December update

Councillors Report – December 2011
Local Government Boundary Commission Review

As previously reported the commission are carrying out a review of Hackney which may change the number of councillors, number of wards and ward boundaries. The Labour Group’s position is to A) maintain the overall number of councillors to as close as what we have now as possible (with some flexibility); B) maximise the number of 3 member wards; C) oppose 1 member wards.

£11.5m refurbishment of Kings Crescent Estate gets underway

Following a series of consultation and amendments, there was broad support from residents for the final proposed masterplan. Officers now hope to submit an outline planning application early next year.

The second stage of the refurbishment has begun including replacement of the electrical mains and lighting, all lifts, the installation of two tier door entry systems, and new roofs and windows for Weston and Lemsford Courts. The third stage works include energy efficiency and related works to all blocks. However this has given rise to practical issues which we are now following up -

1) as the lifts are taken out of order to be replaced, the sealed off walkways between blocks should be opened up so the elderly etc, could get to another lift.

2) concerns about the safety of the scaffolding

3) it was reported that an officer had suggested that some repairs would not be done where refurbishment was intended in the longer term. We emphasised that this was wrong and reactive repairs would continue to be done as needed.

4) we had a detailed programme for most works but not the door entry systems or Lemsford and Weston roofs.

5) to what standard were contractors required to repair any damage they cause while doing the works?

6) digital TV aerial installation.


Blackstock/Seven Sisters Roads

We have, thru Finfuture, supported the establishment of a Blackstock Road Traders Association which held it’s formal launch on 28th November (advert attached). It’s been reported that the first meeting went well. They have elected an executive, adopted a constitution and opened a bank account. A press release is being issued.

Hackney and Islington have also bid to the Mayor’s Outer London Fund to improve pavements, shop fronts and junctions on both Blackstock and Seven Sisters Roads.

20 mph zones implementation

Temporary diversions were put in place as needed to allow the works to commence on the 7th November for approx 6 weeks, specifically -

o New entry and exit 20/30mph signs in the area bounded by Blackstock, Seven Sisters and Brownswood Roads and Green Lanes; and also in the area bounded by Green Lanes, Mountgrove, Brownswood and Blackstock Roads.

o New speed humps in Queen’s and Gloucester Drives, Wilberforce Road, and Portland Rise.

o New raised entry treatments at the junctions of Queen’s Drive/Seven Sisters Road, Alexandra Grove/Seven Sisters Road and Somerfield/Blackstock Roads.

o 20mph roundel road markings will be provided at all entrances to the new 20mph zones.

Woodberry Down regeneration

Construction is on schedule on all blocks, with the fourth one due to be handed over at the end of November. The “three P’s” site is being cleared to allow work to start.

Berkleys are continuing to pursue a further tower block on the site.

Cycling training

'Excellence through Sport' is a small sports company which has delivered clubs on Woodberry Down for several years. They won a London Community Cycling Fund grant of about £5,000 in June to set up a cycling club. They will be running this project from the grounds of the Reservoir Sailing Centre mainly for residents of Woodberry Down Estate and plan to have a container brought in and fitted out, with GLL’s permission. The council’s streetscene team will be supporting the project by helping to deliver cycle training as we have expertise in this area and have in-house trainers.

Community safety and policing

We attended the CAP’s AGM on 10th November where Gary Jones, the new Sergeant, set out his desire to engage with a wider section of the population. He noted the lack of representation from Woodberry Down and suggested meetings alternate between Parkwood School and the new Redmond Centre. He also highlighted his ambition to:

· Work with Highbury West SNT (Islington) to tackle issues on Blackstock Road

. Focus on burglaries in the area (which have spiked in recent months)
. Maintain efforts to tackle prostitution in the ward.

St Johns Court TRA

We are pleased that a new TRA has recently been set up to represent St Johns Court. Hopefully this will allow us to engage better with residents there.

Budget

The Labour Group meeting on 15th November was able to agree next year's budget. Details will be reported. We faced a budget gap of approx £25 million for 2012/13, made up of £8m of predicted inflationary pressures and £17m of further reductions in government grants.

We will be able to freeze the council tax for a record 7th year.

Councillors Brian Bell, Oli de Botton and Feryal Demirci

November report

Councillors Report – November 2011

Alexandra National

Lovells report that good progress is being made and almost all areas of the site are back on schedule. “Residents choice” items have been put together for agreement by their steering group and site visits will be arranged.

A schedule of names based on indigenous flowering plants has been agreed -
Villa 1 (for sale units) - Clover Court
Villa 2 (for sale units) - Sunflower Court
Villa 3 (social rented units) - Foxglove Court
Block on Queens Drive / Gloucester Drive (social rented units) - Azalea Court
Internal cul-de-sac - Alexandra Mews
Block on internal cul-de-sac (social rented units) - Marigold Court

£11.5m refurbishment of Kings Crescent Estate underway

Following approval at July cabinet, the second stage of the refurbishment has begun including replacement of the electrical mains and lighting, all lifts, the installation of two tier door entry systems, and new roofs and windows for Weston and Lemsford Courts. The third stage works include energy efficiency and related works to all blocks.

