News

It has been announced that H.M. The Queen, with the Duke of Edinburgh, will visit Redbridge as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

The visit to Valentines Mansion and Gardens will take place on Thursday 29th March.

Redbridge has the honour to be the first stop on the Queen's U.K. tour to mark her 60 years on the throne.

National Apprenticeship Week runs from 6th to 10th of February.

Businesses thinking of offering apprenticeships can find out more by calling the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600 or visiting the website at:-

www.apprenticeships.org.uk

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the collapse of City Gates Christian Centre in Clements Road, Ilford.

The so-far unexplained incident happened shortly after construction workers had finished work for the day.

A five hour operation took place whilst rescue teams searched the site and a police helicopter used thermal imaging equipment to look for anyone who may have been trapped Fortuitously, there was only one minor injury plus damage to five parked cars caused by debris.

Some 68.5% of Redbridge GCSE students achieved five A* to C grades including Maths and English last year, which is 9.6% above the national average.

However, GCSE results for the borough were slightly down on the 69.3% achieved in the previous year.

A full breakdown is available at:-

www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance

Make cloud-computing part of your business and you could save money, attract new business and reduce your carbon footprint.

If you are an SME in London (with up to 250 employees,) Global Action Plan is offering free training and support to help you benefit from greener ICT.

You will receive a review of your ICT infrastructure, a full day workshop on cloud-computing such as Google+ and access to resources and business networks.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FREE GREEN ICT SUPPORT AND TO BOOK YOUR PLACE:-

e-mail monica.niermann@greenict.org.uk or

call 07738 608961

Places on the programme are strictly limited so please register your interest by Friday 10th February 2012 to secure your place.

Workshops dates are in February and March 2012.

The Borough of Redbridge won £3,000 after taking fifth place in the New Year's Day Parade with a Diamond Jubilee inspired float.

Conditional offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities had been made to seven pupils at Chigwell School, High Road, Chigwell.

Borough Commander Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Williams believes that two police stations in Redbridge will face closure.

The closures would come from Wanstead and Woodford police stations and the police base at Chadwell Heath.

Mrs. Williams believes there will be police station closures across the Met Police area, including Redbridge. A review by the Met of all front offices is under way.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson's Outer London Fund has distributed £32 million to outer London boroughs to boost their high streets and improve lives but Redbridge was not included.

Ilford Town Centre applied for more than £1.7 million to fund a number of projects.

A £2 million bid to regenerate Barkingside was also turned down.

A total of 18 London boroughs successfully gained funding including the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Waltham Forest.

A request has been made by the London Borough of Redbridge for further information and for a meeting at which the Outer London Commission, which administers the fund, can be questioned as to their decision.

Redbridge Council is piloting the FreeSpace scheme which is designed to help older homeowners downsize.

Homeowners without a mortgage will be able to move to smaller accommodation without having to sell their property.

Proposals to be presented to the council's cabinet in February include:-

* The offer to older homeowners of high standard sheltered or one-bedroom social housing in Redbridge.

* Social housing in another part of the country if homeowners wish to be nearer relatives.

* Private rented accommodation in Redbridge on a long lease.

The vacated property would be rented to a family with the rental income being passed to the homeowners. The council would take on landlord responsibilities.

Redbridge crime figures for 2011 published by the Metropolitan Police show an overall increase.

Violence against the person and motor vehicle crime fell but home burglaries were up by almost 15%.

Compared to 2010, cases of robbery, rape and other sexual offences were up by between 12 and 20%.

A full breakdown can be seen at:-

www.met.police.uk/crimefigures

Our Chairman Geoff Hill has attended a budget consultation, representing Redbridge Chamber.

The Council intends to save £3m and will carry out some restructuring. At this early stage it appears there will be little to affect local business.

It is planned that the Council's tendering process will be made more accessible to local businesses via the council website and Redbridge-i.

The reduction in small business rates is a government decision and will continue this year as far as is known, but its long-term future is undecided.

Local businesses should try to find out all that they can about the likely disruptions, especially in transport infrastructure, during the Olympic period, which is around eight weeks in the summer.

London & Regent Construction's project on two new towers off Ilford Hill is nearing its end.

As at mid-January, more than 200 people are working on site to complete 294 apartments and commercial units.

