Friday 11 June 2021
 This weekend the warm weather is expected to continue, and England play their first match on Sunday in the delayed 16th UEFA European Football Championship that was originally due to be held last summer.
Whether you are enjoying the weather, or watching the football, or both, please do so safely.
Unfortunately COVID-19 has not gone away. Although it is wonderful to see so many young people grabbing the first opportunity to get vaccinated, the truth is that they won't be fully protected until they have had both doses of the vaccine. That means around one in every two of us is still at risk of illness, particularly with the Delta variant of COVID-19 now spreading rapidly in England.
So please continue to take precautions. To keep everyone safe, take a test twice a week – even if you feel fine and even if you’ve been vaccinated. More details on how to do that are shown below.
Enjoy your time in our beautiful parks or in your gardens sensibly. Keep a distance from those who don't live with you, and use face coverings when indoors. That's the best way of giving us the hope that the Government will decide on Monday to allow Step 4 of the roadmap out of lockdown to proceed on 21 June.
Lastly, if you want to contact me directly, you can email me.
Stay safe, have a great weekend, and make sure it’s football that comes home this summer, not COVID. Come on England!
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
A man who failed to clear up his garden after being served two ‘untidy land’ notices by Havering Council was successfully prosecuted at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on 8 June.
The Notices (under powers given in Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act (1990)), required Keith Eaton to clear and tidy the land and remove overgrown vegetation, rubbish, discarded metal and household goods and other waste from his garden areas.
Mr Eaton, owner of 7 and 11 Elm Road in Romford, pleaded guilty to the charges of failing to comply with each of the S215 Notices and will now be required to tidy both properties in full, as well as pay the fines and incur a criminal conviction.
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Havering Council is fixing hundreds of potholes every month – with over 3,500 potholes repaired year on year.
Nearly 400 potholes were fixed between January and April this year alone, by Marlborough Highways, as part of the Council’s highways investment programme.
This programme has seen the Council invest £10m a year over four years.
This is to improve the borough’s roads and pavements after residents said it was a priority for them in 2019.
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Havering businesses that paid for certain licences in the last year can now apply for a refund as part of the Council's comprehensive support package for local small businesses.
Businesses that paid for Special Treatment Licences, Pavement Licences, or Premises Licences for Marriage or Civil Partnership venues are eligible for a full refund on those fees.
To be eligible, licences must have been in effect during the pandemic.
Businesses can claim back the licence fee paid for the last year, as well as up to one renewal - even if the licence has not yet been renewed. For many businesses, this will mean that the Council will cover the licence fees for two years.
Eligible businesses need to claim their refund no later than 5pm on Friday 18 June 2021.
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Havering's Town Hall in Romford (pictured) will be lit up in green on Monday night (14 June).
The lights which mark four years since the Grenfell tower block tragedy will be on from 8pm Monday night until 8am on Tuesday morning.
Seventy-two people were killed in the fire in Kensington, west London, on 14 June 2017.
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As we welcome the warm weather and life seems more back to normal, please remember that we need to continue to take precautions.
COVID-19 is still with us, and we are still at risk of catching the virus and spreading it to others. To help make sure you're not passing on COVID-19 without knowing, regular, twice-weekly rapid testing for people without symptoms is available for everyone in Havering.
You should still use testing even if you have had one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
Testing is quick and easy and, if you have no symptoms, you can take a test in the comfort of your home as part of your routine.
You can order home test kits or pick them up from test centres, some libraries and most pharmacies. There are over fifty places in Havering. Find your nearest testing site and collection point.
If you aren't sure how to do a rapid test at home, visit one of these centres first and be shown by the professionals. You can then take a test kit home with you to use in subsequent weeks.
You can also order a test kit online.
Have symptoms?
It remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
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If you are aged 25 or over, or will be by 1 July this year, you can book your COVID-19 vaccination now.
Take up of the vaccine is a key way in helping to get things back to normal and will protect you, your friends and your family.
Remember that you don't have full protection until you have received both doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
The vaccination centre at Hornchurch Library is closing on 30 June as a permanent COVID-19 vaccination site. Hornchurch residents will still be able to get their vaccine in Havering either at the Liberty Shopping Centre in Romford, or the Day Lewis Pharmacy in Gooshays Drive, Harold Hill.
Both of these sites are available to book on the national booking site although you will only see the site that is giving out the appropriate vaccine for your age group or condition. Anyone having difficulty on the national site can call 119.
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Excessive growth of small branches around the base of many trees found along pavements is an annual problem that Havering Council has to address.
Known as "feathering" it's most common with Lime trees and Acers and a programme of work is in place to deal with this issue.
The feathering programme for this year started in May and continues this month. All the trees are then re-inspected in October so that any further growth can be removed.
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 With warm weather set to continue across the weekend please look out for those who may struggle to keep themselves cool and hydrated like older people, those with underlying health conditions and those who live alone.
Stay cool indoors by closing curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors. Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol.