Final consultation on the amended masterplan takes place on 1st and 2nd November. Officers then hope to submit an outline planning application later this year.

Blackstock/Seven Sisters Roads

Hackney and Islington are bidding to the Mayor’s Outer London Fund for funds to improve public realm and boost the economic regeneration of the area. The proposal is to de-clutter these roads, and improve pavements, shop fronts and junctions.

20 mph zones implementation

The 20 mph works notifications have been sent out to residents and the works will commence on the 7th November and will last approx 6 weeks. The works will include -
o New entry and exit 20/30mph signs in the area bounded by Blackstock, Seven Sisters and Brownswood Roads and Green Lanes; and also in the area bounded by Green Lanes, Mountgrove, Brownswood and Blackstock Roads.
o New speed humps in Queen’s and Gloucester Drives, Wilberforce Road, and Portland Rise.
o New raised entry treatments at the junctions of Queen’s Drive/Seven Sisters Road, Alexandra Grove/Seven Sisters Road and Somerfield/Blackstock Roads.
o 20mph roundel road markings will be provided at all entrances to the new 20mph zones.

Woodberry Down regeneration

Construction is on schedule on all blocks, with the next one to be handed over at the end of November. Berkleys are continuing to pursue a further tower block on the site.

Peak & Petherton have been demolished and the site is being cleared.

Community safety and policing

We will be attending the CAP meeting next Thursday. As a result of Mayor Johnson's cuts to policing, there is a reduction in sergeant posts in SNTs and ten wards, including Brownswood, will now have one covering two teams.

A recent four day vice operation in our ward and the Shacklwell area of Dalston resulted in 3 arrests, 12 cautions, and two ABAs. 24 kerb crawlers were stopped and questioned resulting in 5 penalty notices.

Mossbourne Extension

One of our manifesto commitments was to provide an additional secondary school in the south of the borough and last month Hackney secured funding for a new 800 pupil one. The school will be an expansion of the highly successful Mossbourne Academy, and is due to open in September 2014. It will be based on the site of the former Cardinal Pole Lower School in Victoria and aim to build on Mossbourne's remarkable achievements, including:
82 per cent of pupils getting five good GCSEs including English and Maths this year.
Ofsted rating it ‘outstanding’ in two consecutive inspections.
11 pupils being offered places at Oxbridge this year.

Success in securing this funding for a local school will extend Hackney's improvements in recent years. In 2010 we were above the national average in terms of GCSE performance for the first time with over 55% of pupils achieving 5A*-C including English and Maths, and making good progress from primary school.

Budget

The Labour Group held it’s recent awayday on Woodberry Down. We faced a budget gap of approx £25 million for 2012/13, made up of £8m of inflationary pressures and £17m of further reductions in government grants. We’ve found over £5m of efficiencies in the General Fund already and will be agreeing other measures at future meetings.

Parkside Youth Club

Building work at the Parkside Youth Centre begins on 9th November. The centre will be closed from this date and a programme of alternative provision is being put on, including youth work at the new Redmond Centre, sports activities and outreach work.

Our October update

Boundary Reviews

There are two reviews going on at the moment which will affect us. The parliamentary review changes the shape of the Hackney North constituency, stretching it east to Hackney Wick and taking in a Haringey ward. Separately the local government boundary commission is undertaking a review of four London authorities which could see the number of councillors, number of wards and ward boundaries changed. They could also revive two member wards.

£11.5 refurbishment of Kings Crescent Estate begins

Following approval at cabinet on cabinet 18th July, the second stage of the refurbishment has begun. This includes replacement of the lateral mains and corridor lighting, all lifts and then installation of two tier door entry systems. This stage also includes new roofs and windows for Weston and Lemsford Courts. The second stage works include energy efficiency works to all blocks, and retrofitting parts of Datchworth, Theobalds and Bramfield.

The masterplan for the estate has been amended following a further consultation with residents. Officers still hope to submit an outline planning application this autumn. An interesting last minute proposal from the architects to install a mixture of green roofs and additional flats on top of the current blocks, met with a sceptical response from some residents with experience of flat roofs leaking.

Woodberry Down regeneration – new award

The Woodberry Down development has won “best British social housing development” at the National British Homes Awards ceremony on 24th September. Berkeley Homes also won the overall homebuilder of the year award.

As reported previously, the first tenants moved into brand new homes in “Reservoir Apartments” and Watersreach” from May 2011. The third block (and first for shared ownership) “Aqua Apartments” was handed over in September. And the next “Parkway” is back on schedule for November this year. The tower block is now up to it’s full height and the tower crane was removed during weekend of 24th September. Berkleys are now proposing a further tower block on the site. A consultation is taking place in the Redmond Community Centre on the day of our branch meeting.

At 268 Green Lanes the rear block is almost complete and the front block on schedule. Peak & Petherton have been demolished and the site is being cleared.

The council is still in discussions with the retailers and WDCO, to help explore the best options for the local shops. Genesis Housing are working with Hackney Citizens Advice Bureau to provide a renewed welfare benefits and debt advice on the estate.