It has yet to be announced how the one and two-bedroom apartments can be acquired and on what basis they will be made available but a spokesman for London & Regent said the company is in positive dialogue with tenants for the commercial units.

Ilford town centre management and Redbridge Council have launched a project designed to maximise the benefit to the town centre of the 2012 Olympics.

A report on proposals from the Ilford Business Improvement District will be submitted to the council's cabinet in February.

Large screens will be sited in strategic town centre locations. Other events will include an international food market, live music, dancing and sport-themed activities.

Proposals by farmer David Fowler for an Olympic campsite close to Fairlop station have been turned down by Redbridge Council.

The original proposals included more than 4,000 tents, giant screens, food stalls and a marquee with a bar and entertainment.

A council spokesman commented that if Mr. Fowler had consulted officers prior to submitting his application, he would have received appropriate support and advice.

The plans will now be revised and resubmitted, which the council has said will be dealt with as a priority.

Former Labour leader Cllr. Muhammed Javed will succeed Cllr. Chris Cummins in May.

Cllr. Javed has served as a councillor in Ilford for 30 years and will become Redbridge's first Labour mayor-elect for 10 years.

The Borough of Redbridge is making three bids to City Hall for grants totalling £4.6 million.

Cabinet has approved match-funding a £200,000 bid for Barkingside.

The other two bids are for the River Roding Valley flood protection scheme and for Ilford Town Centre.

Cabinet members have approved budget proposals that will see council tax frozen for the third year running.

This has been made possible through a reduction in costs by Redbridge Council, efficiency improvements in council services, and a one-off government grant given to councils that do not increase their council tax.

Redbridge Council has joined forces with over 30 organisations in a bid to address youth unemployment by providing young people with opportunities to develop their skills and find work.

The latest training opportunities, job vacancies and volunteering provisions are can be seen at the website:-

www.redbridge.gov.uk/workredbridge

or at the Connexions Centre, Cranbrook Road, Ilford.

Redbridge Council officials are to have meetings with phone companies in March to discuss proposals to erect an additional 26 communication masts in the borough.

Wanstead and Snaresbrook are the only areas where no new masts are planned.

Following discussion by Councillors on the 12th of January, the plans are now open to public consultation.

Teams of uniformed officers funded by Transport for London have carried out patrols on trains and buses across Redbridge as part of a partnership between the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police to crack down on thieves.

As part of the Don't Give Them an Inch campaign, tips on how to keep valuables safe are available at www.btp.police.uk/pickpockets.

Recommendations include:-

* keeping belongings in a zipped bag
* never using a back pocket for valuables
* holding your ticket so you do not have to open a bag to find it

Redbridge College, Barley Lane, will be hosting an advice night on 25th January.

A Connexions career adviser, teaching staff and current students will be on hand to provide tips on college life, courses and careers.

The free event will run from 4.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m.

www.redbridge-college.ac.uk

The Executive Committee of Redbridge Chamber of Commerce would like to offer seasons greetings to all Chamber members and wish everyone a very prosperous new year.

The Chamber centenary diaries have now been published and will be distributed in early January.

A six year old boy, Mukund Soni, has won the world's most expensive mince pie worth £3,000 in a raffle at The Marvellous Mince Pie Manufactory at The Exchange shopping centre in Ilford.

The pie was created by a luxury food designer using a 17th century recipe, Victorian moulds and modern-day technology. Andrew Stellitano used vanilla beans and cinnamon from eastern spice markets, then brushed the pie with eggnog and gilded it with platinum leaf, dusting the pie with ambergris sugar - a bile excreted by sperm whales that sweetens over many years floating on the ocean.

At the centre of the pie is a 99% platinum coin worth £600.

The StartUp Britain campaign shines a spotlight on the vast array of business support that is available online.

The eight founding sponsors - AXA, Barclays, Dell, Intel, Intuit, PayPal, Microsoft and MITIE - all offer business support and discounts to entrepreneurs across the UK.

Visit the campaign's website at:-

www.startupbritain.org

to discover offers that are available for you to take advantage of today!

Representing Redbridge Chamber, Executive Member Mike Crocker attended the Redbridge Strategic Partnership's Annual Conference, "Community Safety Matters: Challenges and Opportunities".

The conference took place on Wednesday 7th December 2011 from 9.00am to 1.30pm at The Jack Carter Pavilion, Fencepiece Road, Ilford, Essex IG6 2JL.

