‘ILLEGALLY SUB-LET YOUR HOME AND YOU’LL LOSE IT” CROYDON WARNS TENANTS /
BROCKWELL PARK FIREWORKS – HAVE YOU GOT YOUR TICKET? / ALMOST 1,00 SIGN PETITION FOR MORE POLICE IN SOUTHWARK / TALK TO BROMLEY ABOUT ADOPTION
‘ILLEGALLY SUB-LET YOUR HOME AND YOU’LL LOSE IT” CROYDON WARNS TENANTS
ILLEGALLY SUB-LET your home and you WILL lose it – that is the stark warning being made to council tenants in the borough of Croydon.
The council are adding the warning to the rent statements of just over 14,000 council tenants.
The move comes after the council repossessed two homes.
In the first instance, the housing standards team discovered that the tenant of a three-bedroom house in Waddon had moved to Australia and left an unauthorised person living at the address.
In the second, a two-bedroom property in New Addington was recovered when it came to light that the tenant was believed to have moved to Portugal.
“The move is a bid to ensure that our housing stock is fairly distributed to families registered on our list” said a council spokeswoman.
“Tackling the problem of sub-letting, while seeking to meet the needs of homeless families, we are sending a clear message to all our tenants.
“While accepting that the majority of residents abide by the rules, the council are striving to crack down on those who move out and leave their keys with another person, and we are asking people to report any suspected cases of tenancy fraud.
“With a guarantee that their identity will not be revealed, they are asked to contact their tenancy officer or the housing standards team.
“Alternatively, they can call the tenancy fraud hotline on 0800 328 9270 or report their suspicions online atwww.croydon.gov.uk/housingfraud .”
Cllr Alison Butler, cabinet member for homes and regeneration, said: “People who sub-let their council homes are, in addition to committing fraud, depriving genuine cases of homelessness of a roof above their heads.
“The council has only a limited number of properties and a growing number of families asking us for help.
“We want to help as many of those as we can and are keen to ensure that the properties we have go to those who have done the right thing in registering and joining the housing list.
“They often have to wait a long time, and meet certain criteria, before they are offered a property. “It’s not right that others ignore the rules, jump the queue and move into a home to which they’re not entitled.
“We investigate tip-offs of sub-letting, including doing data checks and carrying out visits to suspected addresses.” (Source: Croydon council press release.)
BROCKWELL PARK FIREWORKS – HAVE YOU GOT YOUR TICKET?
Brockwell Park is gearing up for its best fireworks celebration to date, with people being encouraged to get their tickets before November 5th.
This year’s event is ticketed for the first time with bars, food stalls and street-style performers complimenting the display itself, which will be produced by Titanium Fireworks who also organised the London Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2012.
Children under 16 will go free and adult tickets are just £6 for Lambeth residents and £7 for visitors to the borough.
Performers include Glastonbury festival favourites Lords of Lightning and Emergency Exit Arts who will be showing off a giant mechanical fire bird and human Catherine Wheel.
Cllr Jane Edbrooke, Lambeth cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “This year’s event is more than just a firework display; it’s going to be a fantastic night of entertainment for people of all ages.
“There is a lot of pressure on our finances at the moment but the fireworks is such an important night in the calendar, I’m delighted we’ve found a way to keep it going while making sure children can still come in for free.
“It’s going to be a really fun night and I’d encourage everyone to book their tickets as soon as possible.”
A Lambeth council statement said: “By introducing ticketing for its fireworks night we are making it a safer event.
“Last year the display attracted an estimated 80,000 people which the key event planning safety officers including the emergency services have advised is too many to manage unless the event was changed and ticketed.
“With pressures on the council budget, Lambeth also needs help covering the bill for the hugely popular event. Last year’s display ended up costing the council about £100,000.
“The fireworks is one of a number of events the council puts on throughout the year, including the popular and free Lambeth Country Show which this year cost around £265,000 from the authority’s budget.”
The November 5th event entry times will be from 5pm to 10pm at Brockwell Park. Tickets are on sale now. Please visit www.lambeth.gov.uk/fireworks for full information. (Source: Lambeth council press release.)
ALMOST 1,00 SIGN PETITION FOR MORE POLICE IN SOUTHWARK
Almost 1,000 people in Southwark have signed a petition in support of the council’s campaign to increase the number of dedicated local police officers in the borough, say Southwark council.
The petition aims to encourage the Mayor of London to re-consider recent changes to the local policing model, said Southwark in a statement. The council is calling for a community-oriented force with officers reflecting the diverse and changing borough.
Cllr Michael Situ, cabinet member for community safety, said: “We have a huge appreciation for the work our local police officers and PSCOs do.
“They’ve played an important role in making Southwark a safer place to be. “This campaign is about sustaining this progress and ensuring that we have a healthy amount of dedicated and locally knowledgeable officers to help tackle the ongoing challenges we face.”
Anyone wishing to sign the petition should go to Southwark.gov press releases ‘Southwark’s community leaders show overwhelming support for council’s petition for more local police officers’ published Friday, 24 October 2014
The petition closes on 14 November 2014. (Source: Southwark council press release).
TALK TO BROMLEY ABOUT ADOPTION
During National Adoption Week (3-9 November) and beyond, Bromley’s adoption service is calling for would–be adopters to phone in for a chat to find out more about what’s involved.
“We want to find as many people as possible who are interested in starting an adoptive family to answer their questions, dispel any myths and help them towards the next stage of the process” said Bromley in a statement..
“There are already a number of children and groups of brothers and sisters in Bromley waiting for loving adoptive families. “These children need caring and understanding families to look after and care for them as they grow up and recover from any past difficulties in their lives.
“As well as the opportunity to phone, Bromley’s experienced team would be happy to welcome those considering adoption to an informal information session held in partnership with Bexley council at their civic offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AT between 10am and 1pm on Saturday 15 November.
Executive member for care services, Cllr Robert Evans said: “Bromley is proud that we quite quickly embraced a new two stage process for people interested in becoming adoptive parents and shortened the time it takes to complete to just six months.
“We recognise there are many questions that spring to mind when people think about adopting a child – it is a big step for family and child alike.
“Our team would like interested people to come forward either by phone or face to face so they can give a much better understanding of what it’s like to adopt.”
Anyone with queries or who would welcome a discussion, please contact Bromley’s experienced adoption team on 020 8313 4193 or email [email protected]
(Source: Bromley council press release.)
