Hackney Downs Labour

Cleaning in Seaton Point

2012-02-05T16:01:00.000Z

We recently held an unannounced inspection of the cleaning at Seaton Point with Hackney Homes officers, following complaints from residents.

There is now a new cleaner and the morning we visited the standard was very good. Hackney Homes will be putting out a leaflet to ensure that residents have the phone number of the cleaning team in case they encounter further problems.

If there are further problems, please do not hesitate to contact us on 07875 546155.

We are continuing to press for the problems with the roof over the entrance area and concierge office to be fixed and Hackney Homes have assured us they will be soon.

Residents Parking update

2012-02-05T13:48:00.000Z

Just a quick update on parking issues. Following the door to door consultation we did last year in Benthal, Jenner and Maury Roads, the council has agreed that it will consult on extending the existing Stoke Newington CPZ to cover parts of Hackney Downs ward. This will be after April (the next financial year - a time has yet to be confirmed). The council has also to decide which exact area will be proposed to be covered and consulted on.

We are currently following this up with officers and will update residents as soon as we know more. Please just email or phone us if you have any questions.

Clapton Planning Brief proposal

2012-02-05T13:39:00.000Z

The Council Planning Department will be holding a public consultation on a planning brief covering part of Clapton. The main focus will be the area boundaried by Lower Clapton Road, Downs Road, Powell Road and Kenninghall Rd (excluding Gooch House). In other words the area including the old cinema and the White Hart pub.

This document would set out how the community and the council would like to see that particular area develop in the future, with an eye to indicating to any future developers the kind of things that would be deemed appropriate. The council will be consulting local community groups and residents in the coming months - including a public meeting in March.

All of this flowed from discussions about local development at the Clapton Conference. Since then of course there have been lots of developments - including the old cinema becoming a church and the White Hart being turned into a new pub the Clapton Hart. These new planning guidelines would mean however that if these buildings were ever sold in the future, development would have to abide by the planning brief.

The document will also include some aspirations for the wider area beyond that particular site, taking into account community needs in the long term. When we have a date confrimed for the public meeting we will post it here.

Radio 1 Hackney Weekend

2012-02-05T13:03:00.001Z

The Radio 1 Hackney Weekend will take place on Hackney Marshes from 23 to 24 June 2012. Headline acts include Leona Lewis, Florence and the Machine, Tinie Tempah and Plan B. It will be the biggest ever free-ticketed event with 100,000 tickets available.

There will be six stages, including the Radio 1 Main Stage, the 1Xtra Arena, Dance Arena and the BBC Introducing Stage. To celebrate local talent, the Introducing Stage will feature events from East London.

For more information on ticketing and the line-up please visit the BBC website here.

50% of tickets will be allocated to Hackney residents so there is a really good chance of getting one!

Hackney councillor ‘saves’ the British pub

2012-01-07T17:38:00.000Z

The Hackney Citizen has published an article about Rick which you can read here:

http://hackneycitizen.co.uk/2011/12/02/hackney-councillor-rick-muir-saves-the-british-pub/

Fare Deal campaigners at Rectory Road station

2012-01-03T10:55:00.000Z

Hackney Downs Labour activists leafleted outside Rectory Road station this morning - braving the rain and winds to inform commuters about Boris' fare hikes.

These fare rises mean that:

A single bus ticket is up 50% under Boris Johnson, from 90p in 2008 to £1.35 in 2012
A weekly bus and tram pass is up 45% under Boris Johnson from £13 in 2008 to £18.80 in 2012
A weekly zone 1-2 travelcard is up 21% under Boris Johnson from £24.20 in 2008 to £29.20 in 2012
A weekly zone 1-4 travelcard is up 21% under Boris Johnson from £34.60 in 2008 to £41.80 in 2012
A weekly zone 1-6 travelcard is up 20% under Boris Johnson from £44.60 in 2008 to £53.40 in 2012

This is despite the fact that TfL has a significant surplus on its operating budget. Ken pledges to cut these fares if elected and keep them down, saving Londoners an average of £1000 over four years. For more detailed information please see this fact sheet setting out Ken's plans:

http://www.kenlivingstone.com/uploads/6bf728f3-dfdf-7444-6d22-342c3420d303.pdf

Campaigning against fare increases at Rectory Road station 3rd Jan

2011-12-29T10:34:00.001Z

Join Hackney Downs Labour members on 3rd January - we will be meeting at 7.30am at Rectory Road station to campaign against Boris' increased travel fares. Ken has pledged to cut fares by 7% if elected Mayor. Do join us to help hand out leaflets and discuss these issues with commuters.

Watch Ken's Fare Deal video here:

http://www.kenlivingstone.com/faredeal

Gooch House update

2011-12-06T23:43:00.000Z

Following the last Gooch House TRA meeting I have taken up a number of issues:

Licensing are now looking at late night activities at 237 Lower Clapton Road which has caused a distubrance to Gooch House residents.
The concierge staff have been asked to limit times when they are absent and to ensure the inner communal door is shut
The council still intends to convert the now vacant bedsits and neighbouring Hackney Homes tenanted one bedroom flats into larger family sized accomodation. Additional funding is being sought to carry out a pilot conversion later this financial year or early in the next when voids become available.The intention is to do work on a new heating system and the bedsit conversions at the same time as part of a single package of work. The council is awaiting confirmation of future Decent Homes funding for 2013/14 and 2014/15 and will then be able to confirm dates for the work, which will not be until 2013 at the earliest.

Rick

CCTV on Della Path

2011-12-06T23:30:00.000Z

On our recent roving surgery on Nightingale Estate residents of Della Path raised with us a number of recent break ins. We have now secured the agreement of Hackney Homes to install a CCTV camera on Della Path to deter further crime.

Save our station staff

2011-12-06T23:20:00.000Z

We've been working with other local community groups in Hackney on a campaign to defend Hackney's train station staff. Lots of residents in our ward use Rectory Road and Clapton stations - both of which are under threat. We are very concerned about passenger safety if the stations are unstaffed, particularly as there have been incidents in the evenings in the past.

Rick and Alex leafleted outside Rectory Road station this morning to raise awareness of the cuts.

There is a meeting on Monday 12th December at 6.30pm at the Old Fire Station on Leswin Road.

Jennette Arnold, the Labour Assembly Member for our area on the Greater London Assembly, speakers from the TSSA rail union, the Green Party and Hackney Disability Backup will be there as we discuss how to continue campaigning and raising awareness of this issue. A spokesperson from Abellio, the train operator taking over from National Express in the New Year, has been invited to speak.

All the details from Together for Transport below:

A community coalition is launching a campaign to defend Hackney’s train station staff after government proposals to cut ticket office staff were exposed. The McNulty report recommends that smaller stations across the country lose their ticket office staff. In Hackney, this would mean cuts to all ticket office staff at Hackney Wick, Homerton, Rectory Road, Stamford Hill and Stoke Newington stations. Ticket office staff would be cut at Hackney Central, Dalston Kingsland and Clapton. Community activists believe that without staff, Hackney’s train stations will become dangerous, unwelcome and inaccessible places.

A spokesperson for Together for Transport, a founding member of the community coalition, said: ‘Everyone in Hackney who uses the trains and Overground will be dismayed to hear talk of unstaffed train stations. We don’t want to go back to the bad old days of unreliable trains and dangerous train stations. This public meeting will be a chance to show how bad this move would be for Hackney, and plan a community response.’’

more information here:

http://togetherfortransport.org/content/mcnulty-recommends-closing-675-station-ticket-offices-0

Anybody wishing to attend the meeting or find out more information should email info@togetherfortransport.org

Gooch House Community Hall

2011-10-11T06:52:00.000+01:00

I attended a meeting this week to discuss the future of Gooch House Community Hall - above the shops by the Leabridge Roundabout. Former Councillor Linda Hibberd described the history of the hall - which goes back to when Gooch House was first built. It had been used as a meeting space by the TRA and also by other estate and community groups. Some years ago there was a flood and the building needs substantial renovation works to bring it up to standard. Hence it has not been used for some years.

There is now a proposal from Bangla Housing Association to bid for lottery money to renovate the hall and bring it back into use. The TRA are now considering whether to support this bid and go in as partners. The idea would be to bring it back into use for community groups to hold meetings and events. This would require substantial funds - DDA works, rewiring and asbestos removal could add up to a budget of £250,000.

I will update this blog as things progress.

Rick

Clean Up Clapton Day 11th October

2011-10-04T14:02:00.002+01:00

The annual Clean Up Clapton Day will be next Tuesday 11th October centred around B6 College from 10.30am. As in previous years, there will be stalls outside the college, various cleaning initiatives and jetting of paving stones in the area. If you are a parent or governor of any school within the E5 area, please remind your school we are arranging a children’s art competition on the ‘Clean-up’ theme, pictures will be collected on the day for judging by the Speaker of Hackney.