The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for partners and key stakeholders work together to make Redbridge a better place to live, work and invest.

The theme for the event was community safety. The conference highlighted how partners can work better together to create a safer Redbridge and focused on a number of community safety issues including the impact of the recent unrest on communities and businesses, supporting vulnerable victims, engage better with our young people to drive forward the future of the borough and address the opportunities and challenges of the forthcoming 2012 Olympic games.

The event also highlighted the achievements of the partnership over the past year and its priorities for the coming year. The programme included an excellent line up of speakers and workshops.

The Celebration of Life for Julie Woodward took place on the 22nd of November at the Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford.

Over a hundred people were in attendance, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Redbridge.

Members of Julie's family travelled from Ireland to be at the event.

Julie's brother, Edward Murphy, from west Cork, was the first speaker. He said "If Julie had a fulfilled and happy, organised life, it was due to all of you people here and others not here".

Other speakers were Mike Crocker on behalf of Redbridge Chamber of Commerce, Jan Scott, Chairman of Victim Support Redbridge, Arthur Leggatt, Chairman of Governors of Grove Primary School, Cllr. Thomas Chan from Redbridge Council, and Linda Porter, a former colleague of Julie's at Britannia Music.

Julie's daughter Nicola read a poem.

The event concluded with some words from Julie's widower, Ray, to whom she had been married for 53 years.

According to a survey by the Office for National Statistics, there are more than 15 applications for every vacancy in Redbridge.

Our Chairman, Geoff Hill, said the situation was exacerbated by high inflation levels and problematic parking issues. He said "It's a bad time for small businesses and it's a bad time for people who want to find work, but we know Redbridge Council is doing a lot to create jobs and make it easier for people to spend their money, for example listening on the parking consultation."

Redbridge Council has received plans outlining a proposal for 4,000 tents on 25 acres of land at Forest Farm, Barkingside, for the duration of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The site is only a short distance from Fairlop tube station.

David Fowler, whose family has farmed the land since 1892, has already spoken to neighbours who want to sell ice cream and drinks. He is also hoping to involve local bands and comedians to provide entertainment.

People staying on the site would be able to watch Olympic events on big screens. A bar would be open from 12 noon until 11 p.m.

The proposals are being considered by the Council.

The Find It Here magazine, established in September 2010, is the latest directory of local businesses and community events.

Find It Here is designed to help local businesses promote their services to the local community - which is important because local businesses are so often owned by local residents. Recent studies show that approximately half of business turnover from small retailers is returned to the local community.

The magazine carries editorials and information that local people can relate to, news about local events and organisations, competitions and special offers.

Please check the Find It Here website at www.find-it-here.co.uk

Marc Meyers, Manager of the Exchange, Ilford, is confident that shoppers will continue to visit their local town centre despite competition from the recently opened £1.45 billion Westfield in Stratford City.

The Exchange has recently undergone a £10 million revamp.

Mr. Meyers believes shoppers will appreciate that Westfield offers a totally different proposition to Ilford town centre.

Since the opening of Primark in May 2011, the town centre has seen an additional 20,000 shoppers per week.

The Institute of Directors has published the following article intended to give advice to businesses on social media policies.

WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

Thanks to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, your employees are communicating with the outside world on a regular basis. But do you know what they are saying and is it good for business?

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

A social media policy educates your employees and sets down the ground rules. There are many examples of employees making comments on social media such as Facebook and Twitter that have brought firms into disrepute.

You could face legal action if comments made in your company’s name break the law. Social media is covered by exactly the same laws that govern comments printed in a newspaper or even spoken in the street. These include any criminal offence such as libel or inciting racial hatred, for example.

Another problem area is cyber bullying by employees. You can run the risk of an employee making a claim against the company, especially if managers at the firm are also a social media contact of the employee that had done the bullying.

CAN'T I TRUST MY EMPLOYEES TO DO THE RIGHT THING?

Many employees are naïve about social media -they think that their posts and tweets are only being read by friends. Comments on social media sites can spread very quickly and leak out into the wider world. People’s friends on Facebook often aren’t really their friends, they are contacts - you can’t always trust them.

HOW CAN A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY PROTECT ME AND WHAT SHOULD IT INCLUDE?

