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Friday 5 February 2021 (Update #177)
 Funding school meals over the February half term holiday is just one part of a comprehensive package of support Havering Council has put in place for vulnerable households, and especially those with children, to help them get through this difficult time of national lockdown restrictions.
You can read more about the scheme later in this bulletin, and, if you need it, apply for help from Monday.
I am happy to say the Council has worked with NHS Test and Trace to open another COVID-19 symptomatic testing site in Dorrington Gardens Car Park, Hornchurch.
This complements the three other permanent facilities meaning Havering residents have some of the best access to testing across the whole of London. Havering Council continues to work with NHS Test and Trace to help protect the health of residents. In addition, we have testing at sites across Havering for those with or without symptoms of coronavirus too, so please make sure you go to the right testing site.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 infection rate in Havering is still incredibly high so if we unlock too quickly there is a great danger of a third spike in infections, illness and deaths. However, as the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination passes the 10 million mark nationally, we can start to look forward to some of the things we all took for granted before the pandemic broke a year ago.
This includes the decision to make sure there is democratic accountability in London with the decision by the Government to go ahead with the London Assembly and Mayoral elections on 6 May. Of course, you may still be reluctant to visit a polling station in which case you can exercise your democratic rights using a postal vote. There's information on how to apply for one on our website.
Another date for your diaries is 21 March. On that day Census 2021 will take place. This once in a decade event helps provide the information to inform decisions about services that shape our community, such as healthcare, education and transport. This is more important than ever as we recover from the pandemic.
Ahead of Census Day the Office for National Statistics will send your household a letter in the post with a code and instructions on how to complete the Census online.
Please stay safe this weekend.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
 As part of the national roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination to all those aged over 70 years of age, and key front line health and social care workers, our local Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) has now given the first dose of the vaccine to more than 12,000 people, made possible in part by the opening of their second hub at King George Hospital.
It is is vital that as many people as possible take up the vaccine when it is offered in order to break the spread of COVID-19 and prevent hospitalisations and deaths.
Lola Smith, a practice development nurse in the Children’s Emergency Department at BHRUT explains why having the vaccine is important to her.
Questions answered
The NHS's East London Health and Care Partnership has a website with information on the coronavirus vaccine, including answers to many frequently asked questions. If you missed our public health meeting about vaccinations last week you can watch a recording of the meeting on our YouTube channel.
Priority groups for vaccines
If you are in any of the first four priority groups for receiving the vaccine, but have not yet been contacted by the NHS, please remember that contact from the NHS for COVID-19 vaccination may come by phone call, letter or text but will definitely NOT be by email. COVID-19 vaccination is free.
Second jab
Some residents have expressed concern about an apparent difference in approach in booking appointments for the second vaccine dose between Havering's two community vaccination centres. Residents have told us that those who are attending the Hornchurch Library vaccination centre are currently being given a date for their second dose, but those attending the Victoria Hospital site are not.
We have been advised that most community vaccination sites within the North East London NHS region are advising that they will be in contact within 12 weeks regarding the second dose, however, some locations, like Hornchurch Library, are booking patients back in now on the assumption of a smooth supply of vaccine to the site.
If you have received your first dose of the vaccine but not been given a date for the second dose please don't worry, and don't call your GP. The NHS will be in touch with you when it is time for your second dose.
If you, or someone you know, has concerns around care, urgent issues with their health and wellbeing or lack of access to supplies, including food, please call our free to use helpline: 0800 368 5201.
It is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and between 11am and 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays for emergencies only.
You can also email us if you, or someone you know, needs help.
See a short video recorded by a member of the hotline team.
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One in three people get COVID-19 and have no symptoms, passing it on to others without realising.
This could be you. We are asking all those who cannot work from home to test twice weekly at one of our five lateral flow testing centres.
To make it easier for busy tradespeople, supermarket workers, those working in estate agents, banks, corner shops, in offices, and taxi or delivery drivers to get tested, these rapid, Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) centres are now open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 10am to 7pm on weekends.
See our short video that explains the simple process.
Of course, it also remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
Click for details of booking procedures, and opening hours for all our local testing locations, including our new centre in Dorrington Gardens, Hornchurch.
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 Havering Council will continue to fund the School Meal Holiday Scheme for those most in need during the February half term.
The borough will run the scheme with the February application window opening at 9am on Monday (8 February) and closing at 5pm next Friday, 12 February.
Families who received a payment for the October half term and Christmas holiday period do not need to reapply and will automatically receive the funds into their nominated bank account by Friday 12 February.
 Next week is National Apprenticeship Week and throughout the week a series of events will be held to allow young people to consider becoming an apprentice.
From 8 to 12 February, the events will help young people to build the skills they need for a rewarding career.
You’ll need to pre-register for these events that include a UCAS Apprenticeship Fair on Tuesday, 9 February, from 10am - 4pm, a Big Assembly, also on Tuesday, live-streamed to thousands of students, and an online National Apprenticeship Fair, on Wednesday, 10 February, from 11am - 6pm.
Tributes will be paid at the next Havering Council meeting to former councillor, Mrs Joan Lewis, who recently passed away.
