repair service is getting worst.

One of our residents in the ground floor is constantly having problems with drain blocckage when it rains hard for a while.

Whilst just on New Years day a drain in the bath completely blocked, which also affects all waste water from the kichen, the repairs service does nothing to fix the situation. They sent a man with a large palstic plunger, which didn’t help, than a man with a drill, that couldn’t go around the bends of pipes from the kitchen to the bathroom. The tenant has been told they can still use the bathroom sink, to do

• washing
• washing up
• laundry
• personal hygiene
• and all other things you need to do.

Apparently even the washing machine is connected to the same wastepipe as the bath, so that kitchen sink, washing machine waste flows into the bath/shower, making them unusable and THH wants to leave the tenant waiting for 9 days to have this repaired.

This is intolerable as the tenant is elderly with arthritis problems.

The councillor Eve McQuillan promised to contact Head of Repairs but why should we have to go to that lenght to get a blockage removed that is not due to negligence by the tenant?

Obviously the architecture of the block is complicated and out-dated and makes it very difficult to carry out repairs. A kitchen unit has been built in by the landlord to cover the waste pipes, which now needs a carpenter to remove to carry out pipe repairs.

Who suffers the endeffect? The resident.

St. George’s swimming pool

There is an ongoing petition to help St. George’s swimming pool re-open. St. George’s is used by many schools in the borough. My daughter won a gold medal there in the primary schools’ yearly borough championships, in which also Gatehouse pupils take part.

Please support this petition.

Primary school pupils at the yearly borough competitions

Door functionality

After writing to councillors, MP and THH, to alert them to design features of the new doors, THH have now confirmed that they will speak with AD about options. Our local Member of Parliament Rushanara Ali has also confirmed she is supporting this issue.

Fight to save Raines Foundation Secondary School continues at Call-In Meeting Tuesday 18th February 6.30 p.m.

The local community won’t stop fighting for our local Church of England Secondary school located in Approach Road, just around the corner from our estate.

We have a few pupils from local families attending and we would all be very sad to see the school close.

The Mayor has decided on the closure on 29. January 2019 but two members of the Childrens and Education Sub-committee Scrutiny Panel, Dr. Phillip Rice and Councillor Ahmed Hussain, have called in the decision.

Any member of the public can attend this meeting at the Town Hall.

As your parent representative on the Steering Group, you may contact me with your concerns about the planned closure via the contact page.

Parents are concerned that the planned amalgamation is not going ahead as thought because the Lower School building is as yet not available for Oaklands pupils to use. Parents need to make their preferences available by 28. February.

I would be very happy if the planned closure was cancelled.

Source: Fight to save Raines Foundation Secondary School continues at Call-In Meeting Tuesday 18th February 6.30 p.m.

Worrying breakdown in local services

I have never experienced such a breakdown in local services.

1. Our local secondary school, Raine’s Foundation is under threat of closure
2. 2. Our local GP, The Mission Practise is refusing* to give patients appointments.
3. The London Chest Hospital was closed some time ago.

Taking this as a sign of a reduction in local services, residents should be concerned and make enquiries to their local Member of Parliament, their Councillor and perhaps the Mayor of Tower Hamlets as to why our local services are not delivering the care our community needs.

*Online appointments are normally not available and when ringing, one can not get an advance appointment all times.

local health services

I am writing to ask residents wether they have problems getting GP appointments or other local health services.

Health services are very important for our community and when I was told by my GP, with whom I am registered since a very long time, that they do nto have any appointments at all, I found that very concerning.

Situations like that call for formal complaints. If any other residents have problems of that sort, please complain and raise the issue with a local councillor.

Meeting with Mayor John Biggs

Old Ford Road residents meeting

Please come along to St James the Less Church Hall on 25th June
from 7-9pm to hear from the Mayor and Council officials about
local traffic and environmental issues affecting Old Ford Road…

Attending from London Borough of Tower Hamlets:

• Mayor John Biggs
• Cllr Sirajul Islam, Statutory Deputy Mayor & Cabinet Member for Housing
• Cllr David Edgar, Cabinet Member for the Environment
• Cllr Ahbab Hossain, Ward member for Bethnal Green
• Cllr Dan Tomlinson, Ward Member for Bromley North
• Margaret Cooper, Head of Engineering for Public Realm
• Dan Jones, Divisional Director for Public Realm

Agenda:

