Safer Stoke Newington

The latest Safer Stoke Newington newsletter from the police and the Community Safety Team at the Council is now out - you should have received your copy with Hackney Today last week (if not - let us know).

The newsletter can be downloaded here.

There are details about the Council's Neighbourhood Warden Service whose role it is to patrol our neighbourhood, report anti social behaviour and investigate other neighbourhood issues such as dumped rubbish.

The newsletter also outlines how crime has fallen by 13% since 2005 in Stoke Newington. Look out for the 'X Marks the Spot' postcard that came with the newsletter where you can report any local anti social behaviour issues to the local police.

Orchard planting on Somerford Estate

Local resident Robin Grey organised the planting of an orchard on Somerford Estate over the weekend - apple trees, a pear tree, a plum tree and a mulberry tree were planted by happy volunteers.

The project was funded by the Play pathfinder - new play areas are being built on the estate at the moment.

Having never planted a tree before it was fascinating to see how it was done - congratulations to all involved!

Recycle on the go

An earlier post mentioned our record level of recycling - we're all helping to get our recycling rate up even more and have reached 27% earlier this year.

As part of our ongoing attempts to make it easier and better for everyone to recycle, the council is going to trial recycling bins in busy areas of Hackney as 60 new bins are put on the streets. The new bins, which collect recyclables at one end and litter at the other, allow passers-by to recycle their newspapers, drinks cans, cartons, glass and plastic bottles, at the same time as disposing of general waste.

More information on recycling can be found here - including information on what you can recycle in your home.

New licence application

Cafe Mostra, 86 Stoke Newington High Street has put in an application for:

Live music, recorded music, performance of dance, making music, facilities for dance, entertainment of similar description and supply of alcohol from 08:00-23:00 daily.

The deadline for representations is 25th March.

If you wish to make a representation these must address the licensing objectives:
• prevention of crime and disorder
• prevention of public nuisance
• public safety
• the protection of children from harm

Representations can be made in writing to The Licensing Service, 263 Mare Street, London, E8 3HT or by emailing licensing@hackney.gov.uk.

Community safety day - this Saturday

The Hackney Community Engagement Board is holding a Community Safety Open Day tomorrow at Stoke Newington Town Hall (from 10am-4pm).

The event will give residents the chance to come and meet the wide and diverse services who work to make Hackney a safer place to live, work and visit.

If you're worried about anything related to crime or safety in our area then this is an opportunity to get information and advice. There will be stalls from: Hackney Police Safer Neighbourhood teams, Hackney Fire Brigade, Hackney Council’s Noise Nuisance, Trading Standards and Community Safety teams, RSPCA, Crown Prosecution Service, Hackney Probation Service, the Domestic Violence and Hate Crime team, and representatives from the voluntary and community sector.

The Hackney Community Engagement Board (CEB) is funded by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and it aims to provide a resident-led forum with the opportunity to meet those responsible for policing and community safety in Hackney.

Hackney Homes and anti social behaviour

Hackney Homes have published a contract in their latest magazine to residents about how they respond to anti social behaviour. From the complaints we receive from residents, we know that anti social behaviour can have a massive impact on people's lives and that it can be frustrating and slow getting effective action to be taken.

Please do let us know you have any problems with anti social behaviour on your estate and we can help to take this up with Hackney Homes. You can also report ASB through the local housing office; online at www.hackneyhomes.org.uk, texting 07527 385603 or calling the out of hours helpline on 020 8356 3310.

When you report ASB, you can expect:

• An acknowledgment letter within three working days
• An invitation for an interview within five working days
• An action plan for resolving the complaint within 12 working days
• Monthly reviews of your case and regular contact updating you on progress

For more serious acts of ASB, you can expect:

• An acknowledgment within 24 hours
• An invitation to an interview with 24 hours
• An action plan within 12 working days
• Regular monthly reviews and contact.

More information online here.

Fed up with no North London Line? Get on your bike!

With the North London Line closed until the end of May, Hackney Council has been encouraging more people to get on their bikes.

It takes just 15 mins to cycle from Hackney Central to Highbury & Islington; and 20 mins from Hackney Central to Stratford (with 40% of the journey off road along the Greenway and through Victoria Park.

With free cycle lessons and a free map of cycling routes - what further incentive do you need? Find out more here.

Did you meet Ken Livingstone yesterday on Church Street?

Yesterday, Ken Livingstone visited Stoke Newington Church Street.

He came to show his support for Labour's team for Stoke Newington Central: Cllr Rita Krishna, Cllr Louisa Thomson and Susan Fajana-Thomas, as well as letting local residents know about our campaign against Boris Johnson's bus fare hikes.

Shoppers and passers by on Church Street took the time to stop and talk to Ken - we've set up a Flickr site. If you're in any of the pictures and want a copy - let us know.

Labour's Budget for Hackney

On Wednesday at the Town Hall, Labour's Budget for 2010/11 was agreed by the Council.

The good news is that council tax will be frozen for the fifth year in a row. Hackney's council tax is now below the London average and is the only council in the country to have five years in a row with no rise in council tax.

By running the Council more efficiently Hackney has made savings of more than £40 million during the past five years, the highest amount in London according to recent Government figures, and the third highest in the country. This has allowed consistent investment in those services that matter most to residents - with no cuts to frontline services.

During a lively Full Council meeting where the budget was debated, we also confirmed that there will be investment in the following areas:

• £66m on keeping our streets clean, waste and recycling services - including specific investment in improving recycling on estates with new containers which will allow residents to recycle a wider range of materials and extra investment into graffiti removal, and weekday litter picking
  
• £25m on safer neighbourhoods - working with partners to reduce crime and anti social behaviour across the borough
  
• £5.2m on parks and green spaces - to build on our record of 9 green flag parks across Hackney. We will also be refurbishing toilets in all our parks.
  
• £72m on children and young people's services - as well as £5m from the Myplace project which will bring new state of the art youth centres across the borough
• £186.7m on education - with £170m over the next five years going into the next phases of the Building Schools for the Future programme
  
• Investment in adult social care to provide an additional 5000 hours of homecare to support vulnerable residents in Hackney in their own homes
• £500k into a new library in Dalston
• Further investment in cycle training programmes, road safety improvements, car clubs, electric charging points and street decluttering
  

All the budget documents are publicly available here.

There have been some misleading reports in a local free newspaper about budget cuts - we'd like to reassure you that this is not the case - these are different economic times, but due to managing the Council's finances well, we're able to freeze council tax and continue to invest in key services.

Local policing priorities for our ward

The Community Advisory Panel meeting for Stoke Newington Central is tonight at 7pm in Somerford Grove Community Hall.

Come along and have your say in setting the policing priorities of our local Safer Neighbourhood Team for the coming months. There will also be an officer from the Council's Planning Department to answer questions about venues and planning enforcement in the area.

More details about our team here.