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FIREWORKS AT BROCKWELL PARK

jerrygreen85 — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 14:04:26 +0000

Brockwell Park is the new home for Lambeth’s annual fireworks display

Lambeth’s 2013 fireworks display will take place in Brockwell Park on Tuesday November 5th and not Clapham Common as originally planned.

Lambeth council say it has confirmed Brockwell Park as the venue for the annual fireworks display after careful consideration of the impact of holding a major event on local transport routes around Clapham during the evening rush hour.

Major roads affected by the event include the South Circular road and red routes around Clapham Common. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend the event.

Brockwell Park will host what Lambeth are calling a “spectacular display” of fireworks created by the team responsible for the London 2012 Olympics fireworks show.

Other activities at the event in Brockwell Park on Tuesday November 5th will include a funfair, stalls, music, food outlets and fully-licensed bars. The event is free of charge for local residents and visitors to attend.

This year, for the first time, people attending the fireworks’ display will be asked to make a voluntary donation which will be used to fund next year’s event by making a donation online or at the event. This follows a voluntary donation initiative at the 2013 Lambeth Country Show

Lambeth’s annual fireworks event begins at 5pm and finishes at 10pm More information on; http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/Environment/ParksGreenSpaces/EventsInParks/Fireworks.htm

Lambeth advise everyone attending should check; http://www.tfl.gov.uk to plan their journey to and from Brockwell Park.

Southwark Council urges women to be ‘breast aware’ this October

Women in Southwark are being reminded to regularly check their breasts and report any unusual changes to their GP as part of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Female residents in Southwark aged between 50 and 70, who are registered with a GP, should receive an invitation to a free breast screening every three years.

Although breast screening is estimated to save around 1,300 lives per year, take up by eligible women in Southwark is currently at just 63 per cent, lower than the national average of 77 per cent and even lower than the London average of 69.3 per cent.

Women under the age of 50 will not automatically be invited for a breast screening unless they are recognised as having a higher risk of developing breast cancer, such as through a faulty gene or family history of the disease. However, advice is available on how to spot the five signs of breast cancer and how to check your breasts.

Catherine McDonald, cabinet member responsible for health, said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK but the number of deaths is falling dramatically thanks to better awareness, early detection and more advanced treatments.

“I would strongly encourage women to take up their breast screening opportunity and if you haven’t received an invitation and you think you should have please visit your GP.

“All women should be aware of any changes to their breasts and make an appointment with their doctor if they have any concerns. If you are not yet registered with a GP, why not register now.”

For more information on breast cancer awareness visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk

For advice on how to checks your own breasts go to the website at http://www2.breastcancercare.org.uk/publications/breast-health/taking-care-your-breasts-mini-guide-bcc211

WOMAN WHO BEFRIENDED VULNERABLE OAP STOLE £92,000…

A vulnerable woman was coned out of more than £92,00 by a woman who had power of asttorney.

On Monday, October 14th at Croydon crown court and following a wide ranging safeguarding investigation by Bromley council and Scotland Yard’s special investigation branch, a woman who was a friend of one of the Council’s vulnerable clients, was found guilty on 14 counts of stealing.

The defendant did not work for the council but had befriended the client and carried out the theft in her role as power of attorney. She received a custodial sentence of over four years.

The woman, aged 64 who lives in Eastbourne, had pleaded not guilty to the charges but following the jury’s deliberations was found guilty on all counts of stealing what amounted to over £92,000.

The safeguarding investigation began in 2008 when concerns were raised with the council about the woman’s role as power of attorney. The council’s safeguarding and audit teams worked together and with the police to unearth evidence, determined to bring a successful prosecution.

A Bromley council spokesperson said: “A key priority for Bromley Council is safeguarding vulnerable residents who can fall victim to abuse, including financial abuse.”

Cllr Robert Evans, executive councillor for care services, said: “The council has been advised the defendant has made a payment of £50,000 to the victim of financial abuse during the first week of October 2013, with arrangements being put in place for the remainder of the monies to be repaid.”

If you have any concerns about an elderly or vulnerable adult’s safety please call Bromley council on 0208 461 7777, Minicom 0208 464 7350. For an out of hours emergency call 020 8464 4848 (Source: Bromley council press release)

…while trading standards help put man in prison for money laundering

Bromley Trading Standards has brought another successful prosecution for money laundering following a scam carried out on an 89-year-old man from St Paul’s Cray.

On Tuesday 15 October 2013, a 23-year-old man from East London, attended Croydon crown court by video link from HMP Pentonville and pleaded guilty to two charges under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He was sentenced to 15 weeks in custody – his guilty plea reducing the sentence from 20 weeks.

The case was brought following a tip off from a local bank in February 2012. The Nationwide building society in High Street Bromley, contacted trading standards rapid response team when an elderly customer had come into the bank to withdraw £3,000 cash from his savings account in order to pay for drainage work at his property.

