June/July 2007 - London Borough of Hillingdon

Council magazine of the year

www.hillingdon.gov.uk

News from your council

June/July 2007

Hillingdon’s

Summer Fiesta

Events and activities

for all the family

Hillingdon goes

smokefree

Could you be

a volunteer?

Extra help

for pensioners

World

Environment Day

Council

question time

organised by Hillingdon Council’s children’s information

service and Sunshine Magazine (Hillingdon’s free local

community magazine for families)

Saturday 30 June

1.30pm – 4.30pm

Fassnidge Park

Uxbridge

Please use public transport

or town centre car parks

Free community event

for families with young children

all children must be

accompanied by and adult

Come along and join in the fun

For more details call the council’s children’s

information service on 0800 073 4800

2 •

June/July 2007

6 Council question time

Your chance to have your say

7 Extra help for pensioners

The council announces council tax discounts

for the over 65s and its priorities for the next

three years

9 World Environment Day

Hillingdon’s Green Roadshow

12 Hillingdon goes smokefree

From 1 July the whole of the UK

will be smokefree

16 Hillingdon’s summer Fiesta

A summer full of fun activities

for young people

27 Could you be a volunteer?

Volunteer opportunities in Hillingdon for

you to choose from

Regulars

4 News

7 Your council

29 Useful information

31 What’s on?

In the last few weeks,

you will have read

many stories in the

national newspapers and

seen news reports about

rubbish, recycling and

waste collection. The

focus of that attention has

largely been on the arguments for and against

fortnightly waste collections. In Hillingdon we

have no plans to introduce fortnightly collections.

We have been quite clear - we listened to our

residents and what you have told us is that you

want a simple to use, weekly collection service.

That is why we introduced the mixed collection

service, so we do all the sorting for you. This

means that you don’t have to worry about which

bag to use for which type of rubbish and should

help us all to increase the amount we recycle.

This will help to improve Hillingdon’s

environment, not just for us but also for our

children and future generations.

Delivering value for money services is also

important to us. We have put in place a programme

of efficiencies, known as the Hillingdon

Improvement Programme, which is helping us to

improve our services and reduce costs. Last year,

this helped us to save nearly £15m in the costs of

running the council, and we have similar targets for

the next two years. We have been able to reinvest

this money in the areas that are a priority for our

residents. As well as investing more in the

environment, we are also putting more money

into community safety, education and services for

young people. These are all things that you told

us will contribute to making Hillingdon a better

place to live, work and study in and to visit.

Inside this edition of Hillingdon People, there are

many examples of how we are providing value for

money and improving the services we deliver, as

well as news and information about a range of

activities of interest to people who live in Hillingdon.

contents

After reading, please recycle this magazine

Editorial enquiries

Katie Williams 01895 277834

hillingdonpeople@hillingdon.gov.uk

Advertising enquiries

Lynette Jones 01895 250575

hpadverts@hillingdon.gov.uk

Published by London Borough of Hillingdon © 2007

Design Phil Burton 01895 250670 Printed by The Print Factory

Hillingdon People, 3E/07 Civic Centre,

High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW.

Products and services advertised in this magazine

are not necessarily endorsed by the council.

Hillingdon People is printed on environmentally friendly paper from

managed forests. After reading, please recycle this magazine.

Cllr Ray Puddifoot

Leader of the Council

For a copy in large print or on

tape call 01895 277834

June/July 2007 • 3

news

inbrief

Log on for housing

information

A new DVD recently

launched by the West

London Housing

Partnership’s

homelessness group can

now be watched online

by logging on to a new

broadband TV service

called ITV Local London.

The DVD covers the

full range of housing

options available including

renting in the private

sector, renting social

housing through Locata,

hostel accommodation

for young people, low

cost home ownership,

and housing options for

older people.

You can watch the

DVD at

www.itvlocal.com/london

by clicking on ‘London

Life’. Free copies of the

DVD are already available

from the council’s

reception at the Civic

Centre, libraries, voluntary

agencies and community

partners or by calling the

council’s contact centre

on 01895 250147.