A social media policy can give a firm a benchmark so it can enforce the policy. Employers need to set out what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, so that they have a case if someone breaches the policy. Explain that employees must behave professionally and that they should not mix personal and business. They must not post comments about the company that do not represent the views of that firm or that could bring it into disrepute - even if they are tweeting or blogging in their own time. Abusive comments about the company you work for, for example, are abusive comments in law.

WHAT ABOUT CONFIDENTIALITY IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY?

A social media policy should make clear that employees must not release confidential information about the business, such as the names of customers, without authority from a senior manager.

MY STAFF NETWORK ON LINKEDIN UNDER OUR COMPANY NAME - WHO OWNS THE CONNECTIONS?

Any connections made on a site like LinkedIn by an employee during the course of business could well belong to the business. This is an issue you should clarify in your policy document from the start.

SHOULD I SHOW MY SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY TO A LAWYER?

It is a good idea to get a lawyer to check your social media policy to ensure you are adequately protected.

DOES MY SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY HAVE TO BE A LONG DOCUMENT?

It does not have to be long and complicated. The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC), for instance, has come up with just four guidelines:

Do not mix the professional and the personal in ways likely to bring the ABC into disrepute.
Do not undermine your effectiveness at work.
Do not imply ABC endorsement of your personal views.
Do not disclose confidential information obtained through work.


FURTHER INFORMATION:

Business Information Service can supply further guidance on the use of social media by employees including model policy documents. Call 020 7451 3100 or email businessinfo@iod.com.
Directors' Law Express
Directors' Advisory Service
IoD blog - How is business using social media?
IoD LinkedIn networking group
Previous hot topic: Get staff using social media to your benefit
Read the social media policies of other companies on the Social Media Governance website
Discover the three must-haves in a social media policy on the Social Media Today website

Redbridge Council has warned shoppers to beware of buying counterfeit designer goods. In recent months Trading Standards officers have received complaints from residents about goods they have purchased which appear to be counterfeit.

The Trading Standards Institute has a genuine seller website at www.brand-i.org and residents can contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.

Trading Standards have also seen a sharp rise in enquiries and complaints from residents who have been contacted by sales people offering very cheap intruder alarm systems. The companies usually cold call at doors or on the phone and say they are recommended by the police and Council. They offer a system for a small amount of money but then tie customers into a rip-off service contract that lasts for years.

The advice to residents is not to sign anything but to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 and let them know the circumstances. A list of Trading Standards approved contractors can be found at www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or by calling 020 8554 5000.

Redbridge Police has shown its commitment to neighbourhood policing after confirming that each of the Borough's wards will keep a dedicated Police team following a pan-London shake up.

The met-wide review of Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) was ordered as police chiefs sought ways to keep down costs in light of funding cuts to the public sector. The final decision will see each of the Borough's wards continue to benefit from its own dedicated SNT although there will be changes to their supervision.

Each SNT will continue to consist of at least two PCs and three PCSOs but as part of the shake up, some of the Borough's SNTs will share a Sergeant in order to keep supervision costs down.

Two new businesses have recently joined Redbridge Chamber:-

HUGGINS & LEWIS FOSKETT, based in George Lane, South Woodford, a combination of firms that have been providing legal services since 1921.

Their aim is to ensure that clients do not lose the personal contact which is the hallmark of their service. With this in mind, each one of their solicitors and legal assistants works with the client on their case from start to finish.


MYSTIC HAIR & BEAUTY SALONS, High Road, Ilford, who provide a wide range of hair care and beauty services for both sexes.


Please see the members section for full contact details.

The Central Line tube station at Redbridge has been awarded Grade II listed heritage status by the Culture Minister John Penrose.

The station, which was designed by renowned architect Charles Holden, features unique 1930s Art Deco elements including the circular ticket hall and brass fittings.

The Redbridge Chamber is circulating by email a survey of members in order to identify their principal issues and concerns.

As soon as our members' opinions are known, we will lobby the appropriate bodies and decision-makers.

The survey is deliberately concise but we believe it covers those issues that most affect local businesses and trades people.

It should take only a few minutes to complete and we would encourage all members to participate.

BEP Group (formerly the Redbridge Business Education Partnership) has operated in Redbridge and east London for nearly 20 years and is a prominent member of the Redbridge Chamber.

It was recently announced that BEP had won two significant contracts designed to be hugely beneficial to the young adult population of the area.

