Dear residents,
It is quite clear that we have had one of the most challenging years we have ever seen. Who was to know that we would experience the challenges of the Covid Pandemic? This means the focus of the Council has been on helping the residents of our Borough cope with extremely difficult circumstances. This included the rising rate of infections, lockdowns, impact to jobs and wages, isolation, increased care needs and much much more. I would say however, that the Council, and its staff, have gone above and beyond to respond to these difficult circumstances, and despite all this have continued to deliver vital front line services. In previous budgets it was agreed to increase our investment in our roads and pavements. This will continue with an additional £10million of capital expenditure to make sure the road and pavement improvement programme continues over the next two years. So far 60 miles of the worst roads and pavements have been improved since 2019, and this money makes sure that more residents will benefit from these improvements. There will be an extra £5m for new CCTV cameras across the Borough to replace the currently aging system. And funding of £300,000 will continue for six dedicated police officers to continue to respond to Havering specific issues. It has been great to see that the new Harrow Lodge leisure centre in Hornchurch has opened and for this year the budget proposals includes the necessary funding to open a new multimillion pound leisure centre in the South of the Borough at Rainham in 2022. The Council will still deliver weekly rubbish collections and street cleaning will be maintained at the current levels after seeing investment in the last budget. We know the parks in the Borough are very important to our residents, especially during the pandemic offering somewhere for residents to enjoy and get some much needed respite. They will see continued investment of £2 million. Last year two new green flags were won and the Council will make sure that the Borough’s parks and playing fields will remain great places for people to enjoy and exercise in. Our communities in the Borough will also see additional support which will see four new Local Area Coordinators being recruited for the Harold Hill, Rainham and South Hornchurch areas. The Council will continue to offer free parking on Sundays, free parking in on-street bays in Romford, Havering and Rainham, a 20% discount for all those using the online parking app and free parking to our key worker heroes. We will look at maintaining our status as one of the most efficient in the country and we will continue with the transformation of how the Council delivers services to the Borough’s communities with improved technology to offer 24/7 online access for residents. This includes continued improvement in technology so Council staff can better support residents. The Council will also look at how it uses it buildings and front line services such as libraries to make it easier for residents to access services. So it has been a challenging year for us, but I am pleased to say that our hard work over the years has paid off, and despite the challenge of dealing with Covid 19, the Council is in a good place to keep supporting residents making sure they get the services they need. Andrew Blake-Herbert, Chief Executive, London Borough of Havering
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