Community safety and policing

As a result of Mayor Johnson's cuts to policing, there is to be a reduction in sergeant posts in SNTs across Hackney from 19 to 14. Ten wards, including Brownswood, will now have one covering both. Team strength, underneath sergeant level, should remain the same for the moment with 2 PC’s and 3 PCSO’s for each ward. Brownswood will be partnered with New River. This may have some advantages as it means we can have a co-ordinated approach to Woodberry Down, although of course the reduction in numbers is unwelcome. We queried the wider rationale behind this at the last CAP meeting.

Manor House Area Action Plan

Consultation on the proposed final document has begun and be found at http://www.hackney.gov.uk/manor-house-aap.htm

School results

Hackney’s school results continue to improve at an remarkable rate. Secondary results are above the national average for the second year, and primary results are expected to exceed them for the first time. Locally, Parkwood School outcomes at Key Stage 2 were (figures inside the tables are percentages)
Standards:
Level 4+ English Mathematics Both
2008 2009 2010 2011 2008 2009 2010 2011 2008 2009 2010 2011
School 84 88 100 100 84 81 95 97 83 81 95 97
National average 81 80 80 79 79 79 72 72 73

Two levels of progress English Mathematics
2008 2009 2010 2011 2008 2009 2010 2011
School 88 96 100 88 92 100
National average 82 82 84 78 81 83

New Youth Club

The application for the new Parkside Youth Centre is going to the planning committee this Wednesday. Over £400K is being invested in the refurbishment. Details here - http://idox.hackney.gov.uk/WAM/showCaseFile.do;jsessionid=E652CAA9E012B315E39447CAF2F3279A?action=show&appType=Planning&appNumber=2011/2030

Alexandra National

Construction is on schedule with the frames of the villa blocks fronting SSR almost complete. It should eventually provide -
Tenure 1B 2B 3B 4B Total homes
Council rent 18 26 19 4 67
Private sale/shared ownership 18 11 9 4 42

Budget

We face a budget gap of approx £25 million for 2012/13, made up of £8m of inflationary pressures and £17m of further reductions in government grants. We’ve found over £5m of efficiencies in the General Fund already and will be agreeing other measures at future group meeting. The announcement by the government that they are again offering a grant to freeze the council tax, probably defuses that issue.

The Park Theatre

There hasn't been much publicity on our side of the borough boundary, but there is new theatre opening next year just above the northern entrance/exit to Finsbury Park station. Brian recently toured the site to see the progress being made. More details here - http://www.parktheatre.co.uk/.The Park will be a professional theatre housing an 200 seat main house, a 90 seat studio theatre and all day cafe bar (with weekend late license) as well as ancillary facilities.


Councillors Brian Bell, Oli de Botton and Feryal Demirci

September report

Councillors Report – September 2011

£11.5 million for the refurbishment of Kings Crescent Estate

The cabinet meeting on 18th July approved a further £11.5 million to complete the refurbishment of the estate. The first stage includes replacement of lateral mains and corridor lighting, all lifts and then installation of two tier door entry systems. This stage also includes new roofs and windows for Weston and Lemsford Courts. The second stage works include energy efficiency works to all blocks, and retrofitting parts of Datchworth, Theobalds and Bramfield.

The masterplan for the estate has been amended following a further consultation with residents. We received comments back from the GLA which were broadly supportive but had concerns about the proportion of social housing and mix of unit sizes which we share. Officers still hope to submit an outline planning application in the autumn.

Woodberry Down regeneration – new community centre opens

The new Redmond Community Centre was opened on July 22nd by Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the Department of Communities and Local Government. It’s an impressive facility with stunning views over the New River Path and West Reservoir.

As reported previously, the first residents moved into brand new homes in “Reservoir Apartments” in May 2011. A second block, “Watersreach” has now been fully handed over to Genesis HA and is occupied.

The third, “Aqua Apartments” should be handed over by the end of August. And the next “Parkway” is back on schedule to be handed over in November this year. The tower block is now up to it’s full height and the external cladding almost complete.

At 268 Green Lanes the roof has been installed and carpentry work is now complete to rear block. The front block is on schedule. It is also anticipated that both Peak & Petherton will be completely demolished by end of September.

August 2011 riots

One of the outbreaks in London on 8th August was on and around Clarence Road in central Hackney. The council’s cleansing team did an outstanding job to remove virtually all traces overnight. Councillors and officers met with affected residents and business during the days after. However since then there have been no incidents.

In Brownswood, the SNT team provided us with updates on number of arrests and actions taken. The latest figures across Hackney are –
• 142 suspects arrested
• Over 80 charged - majority to court in custody
• 52 warrants applied for since investigation began
• CCTV and information still being researched

There was an increased police presence around Finsbury Park and Manor House during the period. As far as we are aware there were no riot related disturbances. We spoke to shopkeepers on Blackstock Road who reported business as usual. Across Hackney, local councillors have since played a major role in supporting local businesses and celebrating the many positive developments in the area.

