July update

First reductions by the new government

The Tories and their Lib Dem partners have announced their first cuts in local government funding. Hackney loses £3.8 million immediately as follows –

Grant Loss
Department for Education Area Based Grant £2.072 million
Adult Social Services Area Based Grant £0.241 million
Working Neighbourhoods Fund £1.326 million
Preventing Extremism Grant £0.102 million
Home Office Area Based Grant £0.052 million
TOTAL £3.792 million

These are those they can do without needing budget approval or new legislation. More will follow after the emergency budget shortly.

Manor TRA

Oli attended their AGM on the 17th of June. Residents were pleased with youth activities planned for the area in the summer and felt there had been a recent reduction in ASB. They were exploring ways to make Amwell Court more green with new planting around the community centre.

Woodberry Down regeneration

Decanting has begun from Peak and Petherton and they are still on schedule to be demolished later this year. They are to be followed by Nichol and Needwood. A Compulsory Purchase Order is due to be made in July.

Clearance of the vegetation on the 268 Green Lanes site is beginning. 27 social rent units will be built there later this year.
On the Old School Site, the concrete frame to the first shared ownership block, known as block E, is now complete and scaffolding is around it in preparation for the window and brickwork installation. The fitting out of the first two social rented blocks is well advanced and the first two demonstration units should be complete for the end of June. Berkleys have also begun construction of the first of the private sale blocks, as evidenced by the enormous crane now on site.
Interim repairs to the roofs and windows have begun to those of the Apex blocks in the latest phases of redevelopment.
Berkley’s have been undertaking landscaping improvement works on the walk from Manor House underground station along Woodberry Down to Woodberry Grove during the month. They have cleared and rebuilt brick walls. The next three weeks will see the installation of soft landscaping such as trees, shrubs and grass as well as the ivy clad climbing trellises adjacent to the school wall. The old Pewsham House site, in front of the temporary allotments, has been cleared and new paving completed ready for the turf to be laid. The seating area on the corner of Woodberry Down/Woodberry Grove will be repaired and improved. This work will be complete by mid July.

Kings Crescent Estate

The east-west part of Lemsford is now largely internally demolished. All remaining residents have accepted offers elsewhere on the estate.

Refurbishments are now almost complete in Kelshall, Therfield, Bramfield, Theobalds, and Datchworth, and are underway in Weston. A new pitched roof has been put on the part of Weston to be retained. All the voids there are now refurbished, and decanting of the east-west wing is beginning.

The timing of the retrofit works and those to the retained part of Lemsford are being held up by the request from the TRA for a cap to leaseholder recharges. We’ll update on this once we have a final decision.

Myddleton Grange

Brian attended the TRA’s AGM on Monday 21st June. It was very encouraging to see a number of younger people elected to the committee. However Anne and Ray remain it’s cornerstones. They have a good new website - http://www.mgra.org.uk/

Policing and community safety

The police have now moved into their new police base on Blackstoock Road which is shared with Islington’s Highbury West Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT). This had led to more joint planning and joined up working

The council’s Regulatory Committee which Brian now chairs, introduced a borough-wide street drinking order earlier this year. This makes it an offence to continue drinking once a police officer tells you to stop. We are aware of local street drinkers causing problems, particularly around the top of Wilberforce and Finsbury Park Roads.

The agreed priorities for the local police over the coming months were:
• Youth engagement: residents highlighted that this was particularly important during the summer months when kids were off school. Young people attending the meeting suggested activities should be structured and involve physical activity. The police commended the work of King's Crescent Youth Club and Skyways as good practice and confirmed that there would be more activities over the summer.
• Anti Social Behaviour on estates: This was in response to a recent upswing, particularly around Woodberry Down which had seen some nasty incidents
• Motor Vehicle Crime: There was a slight increase in the ward of motor vehicle crime and officers confirmed they were planning operations for the coming month