Song Contest cancelled this year it was perhaps no surprise that Neil and Jan Walden's annual garden party at their home in Gidea Park was also to bite the dust this year due to COVID-19.
Their annual gathering raises money for Havering-atte-Bower based Saint Francis Hospice through plant, cake, tea and coffee sales.
After much deliberation, the pair decided they wouldn't be beaten by the coronavirus and came up with a simple solution - sell succulents online instead.
Neil and Jan grew the long-living plants that store water in their thick and fleshy leaves in their garden and then sold them by advertising them on Facebook.
As a result they raised £240 for the hospice.
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Road resurfacing work will take place in Havering Road, Rise Park, between the Pettits Lane and Chase Cross Road junctions, starting on Monday 24 August.
Havering Road will be closed nightly from 7.30pm to 6am from 24 to 29 August.
Resurfacing work will also take place in Osborne Road, Romford between the Brentwood Road and Lyndhurst Drive junctions, beginning Monday 24 August.
The high friction surfacing of the pedestrian crossing on White Hart Lane outside Crownfield School, Collier Row, will be replaced on 4 and 5 September.
Tube trains
On Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August, there will be no service between Tower Hill and Dagenham East. Rail replacement bus services DL6 and DL7 will run.
Use alternative Tube, local and replacement bus services.
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Brookside Theatre in Romford is looking for local performers to join the cast of their forthcoming Christmas production of The Wizard of Oz.
The theatre is looking for talented and enthusiastic local adult performers as well as children aged six plus to take on all lead and company roles, including those of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion.
Auditions will take place at the Brookside Theatre this Sunday, 23 August, and Tuesday, 25 August. The production will run from 9 - 23 December with socially distanced audiences.
If you are interested email auditions@brooksidetheatre.com.
Auditions will be socially distanced.
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 Fairkytes Live in Hornchurch will be hosting its annual Havering Voice singing competition on Friday 2 October.
Organisers hope to be able to stage the event live as it has done in recent years, but if this is not possible the event will be held virtually.
If you would like to take part (any age over 11 and any genre), please email arts@havering.gov.uk for information and application details.
Throughout the summer, Havering Arts Development has been building a collection of arts tutorials for children and young people.
More lessons have recently been added to the collection, which can be found on a playlist on Havering Culture’s YouTube channel.
There is no charge for viewing these videos.
New lessons include a collage workshop based on the work of Henri Matisse, decoupage, pointillism based on the work of Georges Seurat, and a guide to making a lion mask for younger children.
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