Council clamps

down on tax

evaders

Hillingdon Council is

confronting persistent

council tax dodgers in a

pilot exercise aimed at

recovering around

£81,000 in unpaid council

tax bills. Initial work will

target the most prolific tax

evaders in the borough

and, if successful, will be

extended to other cases

on the council’s records.

BIG Charter

Mark Award

Following a rigorous

independent evaluation

and assessment, Barnhill

Independence Group

(BIG), a Hillingdon

Council day service for

people with physical

and/or sensory

disabilities, has been

awarded the Charter

Mark.

The Charter Mark is

the government’s national

standard for customer

service in the public

sector and recognises

high quality services.

Cllr Philip Corthorne,

cabinet member for

adult social care, health

and housing said: “We’ve

been working hard to

More eyes

and ears for

Hillingdon

Hayes and Harlington is

the latest ward to benefit

from extra eyes and ears

to help tackle

environmental problems

in Hillingdon, following

the launch of the latest

street champions group

early this month.

Street champions act as

the ‘eyes and ears’ of the

public and are recruited

to report residents’

concerns and

environmental problems

to the council.These

include things such as

graffiti, abandoned cars,

noise, damaged

pavements, litter and

other anti social

behaviour.

The volunteers can

report problems they

find using the council

website, by email, phone,

fax, text message and

through paid check cards

provided by the council.

make sure that our

services meet the needs

of Hillingdon’s

community. We’re

especially proud of BIG,

which has engaged

effectively with service

users in developing its

service, resulting in

customer service

standards which reach

Charter Mark standard.”

Cllr Sandra Jenkins,

cabinet member for

environment, said: “Street

champions play an

important role in our

community and I am

delighted that residents

are taking pride in their

local environment. We’d

like to carry on the good

work we have already

undertaken in other areas

and hope that people will

continue to take part to

help make Hillingdon

cleaner and greener.”

If you live in Hayes and

Harlington and are

interested in becoming a

street champion, or don’t

live in the area but want

your details to be held

on our pre-register

database, then please call

01895 556247 or email

streetchampions@hillingd

on.gov.uk

Stop means

stop

The council launched

‘Stop Means Stop’ last

month, a campaign to

warn drivers that it is

against the law if they fail

to stop when ordered to

do so by school crossing

patrols (SCP).

The London-wide

campaign is supported by

Transport for London

(TfL), working in

partnership with the

police to ensure that

drivers who fail to stop

are prosecuted.

Cllr Keith Burrows,

cabinet member for

planning and

transportation, said:

“School crossing patrols

play an integral role in

the community and are

vital in ensuring children

cross safely when they

travel to and from school.

Those who don’t stop

are putting the lives of

children, parents and our

patrols in danger. We

hope that this campaign

will help to remind

drivers in our borough,

that stop really does

mean stop.”

Drivers who fail to stop

face a £1,000 fine, three

penalty points on their

licence or disqualification.

For further information

about the Stop Means

Stop campaign, or if you

are interested in joining

the school cross patrol

please call 01895 250003

or email

ibrown@hillingdon.gov.uk

4 •

June/July 2007

Help up the ladder

More than 1,000 Hillingdon

residents interested in

getting their first step on

the property ladder

attended the council’s low

cost home ownership day

last month. Residents on

low incomes or who are

key workers were able to

get a wealth of information

and advice from a variety

of housing experts and

financial advisors.

Cllr Philip Corthorne,

cabinet member for adult

social care, health and

housing said “Large

numbers of Hillingdon

residents have told us that

they would most like to

own their own homes,

rather than rent privately

Wild times

Hillingdon’s libraries will

be encouraging children

to take up a reading

challenge with a difference

this summer.The Big Wild

Read, which is taking place

The future

borough plan

Hillingdon residents will

get another chance to

have their say on the

future development of

the borough in a six

week consultation,

starting at the end of July.