The first of these contracts is supporting the government's new Work Programme and is the next stage of BEP's endeavours to help young people into employment. The Future Jobs Fund and TEAM Programmes organised by BEP were both very successful and enabled young long-term unemployed people to get back into the habit and the reality of going to work and using their skills successfully.

BEP will be working with CDG/Maximus, one of the main contractors in east London, in supporting 18-24 year olds who have been unemployed for nine months or more to come off benefits and return to work. Part of this process will be to ensure that these young workers are ready for work and have the employability skills that they need to sustain a job and to be an asset to their new employers.

BEP's second contract, which it will be working on with its partners, is a London-wide programme to ensure that young people who want to enter into apprenticeships have the skills to access the employment and training aspects of their chosen apprenticeship pathway and are supported into employment. It may be that some young people will join an apprenticeship from the Work Programme.

BEP is extremely excited about working with this group of young people in conjunction with the business community of Redbridge and surrounding areas.

If you are in the market for new recruits to your business, or want to know more about the Work Programme or the pre-Apprenticeship scheme, please contact the Chamber who will put you in contact with BEP Group for more information.

email: chamber@redbridgechamber.co.uk
tel: 0845 270 2009

The AGM of Redbridge Chamber will take place at 12 noon on Thursday 21st July 2011 at Ilford Sports Club, 486 High Road, Ilford IG1 1UE.

Further details will be circulated to members by email together with the relevant documentation for completion.

All Chamber members are welcome to attend.

Victim Support, the charity designed to help victims of crime, has a new centre in Bourne Court, Woodford Green.

In order to maximise resources, the charity closed its offices in Redbridge, Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and Waltham Forest, merging them into a single team covering the four boroughs.

For people unable to visit the centre, there will be meeting points in public buildings including churches and libraries.

More information is available at www.victimsupport.org.uk.

The EHIC (European Health Insurance) card offers free medical cover at GPs and state-run hospitals in all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

To sign up or renew (the cards have an expiry date) go to www.ehic.org.uk or call 0845 606 2030. Do not be tempted to use other sites offering this service as they will charge.

Travellers must be in possession of the card to obtain free medical treatment and under 16s require their own card, an application for which can be made on their behalf by a parent or guardian.

EHICs should not be seen as a replacement for travel insurance - they do not cover items such as cancellation, repatriation, baggage loss etc.

Residents of Redbridge can now include cardboard in their recycling box. This includes thicker items such as:-

Cardboard packaging
Cereal boxes
Egg boxes
Greetings cards
Corrugated card

By the end of July 2011 residents should all have received a new blue box for card and mixed paper.

Local MP and Chamber Vice-President Iain Duncan Smith officially launched the Jason Lee Centre based in York Road in June 2011. The centre is operated by charity SHP and funded by Redbridge Council.

Following a revamp, the centre has been in use since January 2011, providing 24 hour support, tenancy workshops and a life skills programme, all designed to help homeless people.

Over 30 employment and skills providers have joined forces with Work Redbridge, an online portal aimed at helping people trying to find a way back into work.

Help and support with CVs and interview techniques is available and volunteering and training opportunities are also being offered.

Further information at www.redbridge.gov.uk/workredbridge

In line with neighbouring boroughs, as from 9th May 2011 Redbridge Council requires residents to produce two forms of ID when using local Reuse and Recyling Centres.

Provided current ID is produced (such as a driving licence and a recent Council Tax bill) residents in the boroughs of Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and Newham may continue to deposit household waste for free at the following sites:-

Frizlands Lane, Dagenham
Gerpins Lane, Upminster
Jenkins Lane, Barking
Chigwell Road, Woodford Bridge

If ID is not produced, entry may be refused or a small charge will be made.

Further information is available from Redbridge Council's website www.redbridge.gov.uk.

Transport for London have published details of changes to roads in the London area, including Redbridge, for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Athletes, officials and media will travel on a network of roads that link venues and accommodation, called the Olympic Route Network. A smaller version will operate during the Paralympic Games when fewer venues will be in use. These roads will be open to general traffic and will be kept clear of obstructions, such as road works.

The Olympic Route Network is needed in the L.B. of Redbridge to provide a link to the Olympic Park, the Lee Valley White Water Centre and the Wembley competition venues. There will be some temporary changes to the way the road can be used. The proposed changes, which are likely to operate from mid-July to mid-August 2012, are:-

Nearside Games Lanes on the A12, Waltham Forest towards Lee Interchange (proposed for 6 a.m. to midnight) where general traffic may experience some queueing delays.