Also think more about your pets. See the seven steps in the graphic above for tips on looking after your four-legged friends.
On a hot day the temperatures inside a vehicle are over double those felt outside. If you see an animal displaying any sign of heatstroke - such as panting heavily, drooling excessively, is lethargic or uncoordinated, or collapsed and vomiting - call 999 immediately.
You can also call the RSPCA’s 24-hour emergency cruelty line on 0300 1234 999 for advice.
 Student Holly Brooker is planning a skydive to raise money for mental health charity Mind.
Holly, pictured, who studies at New City College’s Havering Sixth Form campus in Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch, said she was doing the skydive because many people, including people close to her, have suffered from mental health issues due to the lockdowns.
She said she thinks it’s important that everyone knows that there is someone to talk to and we aren’t alone.
Holly is campaigning hard to raise the £500 needed to join the skydive which will take place in Maidstone, Kent.
Support her by sponsoring her via her online fundraising page.
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Havering Council is holding its 2021 Art Competition and Exhibition for 11 to 18-year-olds online.
Submissions can come from anyone within this age range and all media, 2D or 3D, is welcome.
All artwork must be appropriate for all ages to view in terms of content. There's more information on the competition on our website.
To enter, please photograph your work and send it in by email.
The deadline for entries is 9 July 2021.
Once consent has been organised, all suitable art work will become part of an online exhibition.
Entries will be shared online.
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Havering Council's fostering team has joined forces with fostering teams across the country to take part in the Jerusalema dance challenge.
Together they are raising awareness that we’re always looking for more fantastic foster carers for our children and young people.
Find out more about fostering opportunities in Havering and watch the team making their dance moves at a couple of locations in Romford that you may recognise.
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A new initiative to encourage more members of the public to take up sign language as an extra language and skill, is now available locally.
The Signs4Life scheme is to help people to communicate and engage with children and adults who may be hard of hearing.
Signs4Life works with social workers, housing staff, teachers, the local NHS, and Royal Mail. Now its programmes are open to the general public,.
It is offering a community 6-week British Sign Language course that you can access from the comfort of your own home as it's delivered online through Zoom.
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On Thursday, 17 June, 4-way temporary traffic lights will be in use between 9.30am and 3pm at the Waterloo Road roundabout in Romford near Queen's Hospital. This is to allow the Council's street lighting contractor, Volker Highways, to repair a damaged lamp column and install new bollards.
Part of the Romford ring road between its junctions with Main Road and North Street will be resurfaced in mid-June. The work on St Edwards Way will take place at night.
Oldchurch Road in Romford will be resurfaced later this month. Work on the section between Rom Valley Way and Crow Lane will begin on 23 June, and on 29 June for the section between Waterloo Road and South Street.
Carriageway resurfacing of Orange Tree Hill in Havering-atte-Bower has now been re-scheduled to take place beginning on Tuesday 29 June and ending on Friday 2 July. When the work is taking place the road will be closed to through traffic with diversions in place.
Traffic orders
On Monday 21 June an experimental traffic order will come into force to prohibit vehicles travelling south on Wingletye Lane from making a left turn into Minster Way. The same order will also introduce a left turn only for motor vehicles from Minster Way at its junction with Wingletye Lane. You can view full details online.
Havering Council is proposing to introduce no waiting at any time restrictions on a number of local roads including at the junction of Brookway and Penerley Road, on the apex of the bend on Manston Way, at the junction of Rochford Close and Manston Way, at the junction of Stanley Road South and Cherry Tree Lane, on the apex of the bend in Swanbourne Drive, at the junction of Highfield Link and Hillrise Road, at the junction of Hendon Gardens and Radwin Close, at the junction of Highfield Link and Hendon Gardens, and at the junction of Highfield Link and Hawkhurst Gardens extending into Hawkhurst Gardens.
If you have any objections or other representations about any of these proposed orders for new waiting restrictions they should be sent in writing to the Highways Traffic and Parking Group Manager, Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford RM1 3BB by 2 July 2021. All objections must specify the grounds on which they are made. You can view information on these schemes online.
Zone expansion
The central London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is expanding to create a single, larger zone up to (but not including) the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205) from 25 October this year.
Many cars already meet the ULEZ emissions standards but you can check your vehicle now.
On the rails
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Due to Network Rail undertaking track maintenance work between Barking and London Fenchurch Street on Saturday 12 June, c2c services will be diverted to start and terminate at London Liverpool Street
c2c tickets will be accepted on District Line services between Tower Hill and Barking, and Jubilee Line or Docklands Light Railway services between West Ham and Stratford.
Due to Network Rail undertaking engineering work in connection with the Barking Riverside Project, c2c services will not run on the Rainham line on Sunday 13 June. Rail replacement buses will run between Upminster and Grays via Rainham.
District Line tube trains will not run this weekend (12 and 13 June) between Tower Hill and Barking. Replacement buses will operate.
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