This was the second withdrawal as the client had withdrawn £4,000 cash the previous day. Trading standards officers attended the bank and were introduced to the 89 year old man.

The OAP told how he had been cold called the day before by a man who claimed that his uncle lived in a house to the rear of Mr Hayden’s property.

He said that his uncle was having trouble with his drains and that they had identified the problem as being in the section of drain that ran through the OAP;s garden. He then asked for £4000 towards the cost of repairs.

The OAP agreed to pay and withdrew the money from his account. A short time later he was again telephoned by the man who sent a young man to collect the package.

The OAP received another telephone call from the man asking for a further £3,000 cash and he went back to the Nationwide which is when trading standards became involved.

Officers accompanied him home and following a number of calls from the mysterious ‘Mr Davis’ asking if he had the money, the 23 year old man arrived. Trading standards officers confronted him and police were called. He was arrested and later charged with money laundering offences.

He failed to appear at any court hearing and was eventually tracked down after being arrested for another matter.

If you are approached at home by builders or you notice something suspicious in your road, please contact Bromley’s trading standards rapid response team on 07903 852090. (Source: Bromley council press release)

Youth Council gets people talking about mental wellbeing

Bromley Youth Council has launched its manifesto campaign to encourage young people to talk about mental health issues by manning an information stand in Intu Bromley.

Research for the campaign highlighted that young people recognised adolescence can be a confusing, pressurised time with many finding themselves in difficult and stressful family situations as well as coping with the pressures that all teenagers face such as exams, relationships, growing up and moving on in life.

They were keen to examine issues which can affect mental health and wellbeing in young people and to raise the profile of these ‘life events’ and the possible impact they may have.

Many myths and misinformation about mental health exist and young people did not necessarily know where to go for advice or help. In addition, they were concerned that by speaking out, they might be judged and people would make assumptions about them.

Bromley Youth Council have made a video to address these points which will available to secondary schools to use as part of their PSHE sessions. A handy wallet-size leaflet called ‘Open your mind’, also masterminded by the young people themselves and handed out on the day, contains tips on how to achieve mental wellbeing.

More information and help is available at: www.bromley-y.org.uk (Bromley Y website)

New code of practice to tackle stolen goods

A new code of practice has been launched by Lewisham council and Lewisham police to tackle the sale of stolen goods in the borough.

The new scheme will see second-hand retailers – in particular money loan stores and mobile phone kiosks – targeted to sign up to a voluntary code of practice which will increase security measures around the buying and selling of second-hand goods like mobile phones, jewellery, game consoles, iPads and laptops.

Under the code, retailers will have to carry out proper checks when purchasing second-hand goods from members of the public; ensuring that two forms of photographic identification are asked for, checked and recorded accurately.

This will enable the police to identify lost and stolen goods and make it harder for thieves to sell-on stolen goods.

Retailers that sign up to the scheme will be able to verify if goods have been reported lost or stolen by checking them against the details held on the CheckMend website.

For each check carried out, the retailer will receive a certificate to confirm that the goods were checked with CheckMend.

Officers from the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, Lewisham police with support from Lewisham council’s trading standards service, will be visiting traders across Lewisham in October to endorse and implement the scheme.

79 per cent of crimes go unsolved in London

New research shows that police are solving less crime since Boris Johnson became Mayor and that London is well below the UK average for solved crime, say Labour members of the London Assembly.

In London 21 per cent were solved in 2012/13 compared to the UK average of 27 pc. This amounts to 606,531 unsolved crimes in London last year.

There has been a rise in certain types of crime in London this year including:

13 per cent rise in murder

5 per cent rise in sexual offences

40 per cent rise in GBH

London Assembly Labour group policing and crime spokeswoman Joanne McCartney (Enfield and Haringey) said: “It is shocking that overall reported crime is down yet the number of unsolved crimes in London is only at 21 per cent.

“Boris talks big about reported crime going down, but so far he has ignored that the number of crimes actually solved on his watch has plummeted.

“Compared to the average in England and Wales, London is trailing on the number of crimes solved where we should be setting the gold standard.

“Since May 2010, in London the number of PCs has been reduced by 8 pc and PCSOs by 48 pc. Boris talks about getting more bobbies on the beat but the figures clearly show this is not happening.

“This proves Boris can’t have his cake and eat it. “If you cut the police budget by as much as the Government has then there will be repercussions. “Victim satisfaction in London is lower than elsewhere in the UK and this is not acceptable. “The Mayor must act now.”

All figures have been produced from the London Datastore: http://data.london.gov.uk/

(Source: London Assembly Labour group press release)

Recycle those electrical items

Lewisham WEEE Week (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is back from 21 to 25 October 2013.