Please contact Councillor Michael Desmond for more details michael.desmond@hackney.gov.uk.

Residents moving in to new council homes

2011-09-23T14:41:00.001+01:00

Last week Councillors Alex Russell and Rick Muir welcomed new residents to Dunnock Mews - the new council homes that have been built off Rendlesham Road. The Cabinet Member for Housing Phil Glanville also attended.

The flats are now about 80 per cent allocated. Most of the new residents have been allocated from estate re-development programmes elsewhere, although a minority have been allocated via Choice Based Letting. The flats at Dunnock and Goldcrest Mews are some of the first flats to be built directly by the council rather than a housing association in around two decades, following a decision by the last Labour government to encourage councils to build their own homes again.

Stoke Newington Gyratory consultation results

2011-08-16T15:06:00.001+01:00

The results of the consultation on the future of the Stoke Newington gyratory have been collated by the council.

The following letter has gone out to local businesses, which summarises the findings:

Dear Business Owner

Re: Results of the consultation on the proposed removal of Stoke Newington Gyratory

Hackney Council undertook a borough wide consultation to seek views from residents and businesses to identify traffic and road safety issues in the Stoke Newington area and to understand how the gyratory affected residents, visitors and business owners.

The public consultation ran from 4th October for 12 weeks and resulted in 850 responses.

The separate business consultation received 161 responses. The majority of responses, 145 were completed as face-to-face surveys (104 from Stoke Newington Business Association members and 41 non-SNBA members) and 16 were received via online completions.

In total the consultation received 1016 responses from residents, business owners, visitors and stakeholder organisations.

We would like to thank all those people who provided feedback during the public consultation. This document provides a summary of consultation results and what the Council will do next.

If you would like to view the full consultation results please download a copy from our website at: www.hackney.gov.uk/sn-gyratory

Consultation Results

Public consultation

850 responses were received in total and 92% of respondents identified themselves as Hackney residents; the highest number of responses came from postcode areas N16 0 and N16 7 which correspond to the Stoke Newington Central ward where the gyratory sits.

75% of respondents consider traffic levels to be a problem in the area and 67% consider traffic levels have a negative effect on the development and quality of life in the area.

Approximately a third of respondents (32.5%) consider parking arrangements to be inadequate, another third (35.1%) to be adequate and another third doesn’t know/is not sure (32.5%)

A majority of respondents (70%) would support the removal of the Stoke Newington Gyratory, 14.5% oppose it and 15.5% consider that they don’t know and mostly asked for more detail on the proposals before giving an opinion.

Business consultation

161 questionnaires were completed, 104 from Stoke Newington Business Association members, 41 non-SNBA members and 16 online completions. This represents a 76% response rate from the list of businesses approached (212 businesses).

41% of responses indicated that traffic is considered to be a problem in the area.

Over 75% (106 responses) stated that parking was regularly required by customers of the shops and businesses in Stoke Newington. The provision of nearby parking is perceived as being of critical importance to the viability of businesses, particularly the smaller shops. Current levels and arrangements for customer parking, however, were considered inadequate.

49% of business respondents would support the removal of the existing one-way system. The majority of comments related to improvements in terms of accessibility and travel time, especially for cyclists and buses. It was also appreciated that a two-way system may help to slow traffic and reduce rat-running through the surrounding residential streets.

There were major concerns, however, surrounding the re-allocation of parking and loading facilities. 29% would oppose the removal of the gyratory on the basis that it is either going to decrease passing trade or that it is operationally unworkable.

Overall, consultation response suggests a strong support for the removal of the gyratory but also for there to be more information on the impacts of doing this.

What happens next?

Hackney officers and Transport for London are working together to review and consider the issues facing Stoke Newington, which were highlighted by the consultation.

Over the next few months Hackney officers will be working closely with TfL to develop clear objectives, which can assist in the improvement of the Stoke Newington area to create a sense of place whilst also addressing the traffic and transport issues highlighted through the public consultation.

Once the objectives have been established a range of options for improvements to the area will be considered against these objectives to identify which may be suitable for more detailed assessment. We will endeavour to complete this initial outline assessment in Autumn 2011.

At this stage we are unsure of the number of options that may be generated and also the work involved in testing them and in practice this might take several months. We will however provide regular updates to the community on the progress of the work as it goes forward, and consult when we have identified workable options for improvement.

For further information about this consultation, please contact the Traffic and Transportation team on 020 8356 4891 or email: consultation@hackney.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Steve Walker

Traffic and Transportation Manager

Health and Community Services

Tel: 0208 356 8157

steve.walker@hackney.gov.uk

http://www.hackney.gov.uk/

Tea party in Clarence Road

2011-08-16T12:53:00.002+01:00

Last night there was also a successful tea party on Clarence Road, bringing together residents to reclaim the streets for the community. 300 people attended and there was a suggestion board for ideas on how we can unite the community and prevent this from happening again.

Street surgery in riot affected roads

2011-08-16T12:51:00.000+01:00

Last night we knocked on doors in Goulton Road and Hana Mews to talk to residents in roads in our ward closest to last week's trouble. We will be continuing this over the weekend.

Generally residents were pleased with the clean up operation which meant that most of the damage was cleaned up by early the next morning. There are still scorch marks on Goulton Road which are to be removed, with new tarmac put down.

We talked to residents who had seen cars set alight outside their frontdoors and had remonstrated with youths to stop looting and causing damage. We also had some really excellent discussions with residents about the causes of the riots and possible solutions.

We met with the proprietor of City News which was looted on the night to make sure he is getting all the support he needs from the council, which is offering help and advice to affected local businesses.

After the riots

2011-08-14T19:11:00.001+01:00

Hackney Downs Councillors will be out knocking on doors in affected streets in our ward on Monday evening - we will carry on with this in coming days and weeks to make sure we get to speak to as many people as possible in the most directly affected areas to discuss what residents think we should be doing as a community to move forward.

On Monday 15th August at 5pm – to mark a week after the trouble broke out – there will be a tea party on Clarence Road organised by St John at Hackney. Please do attend. The event is being sponsored by Hackney Marks and Spencer, Hackney Council and other local businesses and is a community response to take back the streets.

Residents will know that Siva Kandiah is one of the local businessmen who was most affected by the rioting and looting on Monday evening on Clarence Road. Hackney Council is helping Mr Kandiah by providing support and advice, but there is also a fund set up by HCVS. All the details of how to donate are online here: http://www.hcvs.org.uk/en/pages/rebuild_clarenceroadshop.aspx

Can you help the Police? Operation Withern has been set up to investigate the last few days of disorder and violence in London. Anyone with information should call the Major Investigation Team on 020 8345 4142. The Police are also asking people to look at CCTV images online here http://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolitanpolice to help with identifying people connected with the looting across London.

Hackney Downs CAP meeting - July

2011-07-23T12:13:00.000+01:00

We had our regular bi-monthly CAP meeting with the Safer Neighbourhoods Team at B6 last week.

The main points were:

the new CCTV camera has now been agreed for Monteagle Way and Muir Rd
there have been a number of personal robberies around Rectory Rd station - smart phones being snatched from people late at night/early hours of the morning at weekends. The police are to increase their presence in the area.
residents raised concerns about youths hanging around on Nile Close - police agreed to increase patrols
police monitoring situation regarding the occupation of the Palace Pavillion closely and are hopeful it can be resolved
along with a reduction in the number of Sergeants covering SNTs there will be reforms to the way CAPs operate in the autumn, with more formal constitutions and perhaps elected membership. There is an ongoing consultation.

Upper Clapton floods meeting with Thames Water

2011-07-23T11:49:00.000+01:00

Last night we organised a meeting for residents affected by the Upper Clapton flood with Thames Water and representatives of the loss adjustors.

Residents and councillors put a range of questions to Thames Water representatives and a series of actions were agreed.

The main points were:

Thames still do not know the cause of the burst water main - they have sent the pipe away for analysis and will have results back in a months time.
There have been a number of smaller leaks in pipes in the area over recent years. Most of these seem to be drainage leaks or leaks in the smaller distribution pipes, which Thames claimed were fairly common. They agreed to write to affected residents with the full analysis.
The Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe is meeting with the Chief Executive of Thames Water to raise these issues.
Thames were pressed on the speed of their response which many people believe was too slow. They replied that it takes at least an hour to close the valves to the water main and an hour to get to the site.
Residents pressed them on the issue of compensation which they said they would take away and consider. We will press them on this in the coming weeks.
People had concerns that the loss adjustors and salvage companies had taken away damaged belongings without explaining to residents that they would not get the full value back. In the rush many things had not been properly recorded on the lists meaning that residents could not now claim for them. Thames said they would take this on board in their 'event de-brief'.

We will write to all residents with a summary of the meeting and will continue to press on the issues raised - compensation, claims and an explanation about what happened and reassurance that it will not happen again.

