Celebrating the Windrush Generation in Newham 2019

Newham goes green for Grenfell

Newham Council has gone green for Grenfell to commemorate those who lost their lives in the tragic fire two years ago.

Both the Old Town Stratford and Newham Town Hall in East Ham were lit up last night (Thursday 13 June) in recognition of the anniversary and to show support for those directly affected by the devastating event that occurred on 14 June 2017. The Mayor and councillors also wore green to demonstrate their solidarity with the community.

Today (14 June) marks two years since the Grenfell tragedy where 72 people lost their lives after a fire broke out in the 24-storey block of flats in North Kensington. In the days after the fire, the Grenfell community came together in a great show of unity and support and an enormous amount of support poured in from across the whole of the UK. As part of the Green for Grenfell campaign, the campaigning group Grenfell United is asking communities and schools to come together to promote unity, spirit and resilience by wearing green.

Councillor John Gray, Deputy Mayor for Newham and Cabinet Member for Housing Services said: “We must never forget the Grenfell fire tragedy and this is why we are going green for Grenfell. We want to show solidarity with the community changed forever in the early hours of the morning on June 14, 2016. These lives must not be lost in vain. This must never happen again and as a council, we must ensure we learn from the mistakes made. The safety of our residents must never be taken for granted and is our priority. We have learnt valuable lessons and we must carry on doing all we can to protect our residents.”

Since the Grenfell disaster in June 2017, Newham Council has carried out significant work on all its tower blocks to improve fire safety. Three council owned tower blocks – Ferrier Point in Canning Town and Nicholls Point and Tanner Point in Plaistow North – all used Aluminium Composite Material cladding, the same material on Grenfell Tower. This material has been removed and a non-combustible material (EWI) is currently being installed on the three blocks. This work is due to end at the end of July and is funded in part by a successful grant from the Ministry of Housing and Local Communities.

Additionally, a resident engagement team was set up in 2017 to work with council tenants and leaseholders to ensure all the necessary safety measures were in place, both in communal areas an all individual flats and implementing anything further which might be required. The team has led on a robust programme of work in partnership with London Fire Brigade, visiting all blocks across the borough to carry out fire safety checks. This includes:

85 high rise blocks
1,169 low rise blocks
Thousands of enhanced fire safety visits to individual residents
An extensive programme of tenancy audits
New fire safety signage fitted across the council’s housing stock.

All Fire Risk Assessments to tall blocks are up to date and will continue to publish them on www.newham.gov.uk

The council also received a grant of £20,000 from London Fire Brigade to fund a range of fire safety equipment.

For further information visit www.grenfellunited.org.uk or follow the hashtag #Green4GrenfellDay​

(hat tip Newham Council website)

Newham recruiting 33 youth workers - the biggest expansion of youth services anywhere in London

Hat tip Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz "**Please share widely** We want the best youth workers for our children and young people in Newham! 👌🏽

Am really pleased to announce that today we launched the largest recruitment campaign for youth workers in Newham for a generation - that’s 33 full time posts, representing the biggest expansion of Youth Services anywhere in London! 🙌🏽

Read more below and if anyone’s interested in applying find out more via this link:https://www.newham.gov.uk/Pages/Services/Youth-work-jobs.aspx

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The expansion, bolstered by a £1.4million investment, will deliver the Mayor of Newham’s vision that children and young people in the borough have access to the best youth service in London.

As part of the expansion, 33 full time roles will be created with jobs available for experienced managers, for specialists in particular aspects of youth work, and for those who have just started out on their youth work careers. There are also roles designed to promote participation and increase volunteering opportunities.

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “Here in Newham, we want our young people to have access to the best youth service in London. They have told us loud and clear that expansion of the current youth offer is a priority for them. Despite falling budgets and huge pressures to spend more in other areas, we are committed to investing in our young people. Our expanded youth service and youth empowerment function will be designed for young people and with their input.

“To help us deliver on our ambitious plans, we need the best people. We want the most inspiring mentors and the best informal educators. We want a team that understands what it is like to grow up in an Inner City borough like Newham. A team that can get to grips with the challenges and also make the most of the amazing opportunity that such an environment brings. More than anything else, we are looking for people that share our enthusiasm, with passion and imagination who can work with young people and help them thrive.”

A decision was made to expand the service following feedback from Newham’s young people and residents through Citizen Youth Assemblies, borough wide Adult Citizen Assemblies and the Annual Youth Zone satisfaction survey.

