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Monday 23 November 2020 (Update #143)
 If you have been watching or listening to news bulletins today you may feel that there is light at the end of the long coronavirus tunnel we have been in since March.
Reports of a number of vaccines showing promising results is excellent news but now is not the time to relax your guard against spreading COVID-19. That's because it will be many months before everyone who needs a vaccine can receive one, and right now Havering has the highest infection rate in London.
Latest figures show an infection rate in our borough of 390 per 100,000 people which is also a much higher rate than our neighbours in Essex. This means that we can expect many more hospital admissions and, sadly, further deaths.
Therefore now is a critical time and we must all do our bit to minimise the spread of COVID-19. This coronavirus is more serious than the flu with official figures released in October showing that in England and Wales around three times as many people had died from COVID-19 than from flu and pneumonia this year.
I received an email last week from a resident whose wife is a senior clinician at Queen's Hospital. He described his wife's journey to work on public transport as "a greater risk than dealing with patients in the hospital." This was due to people failing to socially distance or wear masks. To beat the rise in COVID-19 cases in Havering we must all continue to follow the guidance.
If you want to contact me directly, 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.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
Support is available to help Havering residents.
Only leave home for food, medical reasons, exercise, education or work (if you cannot work from home).
If you are using public transport you must wear a face covering unless exempt.
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Earlier this year, Havering Council raised significant concerns over the public consultation Highways England conducted regarding the Lower Thames Crossing.
The route for the proposed crossing starts on the M25 near North Ockendon, runs through Tilbury and crosses the River Thames to Chalk in Gravesham in Kent.
At the end of last week the Development Consent Order (DCO) application by Highways England to the Planning Inspectorate for the new Lower Thames Crossing was withdrawn.
Commenting on this, Cllr Damian White, the Leader of Havering Council, said:
"We are pleased to see that Highways England has withdrawn the planning application in order to reassess their proposals based on early feedback, however we join our fellow boroughs of Thurrock and Gravesham in urging them to listen to insight from local residents, and re-open a meaningful public consultation.
"I feel that the way in which Highways England has carried out recent public consultations on this scheme is well short of our expectations given the importance of this project and I wrote to the Government about this in August. Our local residents are the people who will be most affected by the Lower Thames Crossing – it is only right that they are listened to and that their voices are not silenced by Highways England.
"I urge Highways England to take this opportunity to bring forward improvements to this scheme that will be for the benefit of all those who live in the three boroughs affected by the route."
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An online public meeting has been arranged by Havering Council to update residents following concerns about anti-social behaviour at a local college.
It comes after a number of incidents involving students took place at the Ardleigh Green campus, resulting in complaints from residents.
The Zoom meeting this Thursday, 26 November, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, will give residents an update on what actions have been taken so far and hear their concerns.
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Three and four year-old children (those born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017) are due to start at an infant or primary school in September 2021.
Online applications for places are open now and will close on Friday 15 January 2021.
Parents must apply to their home Local Authority, i.e. to the council that they pay their Council Tax to.
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On Wednesday night Havering Council's Cabinet (pictured in pre-COVID times) will hold a meeting.
On the agenda is an update on the
Council's medium term financial strategy, and the process and timetable the Council will follow in order to achieve a balanced budget for 2021/22. This includes proposals for a public consultation process starting later this month.
Additionally, up for discussion is a proposal that the Cabinet endorses a new Inclusive Growth Strategy. This will guide the delivery of future plans for economic development and regeneration through the delivery of homes, jobs and investment in Havering for the benefit of the whole community.
Also on the agenda is the recommissioning of adult drug and alcohol services in Havering to start in April to provide vital care and support to vulnerable adults who would otherwise have nowhere to go to access treatment and recover from misusing drugs and alcohol, and the approval of an Outbreak Control Plan produced in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
You can view the event online via the Council's website.
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 Are you in the social care profession or know someone that is?
Register to attend a virtual recruitment open evening tomorrow (Tuesday 24 November), where you'll have the opportunity to learn and hear about what it's like to work for Havering Children's Services.
Havering Council is currently recruiting into a range of social care posts, and you can discover more about these roles and our offer on our website.
Register today for the recruitment evening.
Festive lights and Christmas trees across Havering will be switched on and lit up this Thursday, 26 November.
Sadly, due to COVID-19, the usual town centre switch-on events won't be taking place this year.
However, Havering Council will be organising a virtual Christmas event for each of Havering's town centres and these will be shown on the Council's Facebook and Youtube channels.
The first one, which will take place this Thursday, is for Romford and includes a sneak preview of Brookside Theatre’s panto, dance and song performances, and a message from Father Christmas.
More information on the other town centre virtual events will be published in due course on the Council's website, and in future editions of this bulletin.
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Havering Council's Arts Development Team's annual photography exhibition is open to all.
This year due to COVID-19 the competition will be held online.
The theme is “Reflecting Havering”.
To enter, please email your photographs (ideally 1MB or larger) by 17 January to arts@havering.gov.uk.
Once the photographs have been received (and consent organised) a show reel of photos will be shared on the Havering Culture and Leisure YouTube account.
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If you’re visiting our parks this week, remember that outdoor playgrounds remain open but all tennis courts, outdoor gyms and multi-games areas are not to be used under the current national restrictions.
If your children are using play equipment don't let them put their mouths on it, and apply hand sanitiser before and after using climbing frames and swings.
Please also follow social distancing guidelines.
Help us to keep you, and others, safe while enjoying our parks.
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Havering Talking Therapies is a service
open to residents of Havering, 18 years of age and older and registered with a Havering GP.
The service provides support and therapy for people feeling anxious, scared, lonely or depressed.
Provided by NELFT NHS Foundation Trust, it helps lots of people worried by COVID-19 and provides its services online and by telephone or video call.
To take your first step call 0300 300 1554 (option 2) or contact the service by email.
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The winners of this year’s Havering in Bloom competition have been announced.
Winners received gift vouchers and certificates.
Congratulations to Gemma Towe from Harold Hill who won two prizes, including the one for Best Back Garden (pictured).
Susan Andrews from Hornchurch also picked up several prizes including the one for the best hanging basket.
Mrs Pragna Patel from Romford scooped the prize for the tallest sunflower at 4.2 metres high despite stiff competition from Jamie Barker, also in Romford, with 4.08m, and Angela Bathurst in Hornchurch at 3.83m.
Well done to all who took part.
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