7 minute read
Up Front
The idea started prior to
the COVID-19 pandemic, when Oz applied for funding to create workshops for women in the Southwark’s Women’s Hub to talk about their heritage, experiences of any hair-related trauma, hair care and self-care strategies. The aim of the programme was to empower people and to improve wellbeing, healthy mental health and confidence through grooming.
The programme would see 30 participants come together through five sessions of three hours each, to be empowered
Founder of Scissors of Oz, Oz Izzet, has launched a programme to empower people through hair – “If in despair, brush your hair”, a storytelling programme for women.
through their experiences of hair, re-developing the idea of beauty. Through discussion, creative writing and establishing practical tips, participants would establish their own feel-good strategies to maintain their sense of wellbeing and mental health.
Funding for the programme was received from The Culture Seeds. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this did not permit the workshops to take place in the Southwark Women’s Hub, which provides support to women in the area, and the workshop had to be modified to continue to spread the word about the kind of work that Scissors of Oz do.
The new idea involved one-toones with women in the Scissors of Oz premises, allowing them to have open conversations in a safe place and connect with others – creating a community and wellbeing space where they can come and feel amazing and relaxed.
Influencer Shahira was the first to be involved and the conversation was recorded with the hope and vision that it would be shown to a wider outreach of people and audiences, helping to encourage self-care and empowerment in sharing stories around hair care and grooming. Oz Izzet, founder of Scissors of Oz, said: “Launching this programme means a great deal to me; I wanted to give back to the amazing women at the Southwark’s Women’s Hub and create a safe space for them to share their experiences together. In doing this, we aid and promote the importance of self-care, have open conversations about stigma, heal together and empower each other through hair.”
More than 40,000 Southwark residents claim Universal Credit
Almost 42,000 Southwark residents were claiming Universal Credit in August and two fifths of this number were in work, according to new government figures.
The latest data also shows that the furlough scheme was still supporting more than 8,000 people in the borough a month before it was scrapped. Marking London Challenge Poverty Week, local London Assembly Member, Marina Ahmad AM, is calling on ministers to strengthen the safety net and increase the minimum wage to support the lowest income households this winter. Ms Ahmad is raising concerns that alongside the cut to the £20 weekly uplift in Universal Credit payments and the end to the furlough scheme, energy bills and food prices are increasing. Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) also revealed that last year, the least well-off households in the capital spent, on average 60%, of their income on private rent. At the start of the pandemic, the government increased Local Housing Allowance to cover the bottom 30% of rents. However, Ms Ahmad said ministers must boost this further to encompass up to 50% of local rent levels, to prevent more families from falling into arrears to private landlords. Local London Assembly member, Marina Ahmad AM, said: “I am really concerned that it is going to be a very difficult winter for many lowincome and vulnerable households in Southwark, who could struggle to afford to put the heating on, or put enough food on the table. “Thousands in our community have been hit by the cut to Universal Credit and the end of the furlough scheme. On top of this, we are facing increasing energy bills and food prices. “The government simply must do more to stop people from falling below the poverty line. “The safety net needs to be strengthened, with the Universal Credit uplift reinstated and Local Housing Allowance increased to cover average rents. “Our economic recovery cannot be built upon so many in our community being levelled down.”
Southwark Council celebrates success at housing awards
Southwark Council recently celebrated the achievements of its development programme at the Inside Housing Development Awards ceremony.
The council won the Best Development Team in London Award, and William Cuffay House, a new council block in Walworth, was highly commended in the Best Affordable Housing Development under £10m category. Southwark Council has one of most ambitious council homes building programmes in London, aiming to start or deliver 2,500 new council homes by May 2022. Councillor Stephanie Cryan, cabinet member for council homes and homelessness, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with our success at the Inside Housing Development Awards and proud that the hard work of colleagues across the council to provide desperately-needed new council homes is being recognised. These awards are a fantastic achievement and will only spur us on to keep delivering truly affordable homes for our community.” The New Homes programme was judged on its performance over the past year, how the teams built relationships and worked with stakeholders, and how they ensured that residents’ needs were met.
William Cuffay House is a 17-unit council block that was completed in January 2021. The development was judged on how it meets local housing need, its design and sustainability features, and the tenure of the homes.
The extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover most of Southwark has been welcomed by London Assembly member, Marina Ahmad AM, as “one of the biggest public health interventions we have seen in London”.
The ULEZ has now been expanded to the North and South Circulars, covering an area eighteen times larger than before.
Motorists driving into and around the expanded zone could face a daily charge of £12.50 if their vehicles do not meet new emissions standards. For drivers of non-compliant buses, coaches and lorries, this charge increases to £100. Ms Ahmad said the extension will build upon the success of the Central London ULEZ, which was introduced in April 2019. In the lead up to the pandemic, alongside other measures taken by City Hall to improve air quality in the capital, the Central London ULEZ led to a 44% reduction in roadside nitrogen dioxide emissions and a 97% drop in the number of schools in areas where there are illegal levels of air pollution. A recent study has also showed that these interventions to tackle toxic air also contributed to a 50% reduction in the gap between the most and least deprived areas for exposure to harmful nitrogen dioxide emissions in 2019. Other research has projected that the ULEZ and the mayor’s other air quality policies will help to save the NHS £5 billion by preventing more than one million hospital admissions over the next three decades. Local London Assembly member, Marina Ahmad AM, said: “The extension of the ULEZ will spread the benefits of cleaner air for thousands more people in our borough. “Tackling air pollution is an urgent matter of social justice. We know it disproportionately impacts the health of Londoners from BAME backgrounds and poorer communities, contributing to 4,000 premature deaths each year in the capital alone.”
More than one million hires were made in September, with an average of 40,660 per day – a new record for the month.
Transport for London (TfL’s) flagship cycle hire scheme is continuing to go from strength for strength with its highest September hires in its 11-year history, as increasing numbers of Londoners returned to the office. There were 1,219,804 hires during the month, an average of 40,660 daily hires – well above the 37,917 average daily hires in September last year and the 32,323 average daily hires in the three Septembers prior to the pandemic.
Santander Cycles hits new milestone
Santander Cycles has enjoyed its best September ever as hires reached the highest level since the pandemic started.
Office workers returning after the summer holidays helped to contribute to the record September. During the month, TfL saw the highest volume of Santander Cycles commuter hires since March 2020, with an average 7,573 daily hires made between 07.00 and 10.00 on weekdays. Santander Cycles can be hired from as little as £2 a day for an unlimited number of 30-minute journeys. The scheme recently reached its latest milestone of 10 million hires via the Santander Cycles app. The free app is available on Apple and Android App Stores, by searching for Santander Cycles. Using the app lets customers skip past the terminal and get release codes sent directly to their phone, so they can hire their cycle more quickly and easily. David Eddington, TfL’s head of cycle hire, said: “We’re pleased to see Santander Cycles play a vital role in enabling people to return to work and it’s fantastic to reach yet another big milestone with 10 million hires made through the app.” Dan Sherwood, director of marketing at Santander UK, said: “Bringing innovation to the cycle hire scheme has been a key focus during our partnership with TfL so it’s fantastic that we’ve reached such a great milestone in the number of hires made through the app since its creation together.”