The council wants your

views to help shape a

development plan known

as the Local

Development

Framework (LDF) – a

document that will guide

development in the

borough over the next

ten years.

or from a social landlord.

As a result, the council has

made this a priority and is

looking at ways to

maximise the

opportunities that are

available for getting people

into their own homes.

“Low cost home

ownership day has been

between 16 June and 21

September, challenges

children to pick up a

book and help change

the world for the better.

Call 01895 250703 for

more information and

event details.

In past consultation

about the introduction of

the LDF, residents

commented on a range of

issues including community

cohesion and Hillingdon’s

natural environment.These

representations have now

been used to shape the

final LDF documents that

will be sent to the

Secretary of State.

Copies of the

consultation documents

will be available from

libraries, the council’s

planning reception at the

Civic Centre and on the

council’s website;

www.hillingdon.gov.uk

a huge success and we

will be looking for other

opportunities to tell

people about our work

in this area in the future.”

Missed it? For further

information, please

contact Jody Hawley on

01895 277446, or email:

jhawley@hillingdon.gov.uk

Bright future

for the Beck

The council has awarded a

new contract for the

management of the Beck

Theatre. From July 2, H&Q

Theatres will take over

from the current operator

Live Nation, who has

come to the end of their

contract with the council.

Cllr Henry Higgins,

cabinet member for

culture, sport and leisure

said:“This is an exciting

time for the arts in

Hillingdon and the Beck

Theatre is crucial to our

aim of making arts

accessible for everyone

and contributing to the

thriving cultural

opportunities in Hillingdon.

We look forward to

working with H&Q

Theatres who not only

share our vision for the

future but who will bring

necessary investment.”The

contract is for a fifteenyear

period, under which

the Beck will operate

under the subsidiary name

of Beck Theatre Ltd.

inbrief

Benefit fraud

– no excuse

An investigation by

officers from Hillingdon

Council’s benefit fraud

investigation team in

partnership with the

Department for Work

and Pensions, has led to a

successful prosecution

after a Hillingdon resident

was sentenced for

obtaining benefits

by deception.

At the sentencing, the

Judge said “Every week

you had received the

benefits over the period

of four years. You knew

you were receiving these

by deception.You have

taken the benefits with

no regards to misuse of

public funds. There is no

excuse for it.”

The Judge also

confirmed 31 August

2007 as the date for

hearing a confiscation

order application against

the resident. The order

is being sought for the

recovery of benefits paid

amounting to

£47,212.19 of which

£32,075.46 is housing

and council tax benefit.

Painless planning

online

Hillingdon residents are

being encouraged to

take the pain out of

planning and log on to

the council’s online

planning pages.

Planning applications

can be made online and

a range of searches are

available to enable you to

locate planning

information and see

drawings. More

information on

e-planning services will

be in the next edition of

Hillingdon People.

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/

environment/planning

news

June/July 2007 • 5

news

inbrief

ParkMarks

ParkMark inspectors have

been so impressed by

some of Hillingdon’s car

parks that they have

renewed the council’s 15

ParkMark awards for two

years, instead of the

normal one.

The ParkMark scheme

is run by the Association

of Chief Police Officers

and managed by the

British Parking

Association.The scheme

aims to provide secure

and safe places for

people to park and

awards car parks that

meet these standards.

Cllr Douglas Mills,

cabinet member for

community safety, said:

“Providing safe places to

park in Hillingdon is

important to us all. As a

result of the work we

have been doing,

Hillingdon car parks are

getting safer. Last year

saw a reduction in crime

in the Cedars and

Grainges car parks by

more than a third.”

New Mayor

of Hillingdon

Hillingdon has welcomed

a new Mayor to the

borough, Cllr Catherine

Dann (cons). Cllr Dann

has taken over the

position from Cllr

Routledge, to become

Mayor for the second

time. She will be

supported in her role by

Cllr Brian Crowe (cons)

as Deputy Mayor.