New owners of the Palace Pavillion

2011-07-01T13:03:00.000+01:00

The Palace Pavillion site has been bought by the St Mary of Zion Ethiopian Orthodox Church who have been in the area for more than 30 years and currently meet at St James church.

Representatives from the church attended last night's North East Neighbourhood Committee and said they wanted to discuss with local community groups their plans for the building. There may be potential for securing some shared community uses.

We will be meeting with the church shortly and will keep residents updated via this blog.

Council brings in new powers over noise nuisance

2011-06-30T14:22:00.001+01:00

I thought readers would be interested in new powers for the noise service - and extended hours of operation. Please see details below:

Introduction of a Fixed Penalty Notice for night noise

The noise service has introduced new powers for managing night noise allowing the team to issue Warning Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices for excessive noise levels during the hours of 11pm and 7am. One warning notice was successfully served and complied with in May 2011. It is hoped that this tool will provide a greater incentive for residents and businesses to comply with an officer’s request in the first instance than the threat of potential prosecution did previously, particularly in regards to instances of one-off parties.

New hours of operation
In response to residents concerns the noise night service has been extended by an extra ten hours per week.
Residents and businesses can now contact the team between:
8am and 6.30pm Monday to Wednesday
8am Thursday to 2am Friday
8am Friday to 5am Saturday
9pm Saturday to 5am Sunday
6.30pm Sunday to 2am Monday.
In addition to the extended hours, over the summer period (May-August) the Council has increased the number of teams investigating night noise nuisance, and will have two additional night-duty officers on call.

Doorstep floods surgery in Upper Clapton

2011-06-18T16:05:00.000+01:00

This morning Alex and I visited each of the flood affected houses on Alconbury, Northwold and Norcott Roads. We spoke to many residents who are trying to get their homes back to normal.

There are a number of issues that residents identified for us to take forward with Thames Water:

There is a lack of clarity about the process for the taking and storing of damaged items
We need a clearer explanation of why the water main burst and of what Thames Water have done to make sure it cannot happen again
There are concerns over residents who have no insurance and what their position is
We need to get claims sorted out quickly so people can get their lives back to normal

We will be taking these issues forward with Thames Water and will write to all affected residents to keep you up dated on progress.

If there is anything further we can do, please telephone 07875 546155.

Rick

Clapton Festival opens!

2011-06-11T17:25:00.001+01:00

Clapton Festival opened in great weather this afternoon!

Diane Abbott MP and Hackney's Speaker Cllr Susan Fajana-Thomas opened the festival in Clapton Square just after 2pm. Children then learned and performed the Clapton Walk - see here for details

There will be music all day in Clapton Square and reggae tonight at the Round Chapel. The Clapton Market offers a vast array of stalls in St Johns church yard all afternoon.

Well done to all the organisers for making it happen. More details of events for the rest of the weekend are available here.

Upper Clapton floods

2011-06-11T17:10:00.000+01:00

As most people will know a major mains burst led to 40 homes being swamped with thousands of gallons of water last week in Upper Clapton. Thames Water eventually controlled the flood and put many residents up in emergency accommodation. The damage to property runs into hundreds of thousands of pounds and the havoc caused to residents' lives is immense. Thames Water loss adjusters have been out taking down details of the damage and we will be working to make sure that any compensation is paid quickly and without delay.

We will be knocking on doors in Norcott, Northwold and Alconbury Roads next Saturday 18th June to see what more the council and other agencies can do to help in the aftermath. In the meantime do contact us on 07875 546155 if there is anything we can help with.

Clapton Festival 11-12th June

2011-05-26T13:32:00.003+01:00

The very first Clapton festival will be opened by the Speaker of Hackney at 2pm on Saturday June 11 in Clapton Square. Diane Abbott MP will also be present. Please come if you can! The Festival has arisen from The Clapton Conference, initiated by Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group. A lot of work has already gone into the preparations – events include a heritage walk from Clapton Pond to the Square, a community picnic, a classical music concert and various activities for children. The Festival market in St John’s gardens is hoped to be the first of a regular weekly Saturday market there.

The Festival is designed to help boost the local economy and you will see from the programme that a business night is being run on the Thursday evening before the weekend.

For more details see www.claptonfestival.com.

Hackney Downs CAP meeting - May 2011

2011-05-14T10:58:00.001+01:00

We had the Hackney Downs CAP meeting this week at BSix.

The Safer Neighbourhoods Team is now strengthened with one sergeant, one PC and three PCSOs. The police are hoping to recruit a further PC very soon.

Residents on Monteagle Way have been experiencing a lot of anti-social behaviour in recent months. Southern Housing have responded by getting a temporary CCTV camera in place. This has led to a considerable improvement. However this will be moved soon and residents are very concerend that when it does, the situation will deteriorate again. We have written to Hackney Homes to ask them to co-fund with Southern Housing a permanent CCTV camera to cover Monteagle Way and parts of Muir Rd. We will update the blog when we know more.

The CAP agreed to retain the current three priorities for the SNT: Clarence Road, Nightingale estate and issues outside BSix.

488 bus coming soon

2011-05-09T12:27:00.000+01:00

The new 488 bus route starts on Saturday 4th June.

The new route will travel from the Leabridge roundabout, down Kenninghall Rd, down Rendlesham Road, turn right on Downs Road and then go up Shacklewell Lane to Dalston Junction.

This will significantly improve public transport links in the ward.

.

Clapton Conference

2011-05-02T17:45:00.000+01:00

The last meeting of the Clapton Conference took place on 11th April - this time focusing on planning issues. A senior planning officer from the council attended and answered questions generally about planning policy - and in particular what could be done locally to support regeneration and protect heritage buildings and community amenities.

In particular he reported that the planning department will now be developing a planning brief, in consultation with local groups, around the old cinema site - including the old Palace Pavillion site and the row of shops by the roundabout. Work on this will begin in July and the intention is to set out what the council and local residents' aspirations for this site should be - in particular reflecting the desire to see the old cinema site restored and brought into use as a community facility. This brief would have weight in the planning process, meaning that it could help invite interest from developers who would help regenerate the site, so long as they could support a community use. This brief will be prepared in consultation with local groups and will go out to a six week consultation with residents.

We will let you know more on this as it develops.

The Clapton Conference meets again on 16th May at 7.30pm at St Johns Ambulance Hall - this time specifically for residents interested in developing social media and communication between local groups.

Residents parking - update

2011-05-02T17:22:00.005+01:00

As regular readers of this blog will know, we have been conducting a door to door survey on Jenner, Benthal and Maury Roads about the parking pressures on those streets.

Our survey found that the majority of residents on those roads would like the council to consult on introducing a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). In the past these three roads have supported a CPZ, although roads further from Rectory Road station and Stoke Newington High Street where there is less commuter parking have been opposed. On Benthal, Jenner and Maury Roads we were told some extraordinary stories about the conflicts that have arisen as a result of lack of parking space.

Following the survey we have asked officers to look into this question again - including possibly introducing a new CPZ or extending the existing CPZ to those streets most affected.

We have been informed that the council has been conducting stress surveys outside the existing CPZs. The analysis of this information will be complete by July 2011. Once that has been done a decision will be made over whether to consult on introducing a new CPZ or introduce a new one.

If you have views on this - you can participate in a council survey here www.surveymonkey.com/s/new_cpz. Alternatively, you can write to officers at CPZ Team, 2 Hillman Street, London, E8 1FB, or consultparking@hackney.gov.uk, or can telephone officers on 020 8356 8877.

CPZ update

2011-04-07T16:47:00.000+01:00

The weekend before last we completed our door to door survey of residents on Benthal, Jenner and Maury Roads about parking issues, this time on Jenner. There was clearly majority support for re-opening consultation on a Controlled Parking Zone.

As a result we have written to the Cabinet member responsible and she has started discussions with officers about how we can move forward on this.

We are looking at whether there could be a smaller zone, given that streets further away from the high street and Rectory Road station don't feel the pressure as much.

Benthal Primary School - road safety

2011-04-02T10:11:00.000+01:00

Residents have expressed real concerns about road safety outside Benthal Primary because of the amount of parents parking very close to the entrances of the school. The police and traffic enforcement officers did a blitz recently to enforce traffic rules outside the school - although we have asked them if they could do this more regularly to keep on top of the problem. The police have been very supportive.

The council has now agreed to re-paint road markings which have faded away which will hopefully also help. But we will keep on monitoring this.

Police numbers in Hackney Downs

2011-04-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

At the last CAP meeting and at the Neighbourhood Committee meeting this week we discussed the depletion of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team in the ward.

We have been hit by a combination of one of our officers moving to a new role and two of our three PCSOs training to become constables. Because of a wider recruitment freeze across the Met this has left us with just one PSCO and one PC.

