With the new year well underway, welcome to our first TASK e-newsletter of 2009, setting out a whole host of local news and activity.
Crime
Latest figures reveal that our council, the London Borough of Redbridge, has seen the biggest hike in crime across the whole of London, with Seven Kings leading the table on increases in burglary (we have heard this week of a breakout of burglaries predominantly in Cambridge and St Alban's Roads).
This confirms our view that the local situation is more fragile and less rosy than we have traditionally been led to believe, which is why we have argued strongly for a full complement in our safer neighbourhood team at all times, having discovered that police team members are often loaned out for other borough-wide duties and are not always working locally.
A story in the Ilford Recorder this week suggesting that major drug trafficking at Goodmayes Hospital has led to the setting up of a local Seven Kings police team presence there worries us too, since it also pulls officers off the streets, where a high profile presence and the constant intelligence gathering that comes from good local relationships is constantly required.
TASK supporters and local councillors will this week meet with the new borough police commander to make our case for special attention, given our many local issues and the unique negative effects of our having such an abormally large night time/takeout economy, which can be a major magnet for resident misery and crime and disorder.
More licensing misery
As if we have not got enough challenges already, the Council continues to grant late licences for takeouts, even with strong local councillor and community objections, with yet more applications coming in from new outlets. It frankly beggars belief that councillors on licensing committee are unable to understand an obvious truth- that we are saturated with fast food outlets, which cause a whole host of problems- and it is credible to argue that Seven Kings is now being explicitly targetted by fast food entrepreneurs as a 'soft touch' in ways that might not be tolerated elsewhere. We are angry and and will now be taking up this issue directly with senior Redbridge Council staff and the London Mayor, Boris Johnson.
We were told by a Licensing officer recently that the people of Seven Kings do not object in big enough numbers which is why our objections do not make enough impact on licence decision making committees. We would therefore ask you to object to any licences that you become aware of by emailing the Council's Licensing officer at ed.chaplin@redbridge.gov.uk with the grounds of the objection and your name and address.
We are already being consulted on a new bit of research funded by Boris looking at the future shape of the suburban High Street, having met with his architectural advisers in early January. Our points then were simple and linked. That the High Road is a major artery, with which local people strongly associate, albeit one that has been run down over generations, with a limited and inadequate shopping base dominated by way too many takeouts. Out view is that it requires systematic regeneration, over a longer peiriod, but that firm action now on late licenses and still further booze applications can at least begin to stop the rot. Keep reading to see more on how this story unfolds.
We are also aware that some of the takeaway outlets are below the standard health and safety requirements and pose a potential hazard to customers. A copy of the health and safety ratings is available from us if you require and a copy of it is on the Community noticeboard outside Seven Kings station.
Library campaign
The battle cry remains the same: we want a new library- and we want it now, having registered overwhelming support in support of this campaign during our 2008 petitioning. A recent meeting with Ilford South MP Mike Gapes ensured he too is fully up to speed on the issue.
In the short term, though, we continue to work with library officers to develop and market mobile library services and have obtained at least one new regular stop for the 400 plus pupils at at Downshall Primary School. We will also benefit from regular local storytelling activity and a local poetry event as part of the upcoming Redbridge Media and Book Festival in May, both positive developments which are unlikely to have happened without our campaigning.
The offer is also there for a new readers group to be set up in Seven Kings, where local people come together regularly to choose a book, and share their reading experiences. There are hundreds of reading groups all over the country, and they are a great way to make new friends, share your love of books and promote new types of reading. Please contact Chris on 07852 960685 if you would like to be part of this. If you are worried about the cost of buying book, don't worry- the library service will provide all the books for free, so there's absolutely no cost other than an hour of your time every month.
Area 5 festival
The idea of a local community festival covering Seven Kings, Goodmayes and Chadwell Heath has been knocking around for some time in the local Council and it was originally planned to run an event during summer 2009 in a local park. A planning group has now been set up, bringing together many local groups, including TASK, to agree a format and timing. The current sense is that a big festival this year is a tall order and that it is more realistic to run a smaller family fun day in the summer, to test the the water for something bigger and bolder in 2010. We are looking for a volunteer to sit on the planning group for TASK, and encourage all supporters to send in their good ideas about what a festival might offer and how it might run. Supporters with PR/ marketing/events experience are especially welcome.
Westwood Recreation Ground
Good news! Tired old Westwood Recreation Ground on Meads Lane is in line for play improvements from April this year which will hopefully transform a rather jaded and forgettable space into something beautiful and uplifting. We are currently talking to Council play workers and will push for major local input into the eventual design, and will be recommending they talk primarily with local youngsters, the key users and beneficiaries of the site.
Swimming
With our local pool boarded up, but not forgotten, Redbridge Council was name checked in a recent TIME OUT magazine article as the worst place for public swimming opportunities in London. Another unenviable record for our shabby and underperforming Council. Shame on you!
TASK planning group
Over the last year, TASK has developed a high profile, much respect and many great local contacts. For this new year, we plan to run regular planning group sessions to help co-ordinate our various campaigns, draw more fully on our supporter talent and make an even greater impact. A first date and venue will follow later this week.
Seven Kings Events this month
11 February 7.15pm at Barley Lane Primary School - Area 5 Council meeting
27 February 9am starting from outside Seven Kings station - walkabout with council officers from Cleansing Department
That is it for now. More soon.
Please remember. We always welcome your news, your issues and your feedback, which should be sent to ahai@deloitte.co.uk or c.connelley@lse.ac.uk.
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16 Horsepower - Cinder Alley.
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