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Hello Everyone, I hope you had a good weekend so far, and it’s
been great to see some sunshine as we head into Spring. It’s still cold though!
This week at a meeting of cabinet, we agreed the
final Budget 2024/25 plans for the coming year, with some minor amendments as
the plan makes its way to Full Council on Thursday in the coming week! Our Local Investment for Fairness in Tough
Times Budget 2024/25 is about safeguarding the key services
for our residents, including those most vulnerable. It’s also about ensuring we
keep investing in all those important capital investments to improve our roads,
build houses and sustain Newham’s long-term future in these turbulent times. Our Budget 2024/25 plans will
protect essential frontline services, such as keeping our streets clean and pump
£15m into temporary accommodation in the face of an escalating housing crisis
because more and more people are being made homeless. As well as more adults
and children’s social care, we’ll be injecting a £5.4m boost for Special
Educational Needs. We’ve looked at all the council’s property assets and
identified some we can dispose of to boost the Council’s income
for core services to residents as well. Our budget plans in
the coming year will continue to meet those things that matter to you. This week, we launched our new Recycling,
Waste and Street Cleansing Strategy to reduce waste and make our
streets cleaner as part of our Just
Transition plan to
become
a carbon neutral council by 2030, and a net zero borough by 2045. The new
action plan will keep the momentum going on recent changes to the Council’s waste
management services which have boosted recycling rates by 25.6 percent while
decreasing fly-tipping by almost a third! We’ve got more to do, and we’re
committed to working with residents to keep Newham clean! As part of a series of meetings I have been
having with the traders suffering since Market Village in Stratford closed
abruptly in January, I met with them again this week. We are all frustrated by
the unwillingness of UNEX, the current landlord, to help support the traders during
this agonising time as they face the loss of their livelihoods. We’ll continue
to work with the traders to get UNEX to budge from their position as part of
campaigning plans. We must get UNEX to accept their responsibility in reopening
this vibrant 30-year-old market serving our residents in Newham for such a long
time. As we conclude 2024
LGBTQ+ Month
at Stratford Town Hall next Saturday 2nd March,
you can get a free ticket here for the
Queer Fest evening of storytelling and immersive cabaret. Until next week, stay well and take care!
Best wishes,
Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Follow what I am up to via X/Twitter: @rokhsanafiaz |
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Watch our documentary about the Greenway Pollinator Trail
The seven kilometre Greenway which winds through the centre of Newham has been transformed into a thriving Pollinator Trail.
Following the trail’s completion, we’ve released a short film titled Greenway Pollinator Trail, documenting the transformation of the traffic-free route, which includes four specially designed habitat areas for bees, butterflies, moths and other wildlife.
Thanks to the Mayor of London’s Rewild London Fund and support from our partners at Butterfly Conservation, Bumblebee Conservation Trust and London National Park City Rangers, you can watch the magic of the project unfold from start to finish!
Dive into the biodiversity and eco-havens of the Greenway Pollinator Trail > |
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| Free ballet lessons for Newham children
Now is the time to seize the moment as the English National Ballet is offering free ballet lessons for Newham children aged 9-12 at their state of the art ballet studio in Canning Town.
Ballet Club is offering Newham youngsters the chance to dance and create new moves with professional artists, while meeting dancers and creatives at English National Ballet. Children will discover more about life as a professional dancer, gain behind-the-scenes insights and create choreography to perform to family and friends on the final day.
It’s an exclusive offer for Newham children, it’s free and it’s local.
The Ballet Club runs from Friday 23 February. Booking is essential.
You can find more information about Ballet Club here > |
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There's still time to tell us what you think about multi-use sports PlayZones
We have been accepted into the Football Foundation’s PlayZone programme and now have the opportunity to apply for funding for new or refurbished multi-use outdoor pitches in six locations across the borough.
By Thursday 29 February, we would like you to: - Tell us what sports activities you would like to see in your area
- Tell us about your experiences of current local sports facilities
- Highlight any barriers you feel stop residents from engaging with physical activity
- Tell us how we can ensure PlayZones feel welcoming and accessible
Take the 5 minute multi-use PlayZones survey > |
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| UCL East Postgraduate Open Evening
Thinking about furthering your education or kickstarting your career?
Discover an innovative range of hands-on postgraduate degree programmes ranging from finance, built environment, media and engineering and more based locally in Stratford at the new UCL East campus on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
This free Open Evening on Wednesday 28 February, 5-7pm offers prospective postgraduate students the chance to meet world-renowned academics, explore brand new, innovative spaces, and chat to current UCL students at this global top ten university on your doorstep.
You can also find out more and learn whether you may be eligible for the UCL East London Scholarship, providing free tuition and a maintenance grant of £15,700.
Book your free space > |
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Construction begins for 147 affordable homes at Canning Town
Contractor Hill Group has now been appointed and is starting the main building works for the first 147 new genuinely affordable homes at Vincent Street on the Canning Town estate. The homes at Vincent Street will include 46% three, four and five family homes built at Passivhaus standards to create energy efficient homes with lower energy bills, available from 2027.
Vincent Street is the first phase of the wider Canning Town regeneration masterplan, being co-designed with residents to deliver a large amount of family homes along with open spaces, play spaces and energy efficient buildings, all of which will transform the neighbourhood.For any disruption issues, please email residents@hill.co.uk.
More information about the development > |
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Free lung health checks
If you are aged between 55 and 74, and have ever smoked, you may soon receive an invite for a free lung health check. This will find out how well your lungs are working and aims to rule out any serious conditions. Often, early problems with the lungs do not cause any symptoms, so it is important to attend, even if you are fit and healthy.
The action is part of the national NHS Targeted Lung Health Check Programme.
Find out more here >
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| Mental health support
Good Thinking is a free, digital mental health and wellbeing service that gives Londoners 24/7 access to tailored advice and NHS-approved resources.
There is a range of support available for those struggling with stress, anxiety, low mood, poor sleep and other mental health concerns. The service provides anonymous self-assessments and quick quizzes for tailored guidance and recommended resources, as well as access to free NHS-approved apps, advice, workbooks, podcasts and videos.
For more information about the service, and to access free support and resources, visit Good Thinking >
For further advice, help and support to maintain a healthy mind, visit Well Newham - Healthy Mind > |
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Copyright © 2023 London Borough of Newham, All rights reserved. |
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Our mailing address is: London Borough of Newham, Newham Dockside, 1000 Dockside Road, London, E16 2QU. |
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