We have written to the Borough Commander to express our concerns about the impact of this. The good news is that Inspector George told us at the Neighbourhood Committee that they would be bringing over an additional PC and PCSO very soon to get us back to near full strength.

Northwold Primary School - road safety walkabout

2011-03-12T17:36:00.000Z

On Tuesday this week we organised a walkabout with highways officers and the headteacher at Northwold Primary to look at road safety concerns in the area. At the start of the school day there is very intensive traffic with parents dropping off children at the school and general traffic on Northwold Road.

With the headteacher we agreed a number of steps that officers would take forward. These include:
- they will examine whether the bus stop on the Hackney Downs side of Northwold could be moved further away from the school, as buses reduce visibility there for drivers
- they will have 20mph signage displayed on both approaches to the school - if possible we will look into whether neon signage could be put up, joint funded between the council and the school.
- they will erect more prominent school signs so drivers are aware the school is there
- more regular enforcement to stop people parking on double yellows

Concerns have also been raised with us about the road markings and parking restrictions at Benthal Primary School and we have taken these up with officers. We will update via this blog when we know more.

Rick

Clapton Labour street stall against the cuts

2011-03-05T17:34:00.000Z

This morning we spoke to residents at the junction of Upper Clapton Road and Mount Pleasant Lane to build support for the TUC march on 26th March. There was anger among residents about the coalition's programme of cuts which are hitting Hackney hard.

March for the Alternative - Clapton Labour street stalls on Saturday

2011-03-04T14:12:00.000Z

We will be holding two street stalls this Saturday - one on Upper Clapton Road and one on Lower Clapton Road by Clapton Pond. Labour activists will be handing our literature opposing the government's massive cuts to services in Hackney. We will also be building support for the TUC March for the Alternative later this month.

We want to get a massive Hackney contingent out on the march on the 26th - details are:

The march will gather on Victoria Embankment and form up between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges from 11am. It will start moving off around noon, but because of the likely size the last marchers will not be leaving until after two, and possibly later.

Hackney Labour activists will be meeting at 10am at Dalston Junction overground station if you want to go together.

Palace Pavillion sold

2011-03-04T14:03:00.001Z

The Palace Pavillion on Lower Clapton Road has been sold. We don't know who to yet - but it has just been confirmed that it is not Antic who have just bought the neighbouring White Hart pub which they hope to re-open as the Hart of Clapton.

See Yeah Hackney for details.

Obviously our objective is to try to retain this building for community use so we are very keen to find out who has bought it. The Clapton Arts Trust is trying to find out - watch this space.

New licensing applications in Hackney Downs ward

2011-02-23T14:13:00.005Z

White Hart, 231 Lower Clapton Road

Application for a premises licence to allow supply of alcohol and recorded music from 10:00 to 00:00 Sun to Weds, 10:00 to 01:00 Thurs to Sat, 10:00 to 02:00 Fri to Sun of Bank Holiday weekends, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and up ten occasions per annum and on New Years Eve from 10:00 to 00:00 on January 2nd, live music from 12:00 to 22:00 Sun to Weds, 12:00 to 23:00 Thurs and 12:00 to 00:00 Fri and Sat and late night refreshment from 23:00 to 00:30 Sun to Weds, 23:00 to 01:30 Thurs to Sat, 23:00 to 02:30 Fri to Sun of Bank Holiday weekends, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and up ten occasions per annum and on New Years Eve from 23:00 to 00:30 on January 2nd.

Closing date for representations:18/03/2011

Rinkle Stores
29 Muir Road
London E5 8JX

Application for a premises licence to allow supply of alcohol from 06:00 to 23:00 daily.

Closing date for representations: 18/03/2011

Representations must be made in writing, and should be sent to: The Licensing Service, Hackney Service Centre, 1 Hillman Street, London E8 1DY. Alternatively , you can fax it on 020 8356 4974 or email at licensing@hackney.gov.uk. Please note that you must send your representation in by the closing date, and you must include your address details.

North East Neighbourhood Committee - agenda

2011-02-21T21:15:00.000Z

Just had a meeting with colleagues to scope out the agenda for the next Neighbourhood Committee meeting - which is open to any members of the public who want to come along and have their say.

The meeting is on 30th March at 7pm at BSix College.

On the agenda will be:

a presentation about the work of the Clapton Arts Trust
a discussion with the Hackney Youth Parliament members for our area
an update from the local police
a discussion about economic development in Clapton with the Cabinet member responsible for regeneration Guy Nicholson
an update on the borough's transport strategy - including on various road/traffic schemes that are being planned in the next three years
and finally I have asked for a senior officer from planning or parks to attend to respond to residents questions about what policies the council has to protect open space - following the proposals around Stormont House school

Rick

White Hart pub under new ownership

2011-02-21T20:48:00.000Z

We have learned that the old White Hart pub on Lower Clapton Road has been purchased by the Antic group http://www.antic-ltd.com/. They run a number of pubs including the White Hart on Stoke Newington High Street and have plans to turn it into a community-oriented pub.

You can see more information about their plans on the Yeah Hackney site here http://www.yeahhackney.com/groups/hackney-history/forum/topic/white-hart-new-owners-1/.

It would be great to see the building turned back into public use and made into a genuine community pub.

Rick

£25,000 found for improvements on GABS estate

2011-02-18T16:35:00.000Z

I made enquiries with officers following the last GABS estate TRA meeting. Residents believed that the estate had been given funding as part of a section 106 agreement from a neighbouring development - but when I made enquiries officers said the money had gone on various improvements to the highway and footpaths on Clarence Road.

After talking to residents, I wrote back pointing out that the estate's section 106 funds should not have been used for general highways maintenance - but for improvements on the estate itself.

The good news is that I have now been written to confirming that officers were originally mistaken - and that the £25,000 is still available - which can help fund the security improvements the TRA has been asking for. We will discuss all of this at the next meeting.

Rick

Stormont House School proposals to be re-considered

2011-02-17T16:01:00.001Z

You may be aware that the Council is currently consulting residents and stakeholders about the redevelopment of Stormont House School on Hackney Downs Park.

You may have received a consultation document setting out a proposal to redevelop the school in the middle of the park where the bowling green is currently positioned.

We believe that this would be an intrusion and an eye-sore, and would limit the open space available for users. Therefore, on the 6^th February, we conducted our own consultation with local residents on Queensdown Road and discovered that, while residents are in favour of redeveloping the school, they are overwhelmingly against it being situated in the middle of the park.

With this in mind, we made strong representations to Council officers about our dissatisfaction with the plans, and are pleased to report this proposal has now been withdrawn.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in voicing their concerns about this plan which would clearly have had a terrible effect on the park.

Officers are now working up a different set of options for re-developing the school. There will be a fresh consultation on these revised options.

We are hopeful that a solution will be found that ensures the school is improved and redeveloped for the benefit of the children while at the same time protecting the open space and integrity of the park.

We have also been discussing with local residents the need to ensure that the open space within the park is protected in the future and will be asking planning officers to address these concerns at the next North East Neighbourhood Committee meeting on 30^th March. We write to you with details nearer the time and also write again when we know more about the new options for the school.

If you would like to discuss this or any other matter with us we would be happy to hear from you.

Upper Clapton street stall against the cuts

2011-02-01T21:09:00.001Z

Labour members from Hackney Downs, Springfield, Cazenove and Leabridge wards leafletted in Upper Clapton on Saturday to oppose government cuts to housing benefit, the council's grant, Education Maintenance Allowances and other local services. We collected a petition calling for an alternative strategy and publicised the national march on 26th March,organised by the TUC.

Hackney Downs Labour street stall against the cuts - this Saturday

2011-01-28T14:47:00.001Z

We are holding a street stall to inform local people about the government's cuts and how they will affect Hackney.

This will be tomorrow (Saturday) 10am-1pm at the junction of Upper Clapton Road and Mount Pleasant Lane.

We will be distributing literature about the effects of the cuts and what we can do to fight them. In particular we will be building support for the TUC march on 26th March.

Do pop along to say hi!

Stoke Newington Common - 20mph works notice

2011-01-28T14:00:00.000Z

The council is carrying out works around Stoke Newington Common to implement a new 20mph zone.

The works are:
• To relocate existing 20mph zone signs to the new boundary at Stoke Newington Common junction with Rectory Road.

• To take down redundant signs from the old zone boundaries.

• To introduce new speed cushions to reduce traffic speed.

• To build out the junction of Stoke Newington Common with Jenner Road to reduce the crossing distance to the park

The works are scheduled to start in the week beginning 21 February 2011 and weather permitting will take approximately 3 - 4 weeks to complete.

.Do let us know if you have any queries or questions.

