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Monday 8 February 2021 (Update #178)
 I hope you are keeping warm and safe during this cold snap.
Havering Council staff have been out over the weekend and this morning 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. Please, though, do not make any journeys that are not essential.
We have a list of the priority routes on our website. Roads on the priority one routes are done first and, based on time and the conditions, we move on to the priority two roads.
My thanks to all who continue to deliver services to the public including our gritting teams and refuse collectors in the face of the weather and the pandemic.
People with heart and lung conditions, older people and the very young, are at risk of becoming unwell in the colder weather. Please look out for vulnerable friends and family – while you can’t visit under current restrictions, could you give them a telephone call?
This weather can make it more expensive to heat your home. If you are suffering financial hardship as a result of Covid-19, you can apply through our Havering Helps scheme for support up to £170 a month to help with heating bills or fixing or replacing broken white goods. If you need urgent medical help call NHS 111.
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 below, and, if you need it and are eligible, apply for help from today.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 infection rate in Havering is still incredibly high. However, as the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination passes the 12 million mark nationally, we can start to hope that hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19 will continue to fall provided we all remain committed to following the usual precautions summarised in the Government's Hands, Face, Space slogan.
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.
Please stay safe .
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
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 It 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.
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.
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
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.
Our street cleaning team went into action recently to remove offensive graffiti with false messaging around COVID-19 vaccines, in Herbert Road, Hornchurch.
Havering Council will not tolerate such language, especially at a time when the safety of all our residents is still at risk due to coronavirus.
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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.
 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 now open. It closes at 5pm this 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.
The Council also offers support for those who do not qualify for the School Meal Holiday Scheme but still need help.
 Havering Council is hosting another live Question and Answer session for local businesses to answer questions around business support and the new wave of rapid community testing.
Once again people running businesses in Havering are invited to join a live Zoom session with Council Leader, Cllr Damian White, as well as representatives from various Council services, to answer your questions on doing business at this challenging time.
A member of the Council's Public Health team will talk through rapid community testing.
With around one in three people having COVID-19 but not showing any symptoms, it's important that we take extra measures to make sure we're not spreading it. Those who cannot work from home should get tested twice per week, and this meeting will explain how easy the process is, and why you and your employees should be taking part.
The session will take place this Thursday, 11 February, at 5pm.
Questions can be emailed in advance of the meeting. Please use the subject heading of 'Business Zoom'.
This month is LGBT+ History Month.
Throughout the month, residents will be able to learn about pivotal moments and icons in LGBT+ history.
We will be sharing these stories via our Facebook and Twitter channels.
In conjunction with the NHS, Havering Police are hosting several lunch and learn sessions throughout LGBT+ History month.
These sessions will give you the opportunity to listen to experts and ask questions that may have been difficult to raise in the past. Topics covered will range from cancer screening, and STI testing to combatting hate crime.
To find out more, or register, click below.
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 This 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. 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 tomorrow, 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.
If you’re visiting one of our parks to enjoy the snow, 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.
Please follow social distancing guidelines when walking or jogging on pathways, and use bins for any masks, gloves or empty sanitiser bottles. Take extra care if paths are slippery.
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.
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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 tomorrow, Tuesday, 9 February.
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Havering Council's Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) is now in place to ensure that no one needs to sleep rough on Havering’s streets during the cold weather.
If you see someone sleeping rough, please call 0300 500 0914.
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Havering libraries have added another regular virtual event to their calendar - Chat in a Hat.
The first session will be this 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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Community and grassroots organisations interested in receiving up to £25,000 from the Windrush Community Fund have just five days 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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If you’ve ever wondered what the census has done for you, look around.
From local government to healthcare, schools to charities, all have used the census to inform how they provide the services you and your community needs.
Census 2021 will provide a huge amount of information that will help Havering Council do its work supporting residents, and plan for the future.
Make sure you take part on 21 March.
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Another telephone scam has been identified in Havering.
Residents are being called with a recorded message pretending to be from the National Crime Agency and asking potential fraud victims to "press 1" to talk to an officer to prevent their National Insurance number being "suspended".
If you receive a call from this number: 07710 043859, or any others with this fraudulent message, please do not reply and, if you can, block the number.
Also do not respond to any emails that invite you to receive a COVID-19 vaccination for a fee, or ask for any of your personal bank information. There is no charge for COVID-19 vaccinations from the NHS and you will never be invited for a vaccination appointment by email.
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