School results

Hackney’s school results continue to improve at an astonishing rate. Every secondary or sixth form for which results have been published, got at least 96% of students getting the basic 5 A to E grades. Stoke Newington School, a state comprehensive, helped 23% of its pupils get all A’s and A’stars as opposed to 9% last year.

Although exact figures aren’t available yet, it is also expected that our primary SATs result will exceed national averages for the first time.

St Johns Court Estate

Despite the substantial reduction in government grant for Decent Homes, we have lobbied successfully for the tower block at St Johns to be prioritised in this years programme. However residents in the two low rise blocks remain dissatisfied.

Alexandra National

The latest update is below, overall the build is about 2 weeks behind:
• Siteworks and cages are complete
• Reduced dig and piling has begun on the villa blocks
• The first 20m of the new road are laid
• Tower cranes were due on site on 28 July
• Concrete frame works should have commenced from 1 August

It should eventually provide -
Tenure 1B 2B 3B 4B Total homes
Council rent 18 26 19 4 67
Private sale 18 11 9 4 42

Traffic calming and 20mph zones

We are currently consulting on the implementation of 3 zones which will eventually cover the entire ward – one south of Brownswood Road; one north of Brownswood Road and west of Green Lanes; and one east of Green Lanes (which includes adjacent parts of Lordship ward).

The 2010 Hackney Labour manifesto included in it a commitment to introduce a 20mph speed limit on all residential roads in the borough. This is to make the roads safer for all users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, hence we have already implemented 20mph across most of the borough. The residential roads in Brownswood ward are next on the list to have 20mph zone implemented on roads where there is speeding.
A seven day speed survey was carried out in Brownswood and indicated that there are speeding issues on some of the roads. As a result, speed humps were proposed for certain locations, including Queen’s Drive. On Queen’s Drive, the speed survey indicated that 85% of traffic had an average speed of 25.3 mph. Police accident records also showed that in the past five years there have been five personal injury accidents involving cars and the most vulnerable road users (two pedestrians, two cyclists and one motorcyclist), two of which resulted in serious injuries.

The existing barriers remain!


Councillors Brian Bell, Oli de Botton and Feryal Demirci

Normal Life resumes in Hackney

The information below aims to provide an update on what the Council, Police and partners have been doing since the incidents on Monday to help Hackney pull together and move forward.

Since the events of Monday evening there have been no significant disturbances in Hackney and the streets have been relatively quiet. Hackney Council services and buildings are open for business as usual and have been for the last two days.

Policing

There will be 16,000 police officers deployed across London and this increased police presence is expected to continue until Monday. However locally in Hackney the Safer Neighbourhood Teams are doing more patrols helping to reassure residents.

The police are currently assessing 30+ hours of CCTV footage, from council CCTV cameras which will provide a fuller picture of the number and scale of incidents around the borough. Importantly, this will also help secure more convictions of those who took part in the events.
Over 50 arrests have been made so far in Hackney and at least 30 people have now been charged.

Cleaning up

Council street cleaners worked as soon as it was safe to clear debris from the streets. Most areas where there had been trouble were clear by 5am on Tuesday morning; streets had been washed down by 7.30am; graffiti on Clarence Roadwas washed off by 7am and burnt cars were removed by lunchtime. Repairs to the carriage way on Clarence Roadwill be completed by tomorrow.

In addition all minor street lighting damage was repaired on Tuesday and 2 burnt lamp columns will be repaired on Monday and reconnected on Wednesday Bins and loose street furniture have temporarily been removed as a precautionary measure.

All bins and loose street furniture removed from Hackney Central, Dalston and the A10 on Tuesday, as a precautionary measure. They will be returned on police advice.

We'd like to pay tribute to the street cleaners and their amazing work in making sure Hackney was cleared up as soon as possible, and all the residents who turned up to volunteer help clean on Tuesday morning at the Town Hall. This reminds us of all that is great about our borough and how much we all care about our local community.

Supporting local businesses

15 businesses were damaged in the Hackney Central area and 5 in Dalston. 7 of these are locally owned ones.

Mayor Jules Pipe, Council Officers and councillors has been visiting businesses in the town centre on a daily basis and distributed advice sheets from the Police, advising on safety measures, and helping with the clear up.

Town Centre managers have also been talking to businesses in their areas to provide additional advice. The Metropolitan Police advice for businesses concerned about the recent disturbances which is available  here.

And remember if you have any information for the Police or want to check their latest advice for the public – please look online here.

The Mayor of London and the Government have announced funds to help those areas most affected by the events of earlier this week. The details of this are not yet clear.

Community engagement and reassurance

As detailed above, the Council has been in constant contact with local businesses affected by the public disorder.

The Mayor and Chief Executive visited local residents and businesses affected on Tuesday morning and throughout Wednesday, including meetings with residents, businesses, community and faith leaders on Wednesday afternoon [see further information on the HCVS meeting below].  Cabinet and ward members have also been meeting with local residents and businesses affected.

SNTs are updating CAP Chairs regularly; and providing reassurance through face-to-face contact with residents.