Hackney Downs CO2 reduction pilot - progress report

2011-01-28T13:35:00.000Z

Alex asked Cllr Sophie Linden at the last council meeting about the CO2 reduction pilot that the council has undertaken in the ward. This is the reply she recieved:
From Cllr Russell to the Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Crime and Sustainability:

‘Could you provide an update on the Co2 reduction pilot in Hackney Downs ward, and what work is being undertaken with residents to help them reduce their fuel bills?’

Answer:

Last year Team Hackney’s Sustainable Environment Partnership commissioned Global Action Plan to deliver a pilot carbon reduction initiative in Hackney Downs ward. To date Global Action Plan have engaged with 482 residents, and aim to engage a further 245 by March 2011. Households have been offered expert advice on behavioural and technical measures which can be taken to reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions. A wide range of methods including doorstep engagement, community workshops and events, and collaboration with schools, housing providers and local community groups have been used to identify and engage target groups.

In the next phase of the project 333 of the residents already contacted by Global Action Plan will be offered further advice and support on reducing fuel bills and emissions. This could include anything from assistance with filling in forms for home improvement grants, to helpful advice and assistance on implementing smaller measures to increase energy efficiency. An independent evaluation of this pilot will help officers to determine how successful approaches can be used to support all households in Hackney to reduce carbon emissions and fuel bills.

1. How is the pilot project targeting residents in fuel poverty?

Hackney Downs was selected as the ward for this pilot because, like Hackney, it experiences a high level of fuel poverty and has a large social and private rented housing sector - both tenures have a high level of fuel poverty in Hackney. Where possible, Global Action Plan have captured data indicating whether residents are either a) fuel poor or b) at risk of becoming fuel poor. Residents have been asked a series of questions relating to their income and expenditure on fuel. Where this was not possible residents were asked to provide information on the extent to which they worried about their bills, and on the levels of comfort they experience in their homes based on their current heating regime.

2. What will happen when the project comes to an end in March 2011?

LB Hackney is working with Global Action Plan and the evaluator - the Association for the Conservation of Energy - to determine how learning and successful approaches from this project can be used and applied elsewhere. All three parties are also working to ensure that the project achieves a lasting legacy in Hackney Downs ward. The project evaluation will give Hackney a better understanding of why some engagement methodologies worked better than others and this learning will be applied to future engagement going forward.

3. What did the project set out to achieve i.e. what GAP were contracted to do?

GAP were contracted to directly engage with target households in Hackney Downs to encourage them to make changes to their behaviour and homes in order to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. GAP were contracted to carry out initial engagement with 1,200 households and to carry out follow up engagement with 900 households (75% of those originally contacted).

Is it also possible to get some concrete examples of what residents have done to change their behaviour or their homes?

The project is now entering the final phase of engagement, where residents will receive support to make changes to their behaviour and homes. Physical changes which residents have been asked to commit to include draught-proofing, thermostatic radiator valves and loft / cavity wall insulation. Typical behavioural changes include monitoring energy usage and fuel bills, optimising household appliances (e.g. setting washes at 30 degrees), and supporting others to take action to save energy.

Bus route 488 extension approved

2011-01-28T13:28:00.000Z

Plans to extend bus route 488 along Kenninghall Road, Rendlesham Road, Downs Road and Shacklewell Lane to Dalston Junction have been approved. The consultation resulted in 78.5% support for the proposals.
The proposals include installing 11 new bus stops along the route and carrying out a number of other highway improvements.

The council has just published the detailed proposals for Kennninghall Road which include:

• Three new stops located at 63 Kenninghall Road, Muir Road and St. Scholastica RC Primary School.

The westbound stop originally proposed opposite No 23 Kenninghall Road has been moved closer to
the junction with Muir Road to accommodate the new surgery development.

• Installing a new raised speed table at the existing zebra crossing on Kenninghall Road and replacing
the existing speed table by Rendlesham Road so it is more bus friendly

• Introducing new double yellow line waiting restrictions opposite no 23 Kenninghall Road

• Remarking the double red lines outside 63 Kenninghall Road.

Works on Kenninghall Road are scheduled to start during the week commencing Monday 7 February 2011 and will take approximately 3 weeks to complete.

Pavement works will be carried out under lane closure with temporary traffic lights.

A temporary road closure will be in place when the surfacing and speed table replacement works take
place. Traffic will be diverted along Nightingale Road, Walsingham Road and Rendlesham Road. The road
closure and traffic diversion is estimated to last for a week and is expected from 21 to 25 February 2011.

Access for Emergency Services, residents and businesses will be maintained at all times.

Works will be carried out between 08:30 am and 6:00pm Monday to Saturday.

When we have the details of the works on Rendlesham and Downs Rds we will post them here.

Should you require further information or have any comments on these proposals please let us know.

GABS estate security measures

2011-01-22T10:04:00.001Z

GABS estate TRA met on Tuesday and Hackney Homes officers presented plans to provide greater security on the estate and in particular to stop it being used as a rat run by youths between Lower Clapton Road and Clarence Road.

The plans involve:

a secure gate to close off the alley on the northern side of Sutton Court: every resident will get a key. An entry phone system would have been very expensive, and the TRA felt that a simple key system would be easier to manage.
The bins currently in the alley way will be moved to the little corner adjacent to Lower Clapton Road
iron fencing will be put on the walls in front of Sutton Court to stop people sitting on them which has been disturbing residents.

This will come to around £9,000.

In the long term Hackney Homes are looking at whether the Clarence Road entrance could be gated off and an entry phone system installed, but this would be much more expensive. So, it was agreed that we would see how the first phase goes and come back to it if the problems continue.

The plans are going out for consultation with residents in the coming weeks.

Safer Neighbourhoods Teams review

2011-01-22T09:38:00.002Z

At the North East Neighbourhood Committee on Wednesday we were concerned to hear about the review of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams that is being undertaken by the Metropolitan Police.

Nothing wrong with a review of course but none of us wants to see a reduction in service.

Inspector Simon George from Hackney Police set out the objectives and scope of the review:

dedicated officers for each ward will definitely remain
the exact level of staffing however could change: currently we have one sergeant, two PCs and three PCSOs per ward. One change could be that sergeants could cover a wider area.
it may be that 'quieter wards' (which Inspector George said would include those in the North East area) could get less staff than wards with higher levels of reported crime
no decisions have been made as yet and it could be that there is no change
the police are finding it difficult to sustain their current complement of PCSOs, because there is a recruitment freeze: so when a PCSO moves on to become a warranted constable, they cannot be easily replaced.

The police have been consulting on this through street briefings and surveys in recent weeks, although the formal consultation has now closed. Through the council we will be making clear that we want to protect existing levels of service in Hackney Downs ward and we would be very concerned if our complement of officers were reduced.

The SNTs have been a great success and in Hackney Downs we have seen real improvements. In particular the police have done a lot of work on Clarence Road to disrupt street dealing and the closure of the Cricketers Pub has led to a big drop in recorded crime in the ward.

We will keep you up-dated via the blog.

Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group AGM

2011-01-20T22:42:00.000Z

I just returned from the Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group AGM at St James Church on Lower Clapton Road.

Chair Ian Rathbone gave a summary of the fantastic range of activities the group has been involved in over the last year.

These include:

Continuing to maintain the improvements to Clapton Pond, which has had a Green Flag award for three years now - and which was named the second best small green space in London. There are on-going problems with pigeons and litter that need dealing with.
Continuing to press TfL to secure the pedestrian crossing across Lower Clapton Rd by the junction with Downs Rd. This has been agreed with TfL and we hope will be delivered in March.
The Clapton Conference which met for the first time last year and which will meet over the coming year to work on a planning masterplan for Clapton
Helping to organise the Clapton Festival on 11th and 12th June - which will involve a fashion-oriented bike ride, a film festival, concerts and other cultural events

Lots of activities going on in the year ahead - watch this space!

Rick

Hackney must unite against government cuts

2011-01-10T14:28:00.000Z

(This article by Rick has just been published by the Hackney Citizen)

George Osborne is currently peddling two political dishonesties. The first is that public spending cuts of this nature and this severity are economically necessary – the age old Tory line that ‘there is no alternative’. This is manifestly untrue – there is no economic requirement to eliminate the structural deficit before 2015, and the burden of deficit reduction does not need to fall so exclusively on cuts to public spending.

There is in fact an alternative as Labour has long proposed: a slower and less severe process of deficit reduction, in which the burden is spread in a more balanced way across spending cuts, tax rises and a proper strategy for restoring economic growth. Indeed in recklessly cutting back in this way the government risks plunging our economy back into recession.

The second dishonesty is that these measures are ‘progressive’, that ‘we are all in this together’. This claim would be laughable were the consequences not so socially destructive. Take the cuts to local government spending, which are being frontloaded this coming year.