A report was agreed by Cabinet in April which set out the significant increases to services. These will include:

1. A huge rise in the number of sessions delivered through each the four existing ‘Youth Zones’ which are located at the Shipman Centre, Beckton Globe, Little Ilford and Forest Gate.

2. Increased access to consistent, trusted youth worker role models.

3. Establishing a detached youth work team.

4. Enhancing provision for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), those who are looked after, LGBTQQ young people and young carers.

5. New and improved links across Children’s Social Care for the benefit of vulnerable young people in Newham.

6. More opportunities to undertake accredited volunteering, for example through the Duke of Edinburgh programme.

7. A massive programme of work designed to support young people to have a greater say.

& coming soon: delivering on the promise to increase the number of youth zones from four to eight.

Hamfrith walkabouts then residents meeting (& being 91 years young)

This morning I went on my 3rd recent walkabout of the Hamfirth estate area with Newham Council Technical, Caretaking and Repairs officers to produce an action plan to this evenings' meeting with residents at the Atherton Leisure Centre, E7.

We are going to do 3 things on this estate to tackle serious Crime and Anti-social behaviour. Firstly, work together collectively with residents, stakeholders such as the Police, Council officers and Councillors. Secondly, improve cleaning, caretaking and maintenance of green spaces and thirdly design out crime by fencing off, closing criminal escape routes and improved lighting/security.

Tonight meeting was a little tough in parts since many residents feel they have been let down in the past and that the ASB problems on the estate impact so badly on their every day lives. Local resident Sian and I don't always agree on everything but we both know we are in our different ways trying to deliver the best for residents.

There is now an action plan which will be distributed to all residents, we have for the first time in many years, named Newham Housing officers who are responsible for the estate and we will support residents in setting up a much needed local tenants and residents association.

Many thanks for attending to our Newham Council Housing liaison officers, our enforcement officer and Councillors Winston Vaughan, Maz Patel and James Beckles (Cabinet lead for ASB/Enforcement)

The star of our show tonight,  was our oldest Hamfirth resident (we think) who is 91 years young and has lived on the estate for 66 years. As the badge says (bottom left of college) a "very kind 91 young lady" (she is bottom right of college standing to my immediate left).

"Last Week they were thanking us for saving the free world in 1944...This week they have taken our TV licence off us..."

Shocking but the blame lies with this Tory Government for this cut - not the BBC.

Free TV licences for the over 75's was a long standing policy which was paid for by the Government. Then the Government said they will not pay for it anymore.

Are we now going to start jailing D-Day veterans for not paying for their TV licences?

What a cruel and incompetent Government we have.

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48583487

Local Service Champions TRAILER

"Coming soon! UNISON local government's new campaign film. Watch the trailer and keep your eyes peeled for this summer's blockbuster."

The single most satisfying thing I used to do as a housing officer is showing people around their new home. Mind you It didn't always go very well....

Mass in B Minor by JS Bach. 29 June 2019 at 7:30pm

Mass in B Minor by JS Bach. 29 June 2019 at 7:30pm

All Saints Chorus takes on another big sing concert. Book now on Eventbrite.

Jon writes

“Bach’s Mass in b minor, one of the greatest works of choral music performed in the 1000-year-old setting of All Saints church West Ham by the All Saints Chorus & Orchestra. A not to be missed event. Hear Bach at the height of his powers writing the most exciting and complex music for the voice. Rich orchestrations with sparkling trumpets will make this concert a feast for the ears.

Early booking advised as the previous concert was sold out.”

https://allsaintschorus.org/2019/06/05/mass-in-b-minor-by-js-bach-29-june-2019-at-730pm/

Shame that the current Tory leadership hopefuls aren't like abstinent George!

Mind you, listening to Cameron blathering on would drive anyone to ..... I love the soundtrack. One of my favourites. 

Newham European Election results 23 May 2019

Hat tip post to Martin at ForestGateDotCom

Newham had the highest number of Labour votes of any borough in London and at 51% the largest share of the vote.

The average vote for Labour in London was only 23.8%

Hat tip photo to Newham Young Pioneers at West Ham station on election day.

"The returning officer has released the full results for Newham from last week’s European election:

Party	Votes	Percent
Labour	33,379	51%
Liberal Democrats	9,192	14%
The Brexit Party	7,730	12%
Green Party	5,353	8.2%
Conservative	3,756	5.7%
Change UK	2,234	3.4%
UKIP	1,336	2.0%
UK European Union Party	917	1.4%
Animal Welfare Party	640	1.0%
Women’s Equality Party	572	0.9%
Others (independents)	312	0.5%
Total votes	65,421	100%

Compared to the previous European election in 2014, Labour lost 7 points of vote share and the Conservatives lost 11 points. UKIP also lost share, down over 6%.