Morning closure of the A12 westbound on-slip at Green Man roundabout where general traffic will be required to use alternative routes and also may experience queuing delays.

Noon to midnight closure of Redbridge Lane East at Redbridge Roundabout for times when official Games vehicles are coming back from Lee Valley or Wembley competition venues. General traffic will be required to use alternative routes and also may experience queuing delays.

Having sought comments from the public, TfL are holding a formal consultation period as part of the process of introducing Traffic Regulation Orders, which are required to enforce the proposed changes. Extensive travel information will be available before and during the Games.

Further information is available at www.tfl.gov.uk/ORN

The surplus funds from the breakfast networking event at the Papermakers Arms, Ilford, have been donated to the charity Churches Without Walls which helps homeless people in Ilford.

Thanks also to Big Yellow Storage of Eastern Avenue who have kindly donated storage boxes for the charity to use.

The networking breakfast meeting held at the Papermakers Arms, Roden Street, Ilford on 12th April was a great success.

Guests included Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Williams, the Police Borough Commander, Cllr. Jim O'Shea, Mayor of Redbridge, Cllr. Keith Prince, Leader of Redbridge Council, Chris Carter, Editor of the Ilford Recorder, and Cllr. Thomas Chan, former Mayor of Redbridge.

Having only recently taken on the role of Borough Commander, Sue Williams outlined her main aims for the future. The Mayor also made a short address to the meeting.

A small profit was made, which will be donated to a local charity.

In order to ensure the future of the Chamber as a respected business body, the involvement of members is vital.

Do you have a business contact who would benefit from Chamber membership? If so, please encourage them to contact our secretary Michelle. For a relatively small fee, they could become part of a network of local, like-minded business people.

If you are looking for a particular service in the local area, please try to use a fellow Chamber member and always mention that you are a member when you contact them.

An initiative has been launched to address the dropping of litter in Ilford Town Centre.

Redbridge Police, Redbridge Council, the Ilford Business Improvement District and the Ilford Recorder are joining forces to make people aware of the costs involved to deal with unnecessary litter.

There will be a series of special high visibility days involving police officers and council workers. Repeat offenders will be given a £60 on the spot fine.

The Redbridge Chamber has a new postal address, which is:-

Redbridge Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 330
Rainham
RM13 0BA

The telephone and fax numbers remain the same:-

Telephone: 0845 270 2009
Fax: 0845 249 9981

Redbridge Chamber is pleased to welcome new member Caryl Xavier, Managing Director of:-

CJX Premier Consulting Ltd.
2 Glendale Avenue
Chadwell Heath
Essex
RM6 4RR

Tel. 020 8599 2452
Mob. 07961 951024
Email cxavier@ntworld.com

Redbridge Council has given approval to a temporary Olympics police base being built on Wanstead Flats.

Certain conditions are attached to the approval, including production of a post-Olympics plan to restore the site in Centre Road after the Games.

Work has started on the construction of the Isaac Newton Academy on the Cricklefields site in Ilford High Road.

The Academy will be run by educational charity ARK schools. It is due for completion in September 2012, and will provide places for 1,250 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18.

Redbridge Council has achieved savings of some £540,000 per year as a result of its energy conservation and water conservation programmes.

Work has started on the new Redbridge Sports and Leisure Centre in Forest Road, Barkingside.

The development will include a badminton and netball hall, comprising 12 courts with seating and a viewing gallery, together with an accommodation block.

The centre, along with other venues in the borough, will provide training facilities and accommodation for Olympic and Paralympic athletes from various sports in the run-up to the 2012 Games.

Ilford restaurant Hopperbox, situated at 426 Cranbrook Road, has recently joined Redbridge Chamber.

The business, which offers a wide range of Sri Lankan food, was launched in December with a taster week.

Menus are downloadable from the website at www.hopperbox.co.uk.

In order to address a projected shortage of primary school places, Redbridge Council's Education Department have produced a phased plan for the next five years.

Without the planned action, it is estimated that by September 2013, there would be a shortage of 344 places.

Redbridge Institute of Adult Education based in Gearies, offers a wide range of vocational and personal development courses for adults, including basic skills, ICT and languages.