Hackney, one of the poorest boroughs in the country, is one of the hardest hit: this April alone we face an 8.9 per cent reduction in ‘spending power’ (and this figure disguises even larger cuts in our local government grant). Look at the list of places facing the biggest cuts of 8.9 per cent: Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Manchester, Rochdale, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Doncaster. And those facing the lowest cuts of under one per cent? Poole, Hampshire, West Sussex, Wokingham, Richmond upon Thames, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Dorset. In fact Dorset is getting an increase. We are all in this together – but some of us are ‘in it’ more than others.

These cuts to local government grants will inevitably have an impact on services here in Hackney. As Labour councillors, working with the Mayor Jules Pipe, our responsibility is to make sure that our most vulnerable people are protected and that we do everything we can to minimise the impact on frontline services. But we now face very difficult years ahead.

It is not just Hackney Council’s funding that is being slashed: Education Maintenance Allowances of up to 30 pounds a week to support students from low income families to stay on in education are being scrapped this year. At BSix College over 70 per cent of students receive the full allowance which helps to cover the costs of travel and study, and creates an incentive for students to stay in education rather than leaving at 16 to find work.

Families in Hackney will be hit by the Government’s cuts to housing benefit: the council estimates that there are around 800 families in the borough who will now find that their level of benefit will not cover the cost of their current rent. If their landlords will not agree to lower the rent levels, these families will be forced out of their homes.

Our job in Hackney is to resist these cuts in every way we can: councillors, trade unions, students, teachers, voluntary sector organisations, progressive political parties and movements of all kinds. We as Labour councillors will play our role in organising the fight back within our communities.

The poorest people in this country are being asked to pay the price for a crisis caused by the irresponsibility and greed of the richest. This government’s strategy is both morally wrong and economically illiterate. The time has come to stand up and fight it.

Rick Muir is a Labour councillor for Hackney Downs ward.

Cricketers Pub update

2010-12-12T10:47:00.001Z

We asked council officers for an update on what is happening with regard to the vacant Cricketers pub on Downs Road, which was closed down because of criminal activity. They understand that a sale did recently fall through but that the surveyors are actively seeking a new owner. We are obviously keen to see it brought back into use rather than remaining vacant and attracting vandalism. If developers wanted to retain it as a pub, they would need to apply for a new license for the premises as the old one was revoked. If they wanted it to convert it to another use they would need to apply for planning permission - and the planning department have confirmed that they have not yet received an application to do so.

My own personal view is that it is always sad to see pubs lost - around 50 close every week in Britain. Obviously we don't want to see it re-opened as a poorly managed venue that causes a nuisance to local residents. But it would be great if it could be re-opened as a well managed community pub serving local people - particularly as the area is not particularly well served in terms of pubs. It would be great to find out from local residents what your views are on its future use - please let us know. We will let you know as soon as we know more.

Rick

488 bus route

2010-12-10T18:23:00.000Z

The Council is now formally consulting on the new proposed route for the 488 bus which through our ward is proposed to be from the Leabridge Roundabout, down Kenninghall Road, down Rendlesham Road and then onto Dalston Junction. There are concerns about the traffic implications on Rendlesham Road and officers are meeting with residents and councillors to discuss this.

Clean Up Clapton Day successful

2010-12-10T18:21:00.000Z

The annual Clean Up Clapton Day took place on 18th November centred around B6 College. Representatives from Hackney’s Environmental Services, Safer Neighbourhoods, Stoke Newington Police, Transport Police, Guinness Trust and local residents ran stalls, providing information on a variety of associated themes including one providing kits for students wanting to give up smoking. Hot jet machine were used at three locations to remove gum from pavements and Community Payback cleared debris around unused toilets in Upper Clapton.
The Speaker, Cllr Sally Mulready, judged a children’s art competition on the “clean-up” theme, which was won by a pupil from Millfields School. Lord Sugar provided a signed photo for the winner, who was also given an art set. One of the objectives of the Day was to show local people how much the area has improved in recent years; the crime rate is down, Clapton is undoubtedly becoming cleaner, more attractive and peaceful but we need to make further progress encouraging suitable restaurants, free cashpoint machines, improving shop fronts and providing facilities for local children before our mission is accomplished

Deputy Mayor joins Landfield estate walkabout

2010-11-09T13:59:00.000Z

The Deputy Mayor Karen Alcock joined myself, George and Mavis McGee and Tony Williams, the estate manager, for a walkabout on Landfield estate this morning. Braving the cold and rain, we had a good tour of the estate, picking up issues that need attention.

In particular we showed Karen the problems with anti-social behaviour that occur between the backs of the houses on Stellman Close. Karen has agreed to take up this issue and see if we can get agreement to proceed with extending the gardens so that they run back to back. Osborne who are currently building the new homes at Ottaway Court have agreed to help do the survey and contribute to the scheme. Hopefully we can now get this scheme going.

We also looked at the new play area which was left in a terrible state when constructed by the Learning Trust. It has now been handed over to Hackney Homes and is looking in a much better state. The grass has grown back and it is starting to look much more attractive.

There are also some issues with cleaning and dumping of rubbish which we are taking forward.

Thanks to Karen for coming along - it was a very productive, if rather cold, morning.

Rick

Clean up Clapton Day

2010-11-08T21:27:00.000Z

This year’s Clean Up Clapton Day will take place on Thursday 18th November centered around B6 College, Kenninghall Road, E5 from 11.00am until around 2.30pm. Hackney Council, Hackney Police, BSix College, Guinness Trust and other partners will be participating; the aim of the event is to publicize improvements in the area, remove graffiti, clear up debris from hot spots and encourage civic pride.
The hot jet machines used to cleanse pavements and remove gum will be out in force, there will stalls in the B6 forecourt and an art competition with a clean-up theme will be staged for local schoolchildren. Council officers, Transport police, PCSO’s and others will promote the event, encouraging positive local action and where necessary, taking enforcement action to improve the environment.

The committee is keen that Clapton’s reputation should be enhanced, fear of crime should diminish in line with its’ significant reduction and opportunities for regeneration, opening of new restaurants and other appropriate facilities should be encouraged.

A community payback team will be doing appropriate work in the area, there will be opportunities to tour B6 College, see the best pictures from the art competition and view work by some of B6’s talented students.

Should you require any further information, please contact Cllr Michael Desmond at member@desm.new.labour.org.uk

Enjoy

Alex

Local resident wins award

2010-11-03T22:13:00.000Z

Alice Burke, Chair of the Nighingale Estate TRA, won the Residents’ Award at the Social Landlords’ Crime and Nuisance Group Delivering Results Awards on Tuesday.

She was one of three residents shortlisted for outstanding achievement by an individual resident or a group of residents in combatting anti-social behaviour.

The Hackney Downs Labour team wants to thank Alice for all her hard work and dedication to helping make Hackney a better place to live.

Alex

What do you think about the one way system in Stoke Newington?

2010-11-02T15:12:00.000Z

The council is opening up a consultation on the future of the one way Stoke Newington gyratory system.
Although it lies with TfL rather than the council to make the decision on this, the council wants to find out what local people and businesses think about the system 40 years after its introduction. Many people believe it causes congestion, rat running and speeding - as well as harming the shops on the High Street by making it difficult to access.

Have your say here http://www.hackney.gov.uk/sn-gyratory.htm - the consultation is open until 10th January.

Rick

Government cuts in Hackney

2010-10-29T21:01:00.002+01:00

We were shocked to hear from our Mayor Jules Pipe at full council on Wednesday night that we may be facing even worse government cuts than we thought in the coming year.

Councils are largely dependent on government grant for most of their funding and the Government announced in the Spending Review that overall local government would have its grant cut by 27 per cent up to 2014-15. We thought in our case this would mean about a 7 per cent reduction each year. In fact it turns out that the government may be taking away additional grant we get as a result of being a deprived borough. This would mean that we might face an astonishing 20 per cent cut in the next financial year alone.

We had managed to identify efficiency savings over the next year adding up to about 6-7 per cent of our budget (£26 million) which meant we could have coped for the next year without any reductions in frontline services.

Mayor Pipe has declared that he will fight these cuts and work with other poorer parts of the country to make sure we are not penalised for having more social needs.

This level of cut would have a devastating impact - especially when it is added to the housing benefit cut which will affect hundreds of families in housing need across the borough, and the cuts to disability benefits and tax credits.

Rick

Door knocking on Benthal Road

2010-10-29T20:56:00.003+01:00

We knocked on lots of doors in Benthal Road last Sunday to ask residents what they thought about the parking and traffic situation in the street. In the time we had we didn't manage to get round everyone - so we'll be doing the same thing next month as part of our regular roving surgeries. We'll hopefully get round Maury and Jenner as well next time.

Generally residents did feel traffic was a problem in the street and were in favour of a Controlled Parking Zone. We'll keep going and eventually accumulate a good picture of what people would like us to do.

Do email us if we didn't catch you and you have any thoughts on this.