Council question time

Hillingdon is set to get its

very own version of

Question Time as the

council launches a series

of council question time

events to enable residents

to have their say on

concerns in their area.

As part of these events,

residents will be able to

find out the latest

information from the

council and hear about

the council’s priorities for

delivering excellent local

services. Local people can

put their questions to

council decision makers,

including council leader

Cllr Ray Puddifoot.

The first event will take

place on Thursday 12 July

at Ruislip High School,

Sidmouth Drive, Ruislip

Manor. A further two will

take place in September

and October in Hayes

and Uxbridge.

Before Question Time

begins, residents will have

the opportunity to visit

the information fayre to

find out more about local

services and how to

access them. Information

from the council, police,

Pupil power

bags a path

A new cycle path will be

introduced in Eastcote

after pupils from Field

End School presented a

petition to the council

asking for the path to be

introduced so that they

could cycle to school.

Council officers and the

cabinet member for

planning and

transportation Cllr Keith

Burrows, met with the

pupils at their school to

hold the first ever junior

petition hearing after

pupils had collected

signatures in support of

the path.

Cllr Burrows said: “The

pupils presented a very

health and voluntary

services will be available,

as well as the chance to

get your problems solved

by reporting issues directly

to the council’s customer

contact centre.

Community safety will also

be high on the agenda

with a presentation from

the borough commander

and the opportunity to

meet your Police Safer

Neighbourhood teams to

find out what they are

doing to tackle crime and

anti-social behaviour in

your area.

Invitations to attend

Question Time will be

sent to residents selected

at random and they will

be available at your local

library. Leader of the

council Cllr Ray Puddifoot

strong and worthwhile

case for the path, which

will help them to travel to

school safely. As a result of

their actions, we are

supporting their

suggestions and will be

making a bid for funding

from Transport for

London (TfL) to install the

path as soon as possible.

commented:“The council

question time events

provide an opportunity

for local residents to

engage with the council

and get answers to the

questions that matter to

them.We hope that local

people will take the

opportunity to come

along to a session near

them and get involved

with helping to shape the

services we provide.”

If you require further

information about the

events contact the

council on 01895 250612

or email

questiontime@hillingdon.

gov.uk. Further

information is also

available via the council’s

website at

www.hillingdon.gov.uk

“It was great to see

young people using their

democratic rights to get

involved in their

communities and make a

difference to their

borough and we are

pleased to have

supported them through

this process.”

6 •

June/July 2007

As part of the launch of the

Council Plan, Hillingdon’s priorities

for the next three years, Cllr Ray

Puddifoot, Leader of the Council

announced that for the next three

years, the council will not increase

Hillingdon’s council tax at all for

residents over 65 years of age.

This long-term commitment to

not increasing council tax for the

borough’s older people is believed

to be the first in the UK and

follows the announcement last

December when Hillingdon

became the first London council

to announce a council tax

discount for older residents.

WWW.THIRD-AVENUE.CO.UK

your council

Leader announces more

help for pensioners

Leader of the Council, Cllr Ray

Puddifoot said: “As the council’s

older people’s champion I am

making these moves to make sure

we do what we can to ensure that

pensioners have sufficient means to

keep up with the rising costs of

living. Ultimately, this is the

responsibility of central government

but we are addressing these issues

at a local level as far as we can.”

