Women’s Walk and Talk

Meet on 23. March 2022 at 11AM at Globe Town market for a Women’s Walk and Talk. With local police officers, Tower Hamlets support officers and Cllr Sirajul Islam, as well as a member of the SNT Ward Panel for Bethnal Green. Men welcome.

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.

 

Advertisement

Petition to save Raine’s Foundation School

Raine’s Foundation, Church of England Secondary School, opened this brand-new building 4 years ago.

Please sign the online petition to save Raine’s Foundation school from closure. There has also been a new article in the East London Advertiser newspaper, in which Councillor Rabina Khan and former Chelsea footballer Micky Ambrose support the school.

Local Labour councillors support the closure of the school because of falling pupil numbers*. Yet why is it possible for the local education authority to transfer pupils to Oaklands but not pupils from other schools to Raine’s Oaklands school would have to extend the school by more forms.

There was no proper transparency in the flawed procedures and pupils and parents have been needlessly shocked by sudden anouncements of closure, and that is happening whilst pupils have to sit their GCSE exams.

A formal council consultation will open in June, please take part and protest against the closure.

The school building in Approach Road is brand new and state of the art, yet the representative from the Diocese refused to answer questions asking what is to happen to this building.

15/5/19, would like to add to this article, that, when I came through the Victoria Park today, I saw a number of Raine’s Foundation pupils returning to school from their Physical Education lesson. Raine’s Foundation pupils are priviledged that they are so near a park and still have green space to use for PE. The park is also used by Gatehouse private school nearby. There are schools in Tower Hamlets which have no playground at all.

Today I have received a reply to my enquiry to our member of parliament, the Hon. Rushanara Ali, who passed my query on to the Mayor, who already, earlier on ensured me personally that he will be looking into this, whilst our local labour councillor Sirajul Islam agrees with labour councillor Danny Hassell that the school needs closing.

*Councillor Hassell gives as one of his reasons for closure that the school had been found twice to be in need of improvement. I suppose if all schools in Britain would be shut because they are found to be in need of improvement twice, we would have fewer schools than now.

Drug and crime related ASB meeting

The date when the London Borough of Hackney and Tower Hamlets formally joined in a common policing administration, incidentally also was a date of a multi-SNT panel meeting at the Glasshouse. The three wards of Bethnal Green, St. Peters and Weavers were represented. A further meeting is planned in 3 months time.

The meeting was very well attended and the hall was filled to the brim. In attendance were non other than Mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs and our local councillor and Deputy Mayor Sirajul Islam, Cllr Eve McQuillan, Cllr. John Pierce, Cllr. Asma Islam with support from London Assembly member Unmesh Desai. Further representatives of our local SNT team were present as well as officers from local housing providers.

The discussion ranged around budget pressures for the police, Anti-social behaviour and what can be done about it.

The minutes of the meeting were sent to the representatives of our Residents Association if anyone has an interest in seeing them.

There is a strong desire to rid the borough of drug dealing and related crimes, which is often expressed in gang related activity, also rough sleeping is attributed to drug related behaviour.

The main emphasis conveyed to the general public was collect evidence, forward it to Tower Hamlets Homes ASB team, your local SNT team or 101. Of course when a crime is in process always call 999.

So far, through “Operation Continuum” which was carried out in waves of house searches throughout the borough, 160 people have been arrested and around 60 have been given jail sentences.

 

Residents benefit

Currently residents benefit from a host of people trying to improve our lives.

The Housing Department’s regular repair inspections take place monthly and Mr Mohammed Jowardhar is either accompanied by Martin Shortis and or me, Johanna Kaschke, Chair of the Parkview Neighbourhood Watch and possibly some other persons who may join in as they wish. The dates for the inspections are advertised in all display boxes.

Additionally we have the Parkview TRA that just recently appointed new block reps. Ann Edmead has adopted Mark House and wants to hold regular surgeries at the Glasshouse, which I (J Kaschke) plan to attend whenever I can especially to cater for all aspects of crime and antisocial behaviour in the block.

On the 15 July 2009 at the town hall petitions are going to be represented by Stephanie Eaton (Liberal Democrat) and me (J Kaschke) to get funding for the Glasshouse Community Centre.

If more people put regular pressure onto the repairs services and / or housing services we should be able to speed up the long overdue entry doors for Mark and Sidney House.

I am currently also lobbying Tower Hamlets Homes to provide extra recycling containers for Mark and Sidney House as they were overflowing last Saturday already.