There is a wide choice of day or evening part-time courses. Concessionary rates are available.

Further information is available from:-

www.redbridge-iae.ac.uk
Tel. 020 8550 2398
email: info@redbridge-iae.ac.uk

Transport for London (TfL) will be undertaking a safety review of the junction of Eastern Avenue with Newbury Park Station.

Following a number of accidents at the junction, including a recent fatality, TfL say they will determine whether improvements are possible.

Redbridge College, Barley Lane, offers Microsoft accredited courses.

Training includes Office 2007, PowerPoint and Excel and is targeted at existing users looking for advice on using advanced features of the software.

Full details can be obtained by phone on 020 8548 7431.

Unfortunately, the details of McDonalds Restaurant, Ilford High Road, (Seven Kings) were omitted from the 2011 Chamber Diary.

The full details are:-

McDonald's Restaurant
700 High Road
Ilford
lG3 8RS

Contact: Mr. Allerway
Telephone: 020 8599 5572
Mobile: 07971 576145

The management and staff would be delighted to welcome any Chamber members to their restaurant.

Colonel Paul Acda has been appointed as Representative Deputy Lieutenant of Redbridge and will attend events in the borough in the absence of the Lord Lieutenant, who is a representative of the Queen.

Early in his career, Colonel Acda served at the TA base in Ley Street. He is currently working for the United Nations.

With effect from 13th December, Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Williams took up the post of Borough Commander for Redbridge police.

The previous incumbent, Chief Superintendent Peter Terry, is now head of public order for the Metropolitan Police Service.

Mrs. Williams has more than 28 years experience with the Metropolitan Police Service and was latterly Deputy Borough Commander of Waltham Forest police.

As a consequence of the event, a Chamber member received an assurance from a Redbridge Council officer that a planning issue of concern to the member would be reviewed.

Responding to a question regarding parking charges from the a member of the audience, the meeting was assured that parking issues and their impact on the public and business community were under constant review.


ILFORD RECORDER 24

We'll protect front line police from cuts - Redbridge Chief

Wednesday, 20 October 2010
9.24 am

REDBRIDGE'S police chief has pledged that he will aim to protect front line services from any cuts heading our way.

Speaking at a question and answer session held by Redbridge Chamber of Commerce last night Borough Commander Chief Supt Peter Terry admitted he was facing cuts of between 20 and 40 per cent, but said it gave him an opportunity to review the way the service was run.

''We need to concentrate on the front line,'' he told the meeting at the Kenneth More Theatre, Oakfield Road, Ilford. ''If that means I have to reduce the hours of a front counter somewhere, or have to reduce the amount of overtime my staff do then so be it.

''The aim is to maintain front line visible policing because that's what people pay for.''

Mr Terry was responding to a question from chamber members about the effects any cuts would have on the Redbridge policing, especially with the increased police presence in Ilford town Centre making a ''huge difference''.

The panel for the meeting billed as Your Questions, Your Business and chaired by Recorder editor Chris Carter also comprised of Redbridge Council chief planning and regeneration officer Chris Berry, and council highways and engineering service chief officer Dave Renvoize

CROSSRAIL GIVES REDBRIDGE A HUGE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT: More on the meeting later.

The Chamber encourages all members to offer special discounts to other members.

When considering using the services of a member organisation, please check the Discounts page on the Members area of this website or contact members direct to ascertain what discounts are currently available.

A new recruitment support service is available to small businesses, developed by Jobcentre Plus working in conjunction with the British Chambers of Commerce.

When small businesses notify their jobs, the local Jobcentre Plus teams contact the employer to discuss how they can best fill their job. This could include help with the wording of the vacancy specification, screening applications and matching suitable candidates against the criteria set out in the vacancy.

A telephone advice line is also available, offering recruitment advice and support as well as signposting to other help available, such as to HRMC for PAYE, or Business Link for their "Solutions for Business" suite of services. When using the advice line, employers can place their vacancies if appropriate and receive further support and aftercare.

For further information on Jobcentre Plus services for employers, please visit www.businesslink.gov.uk.

Following concerns raised by members that Sunday parking restrictions were adversely affecting their trading in Ilford town centre, the Chamber has been in communication with Cllr Keith Prince, Leader of the Council.