About 150 people turned up at the Town Hall on Tuesday morning as part of the Twitter campaign (#RiotCleanUp) and were thanked but told that the streets had been cleared and they should go elsewhere in London where their help was needed.

Hackney Community Voluntary Sector Community meeting

An emergency meeting to consider a community response to the disorder was organised by Hackney CVS on Wednesday afternoon.

The meeting was chaired by Jake Ferguson (Chief Executive, Hackney CVS) with the Mayor, Chief Executive, Cabinet Adviser for Crime and Community Safety, Police Borough Commander and over 50 community leaders, frontline workers and residents attending.  

A set of actions for further community engagement and involvement came out of the meeting and these are outlined below:

1. It was agreed to coordinate with key partners to arrange a community meeting/event to galvanise community support during responses to major incidents.

2. It was agreed to work with relevant partners and agencies to convene a meeting to look at issues around parenting and supporting stronger parenting in the borough.

3. It was agreed to work closely with the Borough Commander to make plans for a community event to bring together the police and communities about police/community relations and community safety.

4. It was agreed to explore with a range of statutory and voluntary services the possibility of a meeting for young people, led by young people, that brings together those involved and those not involved in the incidents – without incriminating those involved, to discuss young peoples perceptions and solutions to what has happened.

5. It was agreed to arrange a young people and borough leadership meeting to enable young people to express their feelings and look towards the future.

6. It was agreed to explore further a T-shirt/positive message campaign

7. It was also agreed to focus on longer term issues of effective police campaigns that will build relationships between police and young people

The CVS, Council and Team Hackney partners will be taking these forward over the coming weeks and months, and further information will be available as these progress.

Please do get in touch with us if you have any suggestions about how we can all work together to rebuild trust.

Statement from Hackney Mayor Jules Pipe

Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney, said: "I am appalled by the events of last night. These were people bent on violence who attacked not just property and local businesses but put residents in fear of their lives. The Council has cleared away all the debris from last night and Hackney is going about its business, but if we are to avoid a repeat of last night, I am urging families across London to make sure they know where their children are and to support the police in identifying perpetrators.

“The Council's cleaners were on the streets throughout the night and had cleared away all the debris, apart from a few burnt out cars, by 7.30am and I would like to pay tribute to them for their hard work. I would also like to thank the several hundred residents and volunteers who turned up at Hackney Town Hall this morning offering to help clean up the borough. This shows overwhelming generosity and community spirit and many were keen to go and help in other parts of London when it was clear the clean up in Hackney was already complete.”

July update

Councillors Report – July 2011

Woodberry Down regeneration – new community centre opens

The new Redmond Community Centre is due to be opened on July 22nd by Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the Department of Communities and Local Government. Its an impressive facility with stunning views over the New River Path and West Reservoir.

As reported previously, the first residents moved into brand new homes on the 12th of May 2011. The next block is complete and has been handed over to Genesis Homes, who will arrange for tenants to move in during July and August.

The frame of the 26 story tower block has now been completed with the cladding to up to Level 16. The cladding is anticipated to be completed by November this year.
The next block to be handed over will be the “Aqua Apartments”, and this will be handed over in August. Following this, both Parkway and Waterside Apartments are anticipated to be available for residents to move in from December.

Works at 268 Green Lanes are progressing well with the frame to Block B now up to roof level. Block A on Green Lanes commenced this month.

Demolition works at Phase 2 have commenced with asbestos strip, and the close down of all power to both blocks. Full works will commence soon and it is anticipated that both Peak & Petherton will be completely demolished by mid-September.

Parkwood School/Bikes across the borough

The recent Bikes across the Borough initiative was launched at Parkwood, Hackney’s best primary school. It followed our Olympic Cycle Path route from Finsbury Park through Clissold Park, Hackney Downs, and Well Street Common, with other schools joining the ride en route to the Olympic Park “viewtube”. More details here - http://www.successinthemaking.co.uk/news/hackney-schools-gear-up-for-mass-cycle-ride-2/

Kings Crescent Estate

The final round of demolition to the north-south part of Lemsford and the east-west axis of Weston is now complete.

The masterplan for the estate was consulted upon again with residents last month. We received comments back from the GLA which were supportive but queried the proportion of social housing and mix of unit sizes. It’s being amended to take account of both of these, and we hope to submit an outline planning application in the autumn.

The issue of capping leaseholder charges should finally be resolved at the cabinet meeting on 18th July. It’s proposed that the reduced retrofit programme and new windows and roofs will be capped at £10k while the real cost runs as high as £20.8k. The “immediate works” – door entry systems, corridor lighting and lateral mains, and lift replacement – are to be fully recharged.

St Johns Court Estate

Despite the substantial reduction in government grant for Decent Homes, we have lobbied hard and have been successful, in ensuring the tower block at St Johns was prioritised in this years programme.

Policing and community safety

Hackney Police are proposing significant changes to how Safer Neighbourhood Teams are organised. Currently each team is dedicated to policing one ward and is made up of 1 Sergeant, 2 police constables and 3 police community support officers. There will be fewer constables and PCSOs permanently allocated to each ward, while sergeants may manage more than one team. These proposals are a cut of a quarter in the number of experienced officers dedicated to neighbourhood policing.