Rick

Growing a greener Hackney

2010-10-24T17:07:00.002+01:00

On Saturday 30th October, from 11am - 3pm at Stormont School, Hackney Downs, the Hackney Home Energy Saver Scheme will be launched, with a free jumble sale for all.

The Hackney’s Energy Saver Scheme is designed to help residents save money and energy at home. Hackney Council has teamed up with the charity Global Action Plan to provide advice and help for people living in Hackney about how saving energy can save money.

We urge all interested residents to go along next weekend. More information can be found here

www.globalactionplan.org.uk/hackney

GABS Estate TRA

2010-10-23T10:26:00.002+01:00

On Thursday I attended the GABS estate TRA meeting, which was very well attended at the Lower Clapton Housing Office.

The estate continues to be used as a pass through point by local youths and there is still a lot of drug dealing going on. While the closure of the Cricketers has helped with some of these issues in Clarence Road, its clear that it continues, despite a higher police presence.

The outcome of the meeting was that Hackney Homes will be consulting on putting in a gate at the Lower Clapton entrance to the estate by Sutton Court. This will either by locked by key or managed via an entry phone system. Obviously one will be more expensive than the other and residents at the meeting favoured a more simple solution, which would obviously be cheaper for leaseholders. Hackney Homes will be circulating the two options and asking for residents' views.

In addition we need to continue to make patrolling and disruption of criminal activity on the estate and in Clarence Road more generally a priority for the Safer Neighbourhoods Team. It is already one of their key priorities and I will emphasise this to the police again at the next CAP meeting.

Rick

Traffic and parking issues in Benthal, Jenner and Maury Roads

2010-10-23T10:06:00.002+01:00

We will be out knocking on doors this Sunday on Benthal, Jenner and Maury Roads as one of our monthly roving surgeries.

A number of residents have contacted us about the on-going parking and traffic issues in these streets, so we are going to be conducting a survey of residents. If we don't catch you in, we'll leave a questionnaire that you can post back to us at the Hackney Labour Freepost address.

Basically we want to find out residents' views on two related matters.

1. Parking

It is clear that residents continue to find it very difficult to park and that this is due to a lot of commuter parking - especially people parking to use Rectory Road station.

The council did previously conduct a consultation on a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). The problem is that while Benthal, Jenner, Maury and Rectory Roads - the streets closest to the station and Stoke Newington High Street - had majorities in favour of a CPZ, in other streets in the area the majority were against.

Over the next few months we want to guage whether people's views have changed and whether we should ask for a fresh consultation.

One solution might be to have a smaller CPZ to cover only those roads in favour - although the council is very reluctant to do this.

2. Traffic

We have also recieved a lot of mail about traffic issues in these streets, with lots of through traffic coming through and the streets being used as a rat run.

Some streets like Maury Road have been made one way to prevent this and we could look at whether this could be extended. We could also think about whether environmental measures might help.

I have pasted the text of the questionnaire below - please do fill it out by email if that is easier and email it back to us at rick.muir@hackney.gov.uk, alex.russell@hackney.gov.uk and michael.desmond@hackney.gov.uk.

Rick

Parking and traffic questionnaire

Please tick the option which best describes your opinion.

1. Do you find it difficult to find a parking space in your street?
· Yes very difficult
· Yes somewhat difficult
· Not very difficult

2. Do you believe that commuter parking is a problem in your street?
· Yes it is a very big problem
· Yes it is a slight problem
· No it is not a problem

3. Are you in favour of the introduction of a Controlled Parking Zone in your street, where only residents and their guests can park (please note there is an annual charge of £92 for a vehicle with a normal sized engine)?
Yes No

4. Is your street used as a rat run by non-residential traffic?
Yes No

5. If your street is currently two-way would you favour it being made one way in order to reduce its use as a rat run for passing traffic?
Yes No

6. Do you have any other comments that you would like us to raise with the council?

Please return this questionnaire FREE OF CHARGE to
FREEPOST RLXJ-EGYX-ACSY Hackney Labour Party, 52 Aden Grove N16 9NJ
Or if it’s easier email your answers to rick.muir@hackney.gov.uk or alex.russell@hackney.gov.uk

Special schools reorganisation

2010-10-07T13:52:00.001+01:00

The Learning Trust is starting a major reorganisation of the four Special Schools in the borough – three of which are in Hackney Downs ward. Funding has been secured from the final tranche of the Building Schools for the Future programme, now cancelled by the government.

These schools will be completely rebuilt and modernised to better provide for future needs and create a much improved learning environment.

The proposals are that:

Downsview school will vacate its current site and be merged with Horizon school on Wordsworth Road (Stoke Newington Central ward). This will be a school for 150 children & young people aged 2 – 16 who have Communication and Interaction Needs, including autism, complex and severe learning difficulties & disabilities. The new school will open in September 2013.

Ickburgh School will expand and re-designate to a school for 150 children & young people aged 2 – 19 who have Sensory Impairments and Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities, including pupils with profound and multiple or severe learning difficulties. The new Ickburgh school building will be formally opened in September 2014.

Stormont House will expand and made into a school for 120 children & young people aged 11 – 16 who have complex Emotional, Social Communication and Learning Needs. It is being proposed that the new school be built next to the current school, on Hackney Downs park, but that the old site be returned to the park afterwards. The new school will be opened in September 2013.

Greater engagement for Hackney Homes tenants

2010-09-26T11:24:00.002+01:00

Living in Hackney, the Council Scrunity Commission for housing, is due to start a review of tenant participation, looking at how Hackney Homes engages residents in the decision-making which affects their area.

They particularly want to understand people's perception of these approaches, and where you think improvements can be made.

All tenants should by now have received a letter with a hard copy of the survey- if you would rather complete it electronically there are two versions, one for people who attend TRAs (http://bit.ly/99lHSL) and those who don't currently engage in formal consultation events (http://bit.ly/90UT7X)

We would encourage as many tenants as possible respond as the results of this survey will help inform how Hackney Homes engages with tenants in the future.

Thanks

Alex

Replacing London's Victorian water mains - an opportunity to find out more...

2010-09-19T20:11:00.002+01:00

Thames Water will soon be starting work in the Hackney Downs area to replace the old water mains. In doing so, they plan to reduce leakage and lessen the likelihood of burst mains

They plan to minimise inconvenience by using the latest construction techniques, and replace many pipes without having to dig lengthy trenches.

However, they have said there will be some inevitable disruption for local residents and businesses. In order to understand concerns and, where possible, address these before starting work, they would like to invite you to an informal drop- in.

· Date: Wednesday 29th September 2010
· Time: 4.00pm – 6.30pm
· Location: Downs Park Road, E5. Opp. No. 81

The meeting is about hearing residents views about minimising disruption and attaching water meters (where none are already fitted) to the new supply pipes .

The work is due to start on Monday 25/10/10 and will take approximately 8 months to complete.

If residents have any other immediate concerns please use any of the following:

Customer Relations, Thames Water Utilities Limited, P.O.Box 286, Swindon
SN38 2RA
www.thameswater.co.uk/newpipes
The Customer Centre is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 0845 641 0011. Please quote your address and reference number CAP4 BB 906513 if you call us

If you think this could affect you, we recommend you to attend the meeting on 29th September.

Alex

Beckers TRA

2010-09-17T13:06:00.003+01:00

I attended my first meeting of the Beckers TRA on 9th September. Members of the committee raised a number of issues which I'm taking forward.

One concerns the bin collections, which are currently very close together in the week, meaning that after the second collection lots of rubbish builds up before the next one. I am going to see if we could change the days.

Residents have also been refused parking permits for the Stoke Newington CPZ despite assurances that they would have access. I have taken this up with the head of parking.

I am also going to see if we can get any more equipment for the play area.

There was a great proposal for a social event on the estate to get everyone together for family photos - excellent stuff.

I am constantly amazed by how much time local people put into their communities - purely to make their neighbourhoods better places to live - its fantastic to see and I'm proud to be a part of it.

Rick

Gooch House TRA

2010-09-17T12:56:00.002+01:00

On 8th September I attended the Gooch House TRA. Residents raised a number of concerns which I am taking forward with the Council.

In particular I have asked Hackney Homes to examine residents concerns around noise issues, which are a major problem. I have asked for an officer to attend the next meeting to discuss what we can do.

I also briefed everyone on the situation regarding the further planned Decent Homes work regarding the bed sits - and will make sure residents are kept fully up to speed.

Residents were understandably very concerned about the implications of the collapse of Connaught and I have asked for the Council to let the TRA know how it is handling the outstanding work.

Rick

Local Hackney in Bloom winners

2010-09-08T13:04:00.003+01:00

Hackney Downs ward did really well in the Hackney in Bloom competition this year. Congratulations to all the winners and runners up!

You can see the results here http://www.hackney.gov.uk/hackney-in-bloom.htm.