We are told that the restrictions were first introduced in June 2003, largely as a consequence of growing problems of congestion and obstructed access, including for the emergency services. The extension of the restrictions to Sundays addressed these problems and also provided improved access for visitors.

The most popular parking facilities in the town centre appear to be those in the Exchange Mall car park, where parking charges are levied on Sundays. However, the Council does not make charges in its Ley Street multi-storey car park, this providing 730 free parking spaces for shoppers.

The Chamber has received an assurance from Cllr Prince that the Council will keep matters under review and will look to work with the Chamber and the BID Company to improve trading conditions for all local businesses.

A member has reported receiving a phone call from someone purporting to be from the Microsoft Service Centre for the Windows operating system, based in Oxfordshire. Please be aware that this is a scam. The caller says they have detected viruses in the user's PC and asks them to follow certain instructions so they can deal with the viruses. If the instructions are followed, the caller may be able to remotely access the user's PC. They may also say that the user's licence has expired and they require £169 to renew it.

In our member's case, they asked the caller for information in order to verify that the caller was from Microsoft. The scammer gave the name Sam Rogers and phone number 020 331 80510. When asked for a website, "Sam Rogers" terminated the call. He had failed to withhold his phone number and was actually calling from 012127 773022.

Similar incidents relating to both phone numbers have been reported on Internet sites.

SCAMNESTY

A nationwide “Scamnesty” campaign has been launched by the Office of Fair Trading, aiming to end mass marketing scam mailings. Redbridge residents are asked to collect any scam mailings they receive and drop them into “Scamnesty” bins located at: -

Central Library
Redbridge Council – Community Safety
The Mall

Chingford and Woodford Green
Iain Duncan Smith MP
020 7219 1210
www.iainduncansmith.org

Ilford North
Lee Scott MP
020 7219 8326
www.leescott.co.uk

Ilford South
Mike Gapes MP
020 7219 6485
www.mikegapes.org.uk

Leyton and Wanstead
John Cryer MP
020 7219 3000

Correspondence for MPs can be addressed to:

House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA

or to their constituency offices.

Redbridge of one of the first local authorities across the country to adopt new powers to enforce utility companies that need to dig up roads, who will now have to apply to the council for a permit, or face a fine.

Permits will only be given subject to conditions set by the council, which they say will take into account any disruption to traffic and impact on the environment.

London Mayor Boris Johnson pledged £370,000 in funding for a facility which will provide a Specialist Crisis centre to help victims of Rape, to improve support available. The location will be announced later.

The East London Transit, with 16 new modern buses, has now started. The route operates between Ilford, Barking and Dagenham Dock. A second phase of work to extend the service between Barking and Dagenham Dock via the new Barking Riverside Development will commence in 2013.

The New Redbridge Card can save you money. In the first week over 200 businesses had signed up to this local shop initiative.

The Redbridge Card offers a range of cash discounts, buy-one get-one-free deals, and some free consultations.

A full directory of participating businesses and their deals are available on the Redbridge website www.redbridge.gov.uk.

The London Borough of Redbridge has issued a leaflet offering useful advice and contact information for businesses in Redbridge worried about the effects of the recession.

Check out the website and download the leaflet at:
http://www.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/recession_help/business.aspx

If anyone would like some help or advice on Redundancy:

www.redundancy-survival.com

CTS Sales & Services is an office supplies company, providing a wide range of office stationery, equipment, furniture and business supplies. CTS prides itself on a good personal knowledge of both products and customer requirements. They can deliver anywhere in the UK on a next day basis and provide a range of services from CAD office design and project management to machine repairs.

CTS Sales & Service is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and has recently been awarded a Silver Certificate from the environmental consultants Carbon Smart ®. In addition, CTS was “Highly Commended” at the Thames Gateway Awards 2009 for Green Business and voted Dealer of the Year 2009 by the Furniture manufacturer Eurotek.

For more information please contact:

CTS Sales & Service
Unit 16 Walsham Enterprise Centre
Grays
Essex RM17 6ST

Tel: 0845 345 3391
Fax: 0845 345 3392
Email: sales@ctsconnect.co.uk
Website: www.ctsconnect.co.uk

The Age Concern office is now located at:-

Age Concern
4th Floor
103 Cranbrook Road
Ilford
Essex
IG1 4PU

Tel. 020 8220 6000
www.aclondon.org.uk

Opening times:
Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.