The big gainers were the Liberal Democrats, up 12% and the Green Party up 3.6%.

Turnout was down 3%, from 39% to 36%".

Why voluntary right to buy for Housing Associations is nuts

So scare government grant is being used to effectively give an existing social tenant a home which will then be lost for ever from social housing instead of being used to help build another social home? This is nuts in a housing crisis.

Hat tip Red Brick

Voluntary Right to Buy: should housing associations be ‘proud to be involved’?

Posted on May 10, 2019 by stevehilditch

"The headline is based on an Inside Housing article this week by a director of a national housing association, Stonewater, which is one of those taking part in the government’s pilot scheme in the Midlands. Sue Shirt says they are ‘unashamedly supportive of the VRTB’ and ‘proud’ to be selling off their houses, estimating that around 170 will be sold in the pilot period (presumably in most cases houses currently let at social rents). She gives two main reasons for this. One is that they are giving tenants what they want. The second is that (unlike with council housing right to buy) they plan to replace every home sold. She says that it keeps tenants in their communities whereas otherwise they would move out to buy. In Stonewater’s view, VRTB ‘helps the social housing journey’ by enabling financially secure tenants to buy instead of rent.

Superficially, of course, Ms Shirt has a point. No doubt the lucky buyers of Stonewater houses are over the moon, especially as they have qualified for discounts of up to 70% – or £82,800 outside London – the same levels as for council right to buy. They’ll have to raise a mortgage but instead of paying rent they’ll have a valuable asset to pass on to their children or to sell or let out at a later date. In many ways it’s surprising that the pilot scheme isn’t proving more popular. Stonewater has so far completed just 11 sales, and if it reaches its projected level of 170 it will have sold just two per cent of its stock in the region. That’s a lot of effort to reach such a small proportion of tenants, and the government is said to be considering extending the pilot scheme to raise more interest.

What is missing from Sue Shirt’s assessment is any examination of the wider picture if the pilot scheme does turn out to be successful. Of course, one reason why a housing association like Stonewater is willing to take part is that it gets full and instant recompense for the hefty discounts it has to give, so they can aim to have one for one replacement of their own stock. The money comes from a Treasury pot of £200 million created for the purpose. An extended scheme would need more money. Failing some magic by the chancellor, the only sources are the rest of the housing budget or reviving the Treasury’s original plan, which was to force councils to sell their high-value council houses and hand most of the money over to subsidise housing association discounts.

Either way, a lump sum worth up to £82,800 to one ‘financially secure’ tenant who buys their home comes at the expense of the same amount invested in new social housing for people who are struggling to rent, let alone buy. It is not the narrow perspective of whether Stonewater replaces one for one, the essential point is that the money available in the housing system will produce fewer additional homes in total for people in need.

Sue Shirt says that the ‘crucial point’ about VRTB is that it helps more people into much-needed, modern, energy-efficient housing. But this is a very suspect argument. After all, tenants exercising VRTB are in a nice comfortable home already, and while the mortgage they will now pay releases a receipt that Stonewater can reuse, that’s only because the rest of the sale price will be made up by the government.

A supposed advantage is that VRTB buyers stay in their home when they might have moved out to buy elsewhere. While this may be advantageous for the community in the short term, it ignores the issue of what happens when the buyer eventually moves. A house that could be relet at social rent may well end up in the private rented sector, as is frequently the experience with the council RTB. It will be let at higher rents – costing more in housing benefit if that is needed – and quite possibly with minimal management, causing problems for other tenants in the area.

While the pilot scheme might involve selling a relatively small number of homes, up to 3,000, the real danger lies in its potential success. This could have two effects. One is that it hastens the day when all housing associations are persuaded into a ‘voluntary’ scheme by attractive offers about how fast they can access the receipts, without answering the crucial question of where the money will come from once the Treasury’s £200 million has been spent and what the impact of that will be on other programmes. Back in 2015, when it was planned to use ‘council high value sales’ to fund the VRTB, in Selling off the Stock CIH showed that a popular VRTB scheme might require all the receipts from selling high-value homes, leaving no money for replacements.

The second effect will be to prolong the right to buy in England when it should be on its last legs. It was scrapped in Scotland in 2016, it died in Wales earlier this year and soon it may be gone in Northern Ireland too. Only in Whitehall do politicians continue to find ways to breathe life into a policy that’s not relevant to today’s problems. Let’s put some more nails in its coffin, not try to revive the corpse".