From our ward the winners included:

Best Educational Garden in a School Setting

1st place: Stormont House School, Downs Park Road, E5 (see picture)
2nd place: Benthal Primary School, Benthal Road, N16

Best Container Garden

1st place: John Gibson, Della Path, Nightingale Estate, E5

Young and Green Fingered

1st Place: Esther and Isaac Ramsay, Maury Road, N16

Best Food Growing Project

3rd place: Stormont House School, Down Park Road, E5

There will be an awards ceremony for all the winners in October.

Rick

DOWNS PARK HOSTS ART INSTALLATION

2010-09-02T21:48:00.003+01:00

Tunnel Vision, an unusual art installation, created by Hackney based artist Eva Lis, will take place on Hackney Downs Park from 9th until 23rd of September 2010 . The installation is the first public art project ever to take place in the Park.

Through the hole in the fence of the Hackney Downs bowling green a viewer will be lured into a mysterious world of tunnels, corridors and dead-ends.

The exhibition provides fun and entertainment for adults and children alike, art lovers and passers-by and will transform unused space into intriguing world of adventure as well as meditation.

As a special treat, on the opening night Eva Lis, the artist responsible, will talk about the ideas behind the project and answer questions. This will be an interesting and lively evening, with bar, garden and the chance to talk to another artist-in-residence Boa Swindler and view her works in progress.

The exhibition will be open 12-6 pm daily from 9th till 23rd of September 2010.

For more info please go to
http://www.wilsonwilliamsgallery.com/events.htm

I hope you enjoy it

Alex

Downs park area 20mph zone

2010-08-30T16:55:00.002+01:00

The council is currently consulting on a 20pmh zone on Downs Road, Queensdown Road, Downs Park Road, Bodney Road, Andre Street, Anton Street and Amhurst Terrace. This is part of a programme to introduce 20mph limits in all residential streets over the next two years to improve road safety.

Some additional sinusoidal speed humps will be going in to reduce speeds - although most of the roads already have these.

Residents will be getting all the details by post - please do email info@hackney.gov.uk with your views. The consultation is running until 24th September.

Rick

Parking lining works in Hackney Downs

2010-08-30T11:40:00.003+01:00

Hackney Parking Services will be carrying out essential road lining work in Hackney Downs ward throughout the months of August and September 2010. They will only be refreshing existing lines, particularly those protecting junctions and passing points on roads that are not within any designated controlled parking zones. These lines are painted primarily for the safety of road users and to ease the flow of traffic.

Notices in areas where lining is taking place will be put up but we wanted to make sure residents are fully aware of this work.

The Parking Services Team has asked residents to park vehicles in a manner that complies with the regulations indicated by road markings during this time to ensure they are not removed or relocated. Owners of vehicles who suspect their vehicle has been relocated should contact National TRACE on 020 7747 4747.

They have also assured us that they will keep disturbances and inconvenience to a minimum.

You will find further information about this work on the Council’s webpage at http://www.hackney.gov.uk/parking.

If you have any further questions about the work, please contact Mark McIntosh, Acting Maintenance Services Manager on 020 8356 8373 or by email mark.mcintosh@hackney.gov.uk

Hopefully this won't be too inconvenient for everyone

Alex

Hackney Downs Community Advisory Panel - August

2010-08-19T13:31:00.003+01:00

Alex and I attended last night's Community Advisory Panel meeting with local residents and the Hackney Downs Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

PCs Thomson and Connors gave us an update on recent events and on the priority issues that have been agreed between the team and local residents.

1. Shooting on Powell Road

Officers briefed us about the terrible shooting of a young man on Powell Road in July. Officers emphasised that this was a gang-related shooting that happened in our ward, but did not involve people from our local area.

2. Clarence Road

The SNT are continuing their active patrolling of Clarence Road to disrupt criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. They noted that there has been a big fall in reported crime in the area since the closure of The Cricketers pub.

3. BSix

The SNT are working closely with the college - and a number of students are training to become Special Constables, which is great news.

4. Dangerous dogs

A number of residents have raised with us problems with dangerous dogs - or 'status dogs' - especially on the Downs and in Springfield Park. PC Thomson said that these dogs, generally Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Pitbulls, are abused by their owners, often starved and beaten. They are used as weapons and status symbols.

Residents are advised to report any dangerous dogs to the police , with a description of the owner and the dog. They can then look out for them and track them down. If they are a banned breed they can apply for a warrant to have the dog confiscated. There is now a Status Dogs Unit within the Met that has been set up to support this.

For non-banned breeds the Council is apparently looking to acquire powers to introduce Dog Control Orders where there is evidence of dogs causing problems.

The Dogs Trust have been working with Hackney Council and Hackney Homes on the Anti-Social Behaviour roadshows, to provide free chipping for dogs.

Residents asked if there could be more dog bins put out in the area - and we will take this up with the council.

5. Date of next meeting - 20th October 7pm BSix College, Kenninghall Road. Do come along! These are very informative meetings and our local constables are extremely proactive in taking forward the priorities agreed.

Don't forget any incidents you would like to report to the local police - phone 07879 486 802 or 020 8721 2940 or email HackneyDowns.snt@met.police.uk.

Rick

Meet your local police team

2010-08-13T11:08:00.003+01:00

The Hackney Downs Safer Neighbourhood Team is holding a Ward Panel meeting next Wednesday 18 August 2010.

This is open to all members of public, regarding any crime related issues within Hackney Downs Ward. At this meeting you can raise issues with the police and help set their priorities for our area.

It will be at 7pm at BSiX College, Kenninghall Road E5.

If you can't make it on Wednesday, details of how to contact the team are here.

Hackney consults on licensing policy

2010-08-12T12:47:00.005+01:00

Hackney Council is currently consulting residents on a new proposed licensing policy. This will set out how the council regulates the activities of licensed premises such as pubs, bars, restaurants and off-licences.

One of the key changes is to introduce two new Special Policy Areas (SPAs) in Dalston and Stoke Newington. There is already a Special Policy Area in Shoreditch. It means that the council has decided that there are already so many licensed premises in the area that any businesses applying for a new licence have to prove that they won't make problems like noise and crime in the area worse. In other words they have to pass a higher bar to get an application approved.

It also means the council can ask establishments to take additional measures to prevent them having a negative impact, such as requiring them to sell drinks in plastic cups or put in more seating. In Shoreditch this has contributed to a fall in alcohol related crime in the area of 20 per cent since 2005.

You can access the consultation details and the proposed new policy itself here. The consultation is open until 25th October.

Landfield estate TRA meeting 26th July

2010-08-08T15:22:00.006+01:00

Alex and I attended the Landfield estate TRA on 26th July and there were a number of issues raised that we are currently taking forward.

1. The play area

We are going to try to sort out the mess that has been made of the new play area. It has been put in by the Learning Trust - but the grass has died, the quality of the work is extremely poor and almost as soon as it was put in it was closed off. I noticed this morning it has now been re-opened, but nothing has been done about the underlying problems. We are trying to get it sorted out and will keep residents updated on this.

2. Garden extensions

We discussed the long running issue of getting the back gardens on Stellman Close extended. They do not run back to back and this creates an environment where anti-social behaviour can take place in between the back gardens. We are going to convene a meeting with the relevant officers to try to get this sorted out. The first step is to get a new valuation of the land.

3. Decent Homes work

Many residents are very concerned that Landfield was excluded from the bathroom and kitchen modernisation programme. We are taking this up with Hackney Homes and will report back to the TRA.

4. Boiler work

We are going to try to make sure Landfield is prioritised as part of the boiler replacement programme.

5. Anti-social behaviour and crime

Many people wanted to see a greater police presence - and we are taking this up with the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

We will report back to the TRA and via this blog on progress.

Rick

Landfield surgery

2010-08-07T11:14:00.003+01:00

Just a reminder that we are holding our regular advice surgery at Landfield Community Hall, Stellman Close, from 11am-12pm tomorrow, Sunday 8th August.

Please drop by if you would like any help or advice or if there are any issues you would like us to take up.

Details of our regular advice surgeries are here.

Or you can always just give us a call on 07875 546155.

Hackney Downs Park hosts Hackney One Carnival

2010-08-04T20:48:00.000+01:00

The third annual Hackney One Carnival takes place this Sunday 8th August.

The Carnival showcases Hackney’s cultural diversity and communities as part of the wider Cultural Olympiad. There will be over 1000 participants taking part, from 20 different organisations, made up of carnival and community groups from across Hackney. The Carnival also gives residents and visitors the opportunity to celebrate arts and culture alongside sports in the run up to the 2012 Games.

The event kicks off on Queensbridge Road at 12pm arrives at Hackney Downs Park at approximately 2pm and the overall event concludes at 6pm. More information, including the parade route, is available at http://www.hackney.gov.uk/onecarnival.htm

We encourage all Hackney Downs residents to come and enjoy the fun.