Delivering

your priorities

The council plan sets out the

council’s priorities and includes:

• Make Hillingdon a cleaner,

greener borough

• Increase our recycling rate to

40% by 2010

• Reduce anti–social behaviour

• Create a safe environment,

making Hillingdon amongst the

safest boroughs in London

• Reduce burglary, vehicle crime,

assault and hate crime

• Continue our programme of road

safety initiatives, pedestrian

crossings and school travel plans

• Ensure Hillingdon is a place

where people enjoy living, by

balancing the need for jobs,

homes and the environment

• Develop and improve education

in our schools

• Support adult and community

learning

• Expand cultural and sports activities

• Maintain our local heritage

• Provide modern libraries and

encourage people to use them

• Provide three more youth

centres for youth activities

• Support our children to be healthy

• Provide 11 new children’s

centres, which will provide

services for the under 5s

• Provide three new extended school

hubs, which will join up a range of

services across schools and

neighbourhoods in the borough

• Improve road safety by ensuring

all of the borough’s 91 schools

have school travel plans in place

by March 2009

• Protect local health services

• Improve quality of life,

independence, choice and access

to good quality health, housing

and social care

• Deliver the decent homes targets

• Reduce the number of people in

temporary accommodation by

50% by 2010

• Maintain excellent benefit and

housing services, demonstrating

value for money, increase benefit

take up, and improve the speed

and accuracy of applications

• Deliver excellent value for money

adult social services

• Improve and promote the health

and well being of adults

• Make it easier for small local

companies to provide services to

the council, so that where it is

financially expedient, we buy

services from them

• Improve skills training for local

people

• Increase the number of adults

with disabilities accessing

education, employment and

training opportunities

• Increase the number of lone

parents supported into

employment

• Explore the possibility of Hillingdon

becoming a ‘wireless’ authority

• Improve access to services and

employment for the elderly

disabled and minority groups

• Encourage community

development, engagement and

social cohesion in the knowledge

that services are provided fairly

and based solely on need

• Continue the Leader’s Initiative to

support our older residents

• Support partner organisations to

extend opportunities for staff to

engage in volunteering activities.

Hillingdon’s Council Plan is

published on 30 June.To get

your copy telephone Tracey

Waters on 01895 277694.

June/July 2007 • 7

environment

Don’t miss the chance to

have your say on Heathrow

The council and NoTRAG, the group

supported by the council which was set up

to oppose the third runway at Heathrow,

are urging residents to have their say in the

government’s consultation later this year.

The consultation, which is likely to

be published in the autumn, will ask

for views on four main issues:

• the third runway and sixth

terminal

• the abolition of westerly

preference

• the abolition of runway

alternation

• the abolition of the Cranford

agreement (this protects

Cranford during easterly winds

because Cranford is just yards

from the eastern end of the

northern runway.)

It is likely to only give residents 12

weeks to respond.

Christine Shilling, Press

Secretary for NoTRAG said:

“NoTRAG is very concerned that

this consultation does not include

the road system, as any changes to

local roads will mean that more

people will be affected.”

She added: “These plans will

mean that the constraints which

protect people living around the

airport will be removed so it is vital

that residents and anyone else with

an interest in the environment and

in protecting the villages around the

airport have their say during the

consultation. As we don’t know

exactly when the consultation will

be published, I would urge

everyone with an interest in the

future of the environment around

Heathrow to look out for

information on websites and in the

local papers.”

Once the consultation dates are

announced, NoTRAG will arrange

public meetings to discuss the

consultation and give more advice to

residents on how they can respond.

Cllr Ray Puddifoot, Leader of the

Council, said: “The council has

already expressed grave concerns

about the length of time that

people will have to respond to the

consultation. For something that

will have such a major impact on

the local environment and on

people’s lives, 12 weeks is nowhere

near enough time.”

Councillor Puddifoot has

announced further support for

NoTRAG by providing an extra

£10,000 to help during the

consultation process.

The NoTRAG annual AGM is to

be held on 21 June at 7.30pm at

Heathrow Primary School.

The council is also part of the 2M

Group, a coalition of local

authorities that represents more

than 2 million people in areas

affected by aircraft noise.The group

has also

recently

highlighted

concerns

about the

length of the

Heathrow

consultation.

Contacts

For more information about

NoTRAG go to www.notrag.org

For more information about the

2M Group go to

www.2MGroup.org.uk

8 •

June/July 2007

Council celebrates World

Environment day in style

environment

The borough’s first ever Green

Roadshow was held last month.