Residents are encouraged to recycle all unwanted small electrical appliances such as stereos, toasters, hairdryers, irons and microwaves. The aim is to exceed last year’s collected two tonnes of waste.

Find out more about what and where you can recycle your electronic equipment.

Contact: Recycling Wearside Service Centre, Wearside Road SE13 7EZ Tel: 020 8314 7171 Fax: 020 8314 3479

Email:[email protected]

http://recycleforlewisham.com/

(Source: Lewisham council press release)

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‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ DOG OWNERS BEING KEPT ON A TIGHT LEASH

jerrygreen85 — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 13:07:50 +0000

In the first prosecution of its kind by Croydon council, a dog owner has been fined £100 for not keeping his animal on a lead.

The fine comes after the council created dog control orders on all council housing land and any other areas it is responsible for maintaining. The orders are designed to clamp down on animal nuisance and other offences including not cleaning up dog fouling and taking more than four dogs onto land.

Under section 55 of the clean neighbourhoods and environment act 2005, the council has created dog control orders on all council housing land and other land for which the council is responsible and intends to carry out enforcement to ensure that people comply with the orders.

Consequently, the neighbourhood wardens (NWs) have been given delegated authority to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for the following offences:

(a) failing to remove dog faeces;

(b) not keeping a dog on a lead;

(d) permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded;

(e) taking more than four dogs onto land.

In addition the NWs have delegated authority to issue to issue FPNs for litter offences under section 88 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990

Cllr Dudley Mead, cabinet member for housing, said: “This case shows that the council will not hesitate to take action against irresponsible dog owners. “Other residents should not have to suffer when certain individuals refuse to keep their dogs under control.”

The owner was caught letting his dog run loose on the green area behind 1-2B Sunny Bank in South Norwood on 11 July last year. Having previously been warned to keep his animal on a lead, he was told that if he did not pay the £75 fixed penalty notice, which is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days, he would face court proceedings. He was also ordered to pay £100 in court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

The owner, from Croydon, was found guilty in his absence of the offence at Croydon magistrates’ court, after he failed to respond to a fixed penalty notice issued by council wardens. He also gave a false address when he received the notice. (Source: Croydon council press release)

BROMLEY YOUTH COUNCIL’S ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN IS A SUCCESS

MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES have been highlighted as the number one concern for young people in the borough to be tackled by the Bromley Youth Council in their 2013/14 Manifesto.

Members of the youth council presented the key topics on the minds of young people locally at the youth manifesto launch event held in Bromley’s council chamber. Other topics chosen were staying and feeling safe, particularly while travelling around the borough; the availability and knowledge of affordable leisure activities for young people; understanding how tuition fees work and lobbying central government.

The youth council committee had previously canvassed opinions from other elected youth members about their priorities and the manifesto event was an opportunity for any young person in the borough to get involved and have their say.

As well as news about plans for future campaigns, those attending the event also heard about the youth council’s recent high profile anti-bullying campaign. The young councillors succeeded in getting every secondary school in the borough to sign up to an anti-bullying pledge, while raising awareness of the issues, how to combat bullying and where to get help through talks in schools, at youth hubs, and an outreach day held in the Glades Shopping Centre.

Councillors were also engaged in the campaign lending their support by spearheading the development of guidance for students and parents on cyber-bullying in particular which was made available both in the local media and on the Council’s website. This advice can be found at: www.bromley.gov.uk/bullying

(Source: Bromley council press release)

HELP TEENAGERS STAY SAFE THIS SUMMER

The Safer Croydon Partnership (SCP) is seeking 100 volunteers to work alongside council staff and police to help stop young people becoming victims of crime.
The two-week safety campaign runs from Monday 24 June to Friday 5 July, and will focus on the town centre and London Road, between 3 and 5pm, which is when most street crime happens.
The volunteers will work alongside area enforcement officers, parking and housing attendants, youth services, the drug and alcohol outreach team and the police.
They will give young people personal safety tips, tell them how they can report crime and antisocial behaviour and help with litter picking.
Volunteers will also have information on what is going on during the summer months for teenagers.
Cabinet member for community safety, Cllr Simon Hoar said: “Most victim and offenders involved in street crime are young men aged 15 to 19. “The campaign aims to help raise safety awareness, increase the number of arrests, and to decrease the fear of crime.”
The volunteers will also be teaming up with students from Croydon College’s public services course. The students have devised a community safety questionnaire to find out how safe people feel, and what could be done to make them feel safer.
The feedback from this will be given to the SCP to help influence future plans.
Croydon Neighbourhood Watch, Croydon Voluntary Action, faith groups, South London Citizens, South London Traders, street pastors and West Croydon Community Forum are already involved in these plans.
If you would like to volunteer contact Tariq Gad on 020 8604 7032, or email [email protected]. (Source: Croydon council press release)

IMPROVED FIGURES MEAN IMPROVED FIGURES

Residents in Croydon are living more active lifestyles according to new figures released this week.