Hackney provided extra funding originally to be one of the first boroughs to roll out the SNTs. Crime is at its lowest level for 12 years – 11,000 fewer offences committed a year compared to nine years ago, one of the largest falls in any London borough. There has also been an increase in the confidence of Hackney residents in local policing. Safer Neighbourhood Teams have played a crucial role in achieving these successes and Boris Johnson’s administration risks undermining these highly visible and effective teams. A resolution at the next council meeting will reiterate Hackney’s opposition to this reduction in frontline policing.

Our previous sergeant Keith McMaster has been moved to another role, with Louise Gill, previously in Chatham, replacing him. We’d like to record our thanks to Keith.

Alexandra National

Piling and ground-works have now begun. It should eventually provide -

Tenure 1B 2B 3B 4B Total homes
Council rent 18 26 19 4 67
Private sale 18 11 9 4 42

Council Budget

We go into the next year with possibly the strongest budgetary control position ever. The 2010/11 revenue outturn showed a £9.5m underspend as efficiency savings were delivered early. Contingencies and balances in both the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account went untouched, and can also be carried forward into future years.

Our capital programme spent £222m representing 98.8% of its budget last year, despite the very harsh winter weather disrupting some schemes.

We are now considering the 2012/13 budget. The next steps are a group awayday in September, and then agreeing an indicative budget at the October group meeting.


Councillors Brian Bell, Oli de Botton and Feryal Demirci

Councillors Report – June 2011

Woodberry Down regeneration – the first new residents move in

It’s taken a long time but the first residents moved into brand new homes on the 12^th of May 2011. The debate about whether to keep on repairing the ageing buildings or attempt a more substantial regeneration began as far back as 1999. After much consultation and negotiation, the first PDA with Berkley Homes was signed in 2006. Building began on the “old school site” in March 2009.

The first 33 homes for rent in “Reservoir Apartments” have been complete for some time now with services being tested and final decorations applied. The next block to complete is the 84 for rent in “Watersreach”. All units there are ready with just the communal areas being finalised.

The new Redmond Community Centre should be handed over at the end of May at the same time that the Watersreach Apartments are occupied. The New River path from the Castle to the new apartments was du

e to reopen on 13^th May following extensive landscaping to make best use of the location and setting.

At 268 Green Lanes, construction is up to 3^rd floor level on the rear block. The decant of Peak & Petherton has been completed and demolition begun. The occupation of the new health centre requires careful negotiation due to the planned abolition of PCTs.

Parkwood School

Parkwood, Hackney’s best primary school has consistently been short of space. A new classroom was finally commissioned by its governors which include Brian and Oli, last year. Construction is now complete and it should open later this month.

Pupils and parents from Parkwood Primary School are gearing up to take part in ‘Bike Across the Borough’, a mass cycle ride taking place on 23 June to celebrate Bike Week and the launch of Hackney’s new 2012 walking and cycling route.

The event is just two weeks away; it runs from Parkwood Primary School ( Queens Drive - part of 2012 walking and cycling route) to the viewtube at the Olympic Park. Parents and student at Parkwood Primary School today joined mechanic "Dr Bike" to learn about bike maintenance and safe cycling.

They were all treated to a ‘Biker’s Breakfast’ of healthy and energising food. Hackney cycle training manager Lucy Nandris was on hand to give some pointers, and will be present on the day. The route will pass through Clisold Park, Hackney Downs, and Well Street Common, with more schools joining the ride en route to the Olympic Park.

March Councillors Report

Councillors Report – March 2011


Woodberry Down regeneration

The planning application for the next stage of the redevelopment goes to the March planning committee. It consists of a mix of “724 affordable and private residential units, a 2,250 sqm health facility, 980 sqm commercial floorspace, associated amenity space including a new park, underground car parking and cycle parking. The scheme comprises the erection of six blocks ranging in height from 3 storeys to 9 storeys.”

This will see the majority of the Brownswood part of the estate undergoing regeneration, despite the sometimes hostile financial and political climate. As reported last month, Hackney Council has successfully lobbied the HCA for a further £15m to continue building homes on Woodberry Down Estate over the next five years. The funding was secured after the Council agreed to invest over £16m, with our development partner Berkley Homes putting in more than £30m in to the programme.

All 33 units for rent in the block F have now been completed and inspected by Genesis. After snagging, they should be available on schedule in May for residents from Needwood and Nichol to move into. It’s to be named Reservoir Apartments.

The next block to complete is the 84 for rent in “Watersreach” and this is on schedule for early May 2011, with all units now decorated and kitchens and bathrooms installed. The landscaping to the communal courtyard between Watersreach and Reservoir is well advanced as is the fit out of the new Community Centre which will open at the same time as the block is occupied. The remainder of the New River path is on target to open the 1st week in May 2011.

The rear block at 268 Green Lanes is now up to 1st floor level with a tower crane shortly to be installed.