Organised by the council as part

of World Environment Day

celebrations, the event was aimed

at inspiring Hillingdon residents to

‘do their bit’ for the environment.

The fun packed two day event

took place at Manor Farm, Ruislip

over the May bank holiday and

attracted thousands of visitors.The

event showcased an exciting range

of environmentally friendly

entertainment and awarenessraising

activities from green-themed

clown shows, circus workshops,

recycling exhibitions, solar and wind

powered rides to displays of

Top tips to be green

• Switch off all electrical appliances when not in use,

don’t leave them on standby.

• Swap at least two light bulbs in your home for energy

efficient ones.

• Have a shower instead of a bath.

• Walk, cycle or use public transport instead of taking

the car.

• Recycle and reuse as much you can and buy products

with little or no packaging.

• Turn down your central heating by 1°C in winter, and

wear a jumper if you’re cold.

• Set your washing machine to 30 degrees instead of

40 degrees.

• Use re-chargeable batteries.

electric cars and a scrapstore made

up of incredible creations of junk.

Those who attended didn’t go

away emptied handed either.There

was a fantastic children’s bike

competition, free garden compost

giveaways and the opportunity to

buy subsidised compost bins for

your home.

Cllr Sandra Jenkins, cabinet

member for environment, said: “As

well as being a great day out for all

the family, the Green Roadshow

was a really fun way of showing

people how easy it is to make

small, positive changes to their lives

Did you know?

that will benefit the environment.

Each one of us should be thinking

about adjusting the way we live our

lives, even if we start by changing

the smallest things.”

World Environment Day is

celebrated worldwide on 5 June to

raise awareness of the

environment and this year’s focus

was on the effects of climate

change on polar ecosystems.To

mark the day, the Leader of the

Council, Cllr Ray Puddifoot, signed

the Nottingham Declaration, a

pledge to take steps to tackle

climate change.

• The northern polar ice cap is expected to completely

melt within 50 years.

• 1998 was the hottest year on record, followed by

2002, 2003 and 2004.

• 100 million more people will be flooded by the end

of the century.

• The economic costs of global warming are doubling

every decade.

• Up to a third of land-based species could face

extinction by the middle of the century.

• 30 million more people may be hungry because of

climate change by 2050.

• Lighting an average office overnight wastes enough

energy to heat water for 1,000 cups of tea.

• Two photocopiers and three printers switched off

saves around five tones of CO 2 per year.

June/July 2007 • 9

safer hillingdon

Helping to resolve disputes

What happens when

you think someone

is behaving

unreasonably by

parking outside your

house? What do

you do if your

neighbour plays

loud music and

ignores you when

you ask them to turn

the volume down?

The Hillingdon Community

Mediation service can help you in

such situations and maybe

transform your day-to-day life.

Mediation supports people and

can help to resolve conflicts or

disputes before they get to a more

serious stage, such as having to take

legal action. In extreme cases, it

can even help to reduce crime by

stopping people taking the law into

their own hands.

Dealing with disputes through

mediation people work together to

find a resolution to their problem. It

does this by taking into account

people’s fears and anger towards

each other and gives them a ‘safe

space’ to work out their differences.

Cllr Douglas Mills, cabinet

member for improvement,

partnerships and community safety

said: “This is an important and

valuable service as conflict affects a

person’s quality of life. In some

cases, this can also impact on the

wider community so anything that

helps to resolve disputes is valuable

in helping to improve the quality of

life for our residents.”

Mr Hill* and Mr Allen*, both

Hillingdon residents, were always

arguing about parking and a hedge.

The disputes had gone on for three

years.They had even called the

police about the parking problem,

but no one was breaking the law as

they were parking on the public

highway so the police or the council

had no powers to take action.