A national league table shows that more local people are taking up sport and exercise in their bid to get fit and healthy and cut down on excess weight.

Just-released Sport England figures measuring participation in sport and physical activity show that Croydon is 12th in the table of most-improved local areas in London. It has also gone up 77 places nationally in the past four years.

The council’s role in boosting people’s participation in sports and activity has included the creation of a new national league basketball club, installation of several free-to-use outdoor gyms in parks and the opening of the new £15m Waddon Leisure Centre. The popularity of the council’s volunteer-led health walks, which are some of the most active in London, is another pointer to the team’s successes. Over the summer the team from the Central Library ‘healthy living hub’ will be going out to several Croydon parks with a healthy living roadshow.

The achievements of young people in competitive sport are also pointing to the widespread adoption of increasingly healthy lifestyles, say the council. Last year, Croydon lifted the Jubilee Trophy when it came top in the London Youth Games, and the borough’s disabled athletes were also victorious in the disability games competition.

A new campaign, MI Change, sees the council offering a free 12-week support programme designed to help get people more active. This programme will be tailored to individual needs and will use simple, achievable goals to motivate participants and encourage them to continue after the initial sessions. Six months of further back-up and support will help people stay on track.
Cllr Margaret Mead, cabinet member for adult services and health, said: “These results are really very encouraging. “We know Croydon will always find it hard to match the results of smaller and more generally affluent parts of the UK. “But the improvements our residents have achieved in comparison to the rest of the country in some part reflect the huge amount of effort that the council’s sports development team puts in.

“I’d encourage everyone to take advantage of the activities on offer in Croydon. “Walking is also a great way to boost fitness levels and Croydon has some fantastic parks and open spaces for people to enjoy for a few hours or a whole day out.”

The latest participation figures are drawn from the National Active People survey, which is used to measure adult participation in sport and physical activity.

Croydon now stands at 18th in the London league table and at 231st in the national table. This is an improvement of 77 places on four years ago when the borough sat at number 308.
21.9 per cent of Croydon residents currently do 3 x 30minutes moderate intensity exercise each week, up nearly two per cent since last year when the figure was 20.1pc.
MI (Motivational Interview) Change is a recognised method that engages people’s intrinsic motivational instincts in order to encourage them to change their behaviour for their personal benefit. To sign up for MI Change call 020 8667 8414 or email [email protected]. (Source: Croydon council press release)

PENGE RESIDENT FAILED TO DECLARE STUDENT GRANTS AND LOANS

A Penge resident who was caught defrauding Bromley council through a data matching exercise will have to pay back £11,000 in housing and council tax benefit.

A National Fraud data match exercise led to an investigation that showed he had failed to notify the council he had received student grants and loans. Cllr Neil Reddin chairman of Bromley’s audit committee said: “We will use techniques such as data matching to bring these cheats to justice and protect our public funds for those in genuine need.”

The resident, of Anerley Road, Penge, pleaded guilty at Bromley magistrates court to defrauding Bromley Council out of £11,000 in housing and council tax benefit for the period October 2011 to February 2013. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order requiring 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £100 costs and a £60 victim surcharge. As well as having a criminal record he will be required to pay back the overpayment.

This case brings the total of Bromley benefit claimants prosecuted to 329 since the Bromley and Greenwich councils started working in partnership to track, trace and prosecute benefit fraudsters. Anyone with information about a suspected benefit fraud should contact (in strict confidence) the Fraud Hotline on 0800 169 6975 or email [email protected]

CROYDON WINS ‘INNOVATION IN SOCIAL CARE’ AWARD

Croydon has scooped a prestigious local government prize for finding innovative ways of providing adult social care.

The council came top in the category for innovation in social care at the MJ magazine awards, attended by almost 1,000 people from local authorities across the UK.

Croydon impressed the judges with its innovative work to provide high-quality services despite contending with increasing demand for adult health care and reducing budgets.

The triumph follows the successful delivery of a five-year efficiency programme in adult social care services, which has included redesigning services and coming up with new ways of providing cares; saving the council more than £27m.

Key innovations have included developing Croydon Care Solutions, the council’s local authority trading company and redesigning care packages to help and support people to live as independently as possible by making their own choices and having control over their own support.

Cllr Margaret Mead, cabinet member for adult services and health, said: “We are delighted to win this award and I’d like to say a huge thank you to the council’s adult social care staff, led by executive director Hannah Miller, for their contribution in achieving this success.

“This has been a radical change programme that has made significant savings while ensuring the care we provide to each individual remains at an excellent standard.

“The main aim of our approach has been to help people live as independently as possible, and allow them to be able to make their own choices and choose the support they want.”

The awards, which this year mark their 10th anniversary, were presented by BBC Radio 4 Today presenter Justin Webb. (Source: Croydon council press release)

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