The decant process of Peak & Petherton Houses continues and may be complete as early as the end of March.

Council Budget

We are due to adopt a budget on Wednesday 2nd March, and have explained the basis of this in earlier reports. Mostly by continuing the process of achieving efficiencies in how the council does things, we have been able to protect frontline services this year. This will be despite a mob baying for us to make a gesture and abdicate our responsibilities to officers.

When the Local Government Finance Settlement was finally announced, the Coalition government were reducing Hackney’s formula grant by 11.3% and 7.6% in the years 2011/12 and 2012/13 respectively. Lobbying on behalf of local government forced them to introduce transitional measures which would allow them to claim it was only a maximum of 8.9% this year. We are being careful not to absorb this Transition Grant into the base budget as it is not guaranteed for future years.

A further £17m grant which went to our Local Strategic Partnership, called Team Hackney, was also cut. The Labour Group agreed that the Council should step in financially and continue more than £3M of services that had been commissioned by Team Hackney.
• £2.2M for youth provision
• £860K for community safety, youth crime reduction and gang intervention work
• £200K for domestic violence reduction

Kings Crescent Estate

We are due to have first sight of the new masterplan on Thursday 3rd March.

Policing and community safety

Last September, the police, working with the local community imposed a dispersal zone around the Manor House tube area to prevent ongoing concerns around anti-social behaviour and gang related crime. Since then there has been an 81% reduction in recorded crime offences when comparing to he period immediately prior to the dispersal order. Calls to the police have also reduced by 20% during this period.

We have been attempting to help local residents object to elements of the more disruptive events held in Finsbury Park. However Haringey’s licensing department is being unusually obstructive.

Manor TRA

The group discussed issues related to the three estates (Lakeside Court, Portland Rise and Amwell Court), including:
* Agreement of how to spend this year's Environmental Improvement Budget which is managed by the group. The focus is to be on communual areas of Amwell Court
* The dispersal zone around Manor House, which residents felt had not negatively impacted on the area
* Agreement to use Amwell community centre as a drop centre for census staff to support local residents

Questions for the council included the future of Decent Homes funding and youth intervention strategies. Our census contact came to the meeting. The 2011 census is being held on the 27th March. It is important that we get accurate returns from Hackney as grant funding is linked to our head count. In the past because of poor returns we have been under funded. Our contact for Brownswood is Tony Harms - e-mail H11401@census.gov.uk or anthonyharms@hotmail.com. Phone 020 8800 5735 or 07557134708.

Decent Homes funding

In the October 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, the government announced reduced funding for Decent Homes. It stated that it would provide £1.6bn over the four-year period, which it thought sufficient to address 50% of the remaining non-decent homes over the next four years.

On 17 February, Hackney received it’s indicative allocation of £61.5m of from the Homes and Community Agency (HCA) for the years 2011/12 to 2014/15:

2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Total
£15,833,333 £18,250,000 £16,000,000 £11,500,000 £61,583,333

The estimated funding requirement to complete the Decent Homes programme is £89m, leaving a shortfall of approximately £28.5m. There is no indication that central government will provide further resources in future years. In addition, the allocations for 2013/14 & 2014/15 are only provisional and not guaranteed

Council officers are now updating the draft plans for Decent Homes works to reflect the funding allocations, with the aim of presenting a range of options in late March. The plans will include a mix of both internal and external works that look to meet existing commitments which have previously given to residents.

In our ward, we will be urging that both Portland Rise and St Johns Court are prioritised.

Campaigning against the government

Several branch members joined us at Hackney Labour’s rally against the cuts on Tuesday evening at Stoke Newington Town Hall. Hackney’s Mayor and MPs spoke together with Labour’s London Mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone.

The next task is to persuade people to support the national TUC demo from 11am on Saturday 26th March. Hackney members are meeting up at Hackney Junction station at 10pm.

Census 2011

Most people would have started receiving their Census forms or will receive them by 27^th March the latest.

This Census has enormous implications for Hackney and its people; it takes place every 10 years and is the official count of the population. The official population figures are used to calculate the amount of Government funding to be allocated to local areas for a range of services including health, education, social services, youth services, emergency serves and police.

At the 2001 Census the response rate in Hackney was 73% - second lowest in the country! It’s estimated that Hackney lost out on over £50m. So getting it right this time is critical to ensure that we have fair funding to deliver the services needed in Hackney.

You can fill your form in online, simply visit: www.census.gov.uk 

If you need assistance filling in your form, there is plenty of help available.  You can call the Census helpline 03000 201 text relay service 1800 1 0300 0201 160.  

Our February report

Councillors Report – February 2011

Woodberry Down regeneration

Hackney Council has successfully lobbied the HCA for a further £15m to continue building homes on Woodberry Down Estate over the next five years. The funding was secured after the Council agreed to invest over £16m, with our development partner Berkley Homes putting in more than £30m in to the programme.