Mrs Lewis represented the old Cranham West Ward as a member of the Residents’ Group between 1994 and 2002. She served on the Council alongside her late husband Geoff, who was also a Residents’ Group councillor.
Cllr Damian White, Leader of the Council, said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Joan’s family at this very sad time.”
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 The Met Office have issued alerts for bad weather ahead this weekend including heavy rain on Saturday, and the possibility of snow and ice on Sunday and Monday.
Havering Council is prepared for snow should this arrive, with its winter roads maintenance team gritting main routes around the borough when needed so key workers and others having to make essential journeys, can do so, as safely as possible.
- People with heart and lung conditions, older people and the very young, are at risk of becoming unwell in the colder weather. Look out for vulnerable friends and family – while you can’t visit under current restrictions, could you give them a telephone call?
- Havering Council is providing £170 a month to low income families this winter via its Havering Helps scheme.
- You can call NHS 111 if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do.
If you’re visiting our parks this weekend to exercise, please remember that it should only be with members of your own household or social bubble - or with just one person from another household if really necessary.
Enclosed sports areas like basketball and tennis courts are closed.
Please follow social distancing guidelines when walking or jogging on pathways, and use bins for any masks, gloves or empty sanitiser bottles.
If you purchase food or drink from any of the takeaway kiosks or cafes in our parks, please queue maintaining social distancing, and walk away to continue your exercise as soon as possible.
Children should use hand sanitiser after touching any play equipment.
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Local Land Charges continue to experience very high volumes of searches, meaning the estimated return time for official searches has increased to 20 working days.
The reason for the delay is the increased volume - in January 2021 the department received a 92 per cent increase in the number of searches compared to January 2020.
Any searches that were received before and including Tuesday 12 January 2021 have been returned completed to the search requestor. If you are receiving conflicting information, please talk to your agent or representative.
Please note that Havering Council does not offer an expedited search service for an expedited search fee.
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The Big London Energy Switch is a way of saving money on your gas and electricity.
Residents group together and then the energy companies bid against each other in an auction to get their custom.
By grouping together residents can get much lower tariffs as the energy companies want to get lots of customers in one go and so offer much lower tariffs than if an individual customer had contacted them.
The site is open for registration for the next auction, but be quick because it takes place next Tuesday, 9 February.
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Havering libraries have added another regular virtual event to their calendar - Chat in a Hat.
The first session will be next Thursday, 11 February, from 11.30am to 12.30pm.
This will be a weekly event. Email for further details or to be added to the list of attendees. Sessions will take place via Zoom.
Bring your own tea, coffee and biscuits - and the libraries' team will bring the hat and the chat. Each week there will be an array of interesting subjects and questions to pull out of the hat to get the conversation going.
This event is open to all ages.
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Full casting has been announced for Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s upcoming production of Sharon 'n' Barry do ‘Romeo & Juliet’, a new everyday comedy, on Zoom running from 25 February to 6 March.
The cast includes East London actor David Nellist, previously seen in BBC One’s Sherlock, and Southend-on-Sea actor Joanne Seymour, who you may recognise from BBC One’s Eastenders.
This inadvertently hilarious, but surprisingly touching, take on Shakespeare's most romantic story will be performed live online via a private Zoom link.
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Community and grassroots organisations interested in receiving up to £25,000 from the Windrush Community Fund have one week left to submit applications before phase one of the fund closes on 12 February at 11.59pm.
Applications can be made online.
The fund will provide grants totalling £500k to community and grassroots organisations who can produce engaging communications programmes to raise awareness of the Windrush schemes.
The aim of the fund is to encourage more people, throughout the UK, to access the Government Windrush schemes.
The schemes help people get the documents they need to prove their right to live and work in the UK, and to claim compensation if they suffered losses and impacts, such as not being able to work or get healthcare.
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Lamson Road in Rainham will see carriageway resurfacing work at nights until tomorrow, 6 February.
There will be daytime carriageway resurfacing work taking place in Ingrebourne Gardens in Cranham between 8 and 15 February.
In both these cases the roads will be closed to through traffic and diversions will be in place during the work.
Overnight resurfacing work will be carried out in Gooshays Drive, Harold Hill, between the junctions with Hilldene Avenue and Petersfield Avenue from 8 to 12 February. During this time Gooshays Drive will be closed overnight.
Rosewood Avenue in Elm Park will be resurfaced over three days starting on 23 February. To facilitate these works, Rosewood Avenue will be closed to through traffic between 9.30am and 3pm from 23 to 25 February.
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This weekend (6 and 7 February) there will be no Overground rail service between Upminster and Romford and no TfL Rail service between Liverpool Street and Shenfield stations.
Due to Network Rail undertaking engineering work in connection with the Barking Riverside Project, c2c services on the Rainham line will not run this Sunday, 7 February. Rail replacement buses will run between Upminster and Grays via Rainham.
For customers who need to travel, you must maintain social distancing and wear a face covering over your nose and mouth for your entire journey, unless you are exempt.
If you must travel consider using London’s network of safe walking or cycling routes where possible.
If you need to use public transport, do so during quiet times and check before you travel.
Plan ahead, using TfL's Journey Planner.
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