1. Improving the quality of life in Tower Hamlets/Bethnal Green – the bigger picture
   1. Update on the “Neighbourhood Refresh” (walkabout September 2018)
   2. Air Quality – implementation of the Tower Hamlets Air Quality Action Plan
   3. Resident engagement consultation
2. Old Ford Road – general update/overview
   1. Update on the LBTH road improvement scheme
   2. Transport for London proposals for the Hackney to Isle of Dogs Cycling and Walking improvements – potential knock-on effect on Old Ford Road
3. Old Ford Road – specific issues/proposals
   1. Incidents of accidents since the scheme’s introduction
   2. 20 mph speed enforcement
   3. Buses – speeding, safety
   4. Cycling – provision for safe cycling on Old Ford Road
   5. Trees and greening of the road
4. OFR FLyer 250619 final[34580]

For further information please contact john.griffiths@rocketsciencelab.co.uk (No.134)

Please click OFR FLyer 250619 final[34580]to see the flyer.

 

Protest at Raine’s Foundation

To up-date there are going to be consultation meetings at the following locations and dates:

1. PARENTS CONSULTATION MEETING 19TH JUNE – OAKLANDS SCHOOL – 6PM
2. OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY MEETING – 25TH JUNE – 6pm TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL, MULBERRY PLACE, TOWN HALL, 5 CLOVE CRESCENT, LONDON E14 2BG
3. PARENTS CONSULTATION MEETING – 26TH JUNE – 6pm RAINES

Please also note that the Raine’s Foundation Trust does not support the closure of the school and has never agreed to it. The Council had been asked in writing to remove the false references to the Raine’s Foundation Trust supporting the closure from the Consultation document.

Show your support to

See local press report about the protest

• save our local Secondary School Raine’s Foundation from closure and
• support the students
• support the teachers and staff of the school.

Venue: Raine’s Foundation Upper School, Approach Road, London E2

Time: 3-5pm      Date: Friday, 14. June 2019

Also it is impressed upon parents and supporters to complain directly to Ofsted and the Secretary of State for Education.

1. Please send your email of complaint to enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk and mark it for the attention of Daniel Burton HM Inspector to say you are very unhappy and shocked that after his own positive inspection of Raines in 2018 you are now shocked to learn that 4 months later Tower Hamlets are closing the school or words to that affect without a parents evening or public consultation etc
2. Please send your email of complaint to Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds regarding Tower Hamlets decision to close Raines email address is damian.hinds.mp@parliament.uk ( our local councillors with the exception of Andrew and Rabina, don’t seem to want to know.)

3. also to complain to Ofsted send email to enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk and mark it for the attention of Daniel Burton HM Inspector.

Oaklands school apology about bad behaviour of pupils

I have seen and heard many complaints on Facebook and personally that Oaklands pupils are very unwelcoming and swear at Raine’s visitors to keep them away. It is hard to understand that Ofsted still thinks that Oaklands is an excellent school without inspecting them further.

Also a recent article points out that Oaklands pupils bought and drank alcohol before school.

4. An online petition is still open to sign.

Further reference from East London Lines.

new concrete factory near Olympic Park proposal

Currently school children in Tower Hamlets already suffer 10% less lung capacity due to air quality in the borough. Please sign a petition against a concrete factory.

As Sewardstone Road and Old Ford Road are feeder roads towards the East, any more traffic congestion in Bow through concrete lorries will affect the traffic through our estate and make things worst.

A recent application to built a concrete and asphalt factory in Bow Common had been refused after extensive protests but now there is a very similar application to try again.

Everybody commuting in the borough will have suffered from severe traffic delays, due to concrete lorries coming out of the current concrete distributor in Wick Lane, they are near the Bow Flyover. A Conrete Factory will cause more delays and severely reduce air quality in the borough.

Therefore please support a petition

Step the Concrete Factories next to the Olympic Park and rezone the site from being SIL has been launched by the Tower Hamlets Extinction Rebellion. Please sign.

Residents meeting

Yesterday’s residents meeting was very well attended and I would like to thank all those who contributed to the discussion. Councillor Sirajul Islam also came and enriched the meeting, which was very well led by our chair Cathrine Powell.

People are invited to participate in groups around

• cycle storage
• gardening

There is a particular green conscience with residents suggesting a green belt with fruit trees and shrubs. Any bare spots on the estate can be planted up, please get in touch.

There are still problems remaining from the botched Mayor Works program, please contact our Residents Association with your comments about this.

Recycling rates should be increased and more efforts need to be made to put the correct items into the recycling bins.

Support was pledged to keep Raine’s Foundation school open.

Please also see our ASB page for advice on how to report problems.

Please go to our contact page to get in touch if interested. You may also request addition to the Residents Association mailing list.