News in Brief - May 2008
Excercising your rights
Hackney voted with its feet on 1 May with one of the biggest election turnouts in years.
The Mayoral and London Assembly elections saw an increase of nearly 10 per cent in turnout across Hackney, Islington, and Waltham Forest, which make up the North East constituency. This represents nearly 44 per cent of the electorate, meaning 50,000 more people went to the polls compared to 2004.
Mayor of Hackney, Jules Pipe, said: “Exercising a right to vote is a cornerstone of society, and I am delighted that turnout has seen a steady increase in recent years.
“However, of course, more work needs to be done to improve this still further, to encourage more Hackney residents to participate in the democratic process at local, regional, and national levels.”
Hackney’s London Assembly member, Jennette Arnold, retained her seat, while Boris Johnson was elected as Mayor of London. For more information on the results of the 1 May elections, visit: http://results.londonelects.org.uk/Results/
Fashioning a future
Four Hackney students have beaten other hopefuls from 10 London boroughs to secure places among 22 finalists in a fashion design competition.
Ken-Q Lam from Cardinal Pole School, E9, Emily McShane from Our Lady’s School, N16, and Nancy Akrofie and Beauty Begum, both from Hackney Community College, in Shoreditch, will attend a summer workshop at Central St Martins College, WC1, where they will be able to turn designs created during Saturday workshops into real pieces. Their work will be given an airing at a catwalk show at the end of the summer.
Fashion Futures 2 aims to help young people build on their skills, and move into higher education or work. It is organised by educational charity Fashion Awareness Direct and funded by Aimhigher and the London Development Agency.
Prosecutions a sign of change
Illegal fly boarding received a further blow when the Council fined another estate agent.
Following the prosecution of Bentley and Bond, of Lauriston Road, E9, Courtneys in Kingsland Road, E8, was fined £2,750, plus £415.00 costs at Thames Magistrates Court on 28 April.
The firm pleaded guilty to putting six Let By and four Sold boards up outside properties in Hackney without the owners’ permission.
Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Corporate Director for Neighbourhoods and Regeneration at Hackney Council said: "Hackney Trading Standards has now prosecuted five estate agents over the past six months for hoax boarding offences and each were given substantial fines. It shows what a serious offence it is."
Hackney Trading Standards officers have also prosecuted Sovereign Estates, Keatons and Robert Alan Homes for similar offences.
More information
For more information, contact Hackney Trading Standards on: 020 8356 4929.
Influence the future of your town centres
There is still time for Hackney residents and businesses to have their say on the future of Hackney Central and Dalston town centres.
Due to significant public interest in plans for the two town centres, the Council is extending the pre-consultation period for comments until 30 May.
The Regeneration and Planning Division will be producing masterplans for each town centre looking at how the future development and growth in our town centres can be managed and coordinated, and how the streets and open spaces can be improved.
There is a display at Hackney Central Library about the Hackney Central masterplan and a display at CLR James Library about the Dalston masterplan.
More information
More information is available at: www.hackney.gov.uk/ep-policy-spd
Views can be sent via a questionnaire which can be downloaded from the page above. If you have any questions regarding the masterplans call: 020 8356 8038 for Hackney Central or: 020 8356 8196 for Dalston.
Homeless team top performance
Hackney's homelessness team has received a Government commendation for excellent customer service.
The Homelessness Assessment Team has been awarded the Charter Mark Standard for Customer Service Excellence, as part of a Cabinet Office scheme.
Council Chief Executive, Tim Shields, presented the team with their award during a special ceremony.
Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Corporate Director for Neighbourhoods, said:
“This award demonstrates the Council’s commitment to continually improving customer service.”
Following an inspection, the awarding body’s report noted that the team ‘recognises its position in the front line within the borough and discharges its responsibilities with integrity, professionalism and sensitivity’.
The Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government has also said that it will use the team's file management system as a model for other Council homelessness departments.
Giving back to the community
A group which spent a year working with young offenders is celebrating after members qualified as community volunteers.
During a 12-month course, the trainees met with young people and their families to discuss their behaviour, convictions, home life, and how they planned to stay out of trouble. The training programme is run by the Council’s Youth Offending Team (YOT), which works with teens who have offended or been involved in anti-social behaviour.
YOT staff trained the volunteers to be on Youth Offender Panels – which strive to stop first time offenders, aged 10 to 17, from committing further crimes.
Following the birth of her first child, Samia El-Ouali took the course because she wanted a change from her career in retail.
She said: “It was really good, informative, challenging and very beneficial. I didn’t know much about this field at all before the course, but it really increased my interest in working with young people.”
Samia has since gone on to secure a job as a Youth Advocate – advising young people with court orders about jobs, training and education.
Samia and fellow students were presented with NVQ Level 2 Certificates in Community Volunteering at a ceremony in Homerton Library on 11 March.
BAFTA late than never
Hackney born actress Dame Eileen Atkins is celebrating after winning her first BAFTA at the age of 73.
She was praised for her performance in the BBC period drama Cranford.
Ms Atkins, who was born in the Salvation Army Hospital in Clapton, beat co-star Dame Judy Dench to the coveted trophy.
It is the latest plaudit for her portrayal of buttoned up spinster Deborah Jenkyns in the acclaimed adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskill’s 19th century novel, which chronicles small town life in Victorian England.
Eileen Atkins is also one of the creators of classic 1970s ITV series Upstairs, Downstairs. Her co-author was Jean Marsh, another Hackney star, born and bred in Stoke Newington.
Marsh and Atkins also created the popular drama House of Elliot in the early 1990s.
Page updated: 29 May 2008