Planning permission for most of Phase 2 of the Woodberry Down redevelopment , which includes most of the Brownswood part, was granted in January, with a further application due in March. Going forward this means we have secured almost half of the 4,600 homes planned for the 20-year regeneration. This is a major step forward in the current climate when developments across the country have come to a halt.
We are proud that we have got this far in what has been a long fight for local residents. We will continue to work hard to make sure the funding delivers outstanding new homes for people in our community.

The first two social rented blocks on the Old School Site are to be handed over in May 2011. Most of the residents of Peak and Petherton have been decanted or accepted offers, and it has begun in Nichol and Needwood. Work on the 268 Green Lanes site began in October with 27 flats for social rent to be built there. Discussions about the community, health and youth centres continue.

Council Budget

When the Local Government Finance Settlement was finally announced, the Coalition government were reducing Hackney’s formula grant by 11.3% and 7.6% in the years 2011/12 and 2012/13 respectively. Lobbying on behalf of local government forced them to introduce transitional measures which would allow them to claim it was only a maximum of 8.9% this year.

The Labour Group identified an initial £14m of savings in July and a further £6.6m in October. Among the remaining measures which should balance our budget are –
 £3m from reducing pension fund revaluation contributions
 £2.54m from increasing council tax base and collection rate assumptions
 £2m from reduced ”on-costs” and concentrating staff in fewer buildings
 £1.88m from Council Tax Freeze Grant
 £1m from senior management restructure

Of a further £17m grant which went to our Local Strategic Partnership, we will have to decide how much to fund directly. Indications are that we might be able to pick up approx £3m concentrating on youth work, gangs and domestic violence.

Other policies being implemented by the Coalition which will damage Hackney include
- possibly ending security of tenure in social housing
- reductions in police funding
- slashing affordable housing budgets
- knock-on effect on the voluntary sector
- changes to housing and other benefits, including scrapping EMA

Kings Crescent Estate

New CCTV has been installed at the junction of Brownswood Road and Kings Crescent, to help deter the prostitution there.

We are investigating resiting the Woodberry Works construction training programme to Kings Crescent on the basis that it would be opened up to young people from throughout the area.

The next package of works on the estate include
• new lobbies and door entry systems
• lift replacement
• lighting and lateral mains works
• new roofs to Weston and Lemsford

The lift replacement programme is beginning in Therfield Court which is served by up to 3 lifts. However in other blocks where walkways have been closed off, there is only one and this will need careful management to minimise inconvenience to residents.

Policing and community safety

The January CAP meeting started with a consultation survey led by the Inspector who oversees all the Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Hackney North. The meeting expressed strong support for our local team and their continued engagement with the community. Our fear was that this consultation was being used to prepare the ground for cuts to neighbourhood policing. Specifically, suggestions around joining with New River and different shift patterns were unpopular and we will have to keep a close eye on this developing issue over the next few months.

The rest of the meeting discussed local issues as normal (and it was great that members of Hackney's Youth Parliament were there too). We were please to hear that the dispersal zone around Manor House tube has been extended for a further 3 months and that there had been no displacement of gangs or anti-social behaviour to other areas of the ward. Residents, particularly those from the estate expressed their continued support for the zone.

The police team reported on their push on tackling prostitution and the fact that the robbery squad was now looking to support our area to deal with a number of incidents. The priorities for the next two months were agreed as – prostitution; burglaries; youth diversion/better communication.



Councillors Brian Bell, Oli de Botton and Feryal Demirci

Local boost as Council secures more funding for Woodberry Down

Hackney Council has successfully lobbied the Homes and Community Agency (HCA) for a further £15m to continue building homes on Woodberry Down Estate over the next five years.

The funding was secured after the Council agreed to invest over £16m, with our development partner Berkley Homes putting in more than £30m in to the programme.

As you may have seen from our previous blog update, planning permission for most of the phase 2 Woodberry Down development was granted in January, with a further application due in March.

Going forward this means we have almost half of the 4,600 homes planned for the 20-year regeneration either under construction or due over the next five years. This is an incredible step forward especially in the current climate when developments across the country have come to a halt.

We are proud that we have got this far in what has been a long fight for local residents. We will continue to work hard to make sure the funding delivers outstanding new homes for people in our community.

New planning applications in Brownswood

1.   Applicant: Mr Kayode Olaoye

Application Number: 2010/2651

Application Type  Full Planning Application

Date Received: 21/10/2010

Validation Date: 06/01/2011

Agent: Mr Ibi Ekineh

Agent Tel:

Address:

35-37 Blackstock Road, London N4 2JF

Development Case Officer: Graham Callam

January Update

Council Budget

When the Local Government Finance Settlement was finally announced in December, the Coalition government were reducing Hackney’s formula grant by 11.3% and 7.6% in the years 2011/12 and 2012/13 respectively.

We were one of the worst affected authorities in the country, and together with our neighbours Tower Hamlets and Newham, the worst in London. By contrast those hotspots of deprivation Richmond-upon-Thames, Buckinghamshire and Surrey face reductions of 0.61% or less.

Lobbying on behalf of local government by amongst others Jules Pipe in his capacity as Chair of London Councils, forced the government to introduce transitional measures which would allow them to claim it was only a maximum of 8.9% this year.