Mr Allen had threatened legal

action over the hedge, but apart

from a couple of solicitors letters,

not much had happened. Mr Hill

was now thinking of setting up a

CCTV camera to monitor Mr

Allen’s activities, while Mr Allen had

been advised to keep a diary of any

activities by Mr Hill that disturbed

him. Instead of enjoying their

homes and their families, the

dispute was taking over their lives.

Hillingdon Council suggested

mediation which, although they

accepted, they were dubious about

what it could do for them.

Two mediators from Hillingdon

Community Mediation visited both

men. In this case, Mr Hill and Mr

Allen decided not to meet face-toface,

but the visit helped them to

see how much the dispute was

affecting their lives and how they’d

like to stop things getting worse. Mr

Hill decided to speak to Mr Allen

about the parking.The mediators

had helped him think about how he

would approach Mr Allen in a way

that might lead to a resolution. Mr

Allen was sceptical at first but

eventually was relieved that they

were doing something together to

improve the situation.They agreed

to stop arguing over the parking

outside their homes and try to

share the space as equally as

possible. Mr Hill also agreed to

have his hedge cut back.

This is just one example of how

mediation can help to resolve

disputes. Both men were able to

get back to their own lives and save

themselves money by not having to

pay expensive legal bills.

If this sounds familiar, mediation

may be able to help you. We don’t

solve the problem for you - we

help you solve it for yourself.

Community Mediation can help

with conflicts over a range of things

such as noise, rubbish, high hedges,

parking, verbal abuse, boundaries

and much more.

*Names have been changed

Contacts

For more information about

Hillingdon Community Mediation,

call 01895 446611 or visit

www.hcmediation.co.uk

WWW.THIRD-AVENUE.CO.UK

10 •

June/July 2007

Make your

home ‘safe

as houses’

safer hillingdon

The sunny weather and rising

temperatures are great for

getting out in the garden and

opening up doors and windows.

However, it can also give

criminals an easy route into

your home.

Summertime often sees an increase in burglary with

many burglars entering homes through doors and

windows that have been left open to get a “breeze”.

As many as a quarter of all burglaries happen as a

result of someone leaving a window open and

WWW.THIRD-AVENUE.CO.UK

sometimes, burglaries even take place when the

householder is at home.

Taking a few simple precautions can help reduce the

chances of you becoming a summer victim:

• if you do not have locks on your windows, consider

investing in some - locks are quite cheap and these

days, they are available at a wide range of DIY shops.

You should also make sure you have good locks on

your main and patio doors. Always secure the most

vulnerable windows first, particularly ground floor

windows, windows that cannot be seen from the

street and those that can be reached from drainpipes

or a flat roof.

• when you go out - even if it’s only for a few minutes -

make sure ALL doors and windows are securely

closed and locked.

• even when you are at home, close and lock all

accessible windows - unless you are in the same

room

• if you need a cooling breeze, consider buying a fan

instead.

Contacts

For more information about

securing your home contact the

Hillingdon crime prevention office

on 020 8246 1778

June/July 2007 • 11

environment

Stub out or get out!

Very soon, England will step into line with its neighbours and the

whole of the UK will be smokefree. Non-smokers may be looking

forward to 1 July, but what will the move mean for smokers?

Offence Who is liable? Fixed penalty

notice (if paid

in 15 days)

Smoking in a smokefree place

Failing to display required no

smoking signs

Failing to prevent smoking in a

smokefree place

Anyone who smokes in a

smokefree place

Anyone who manages or

occupies the smokefree

premises or vehicle

Anyone who manages or

controls the smokefree

premises or vehicle

The changes

From 1 July 2007, it will be against

the law to smoke in virtually all

enclosed public places and

workplaces, as well as public and

work vehicles. Indoor smoking

rooms will also become a thing of

the past. It is estimated that

thousands of lives will be saved

over the next decade as a result.

The law applies to anything that

can be smoked – so pipes, cigars

and herbal cigarettes will be out

too. Failure to abide by the new

laws will be a criminal offence.

Local councils will enforce the law

and anyone caught will be given a

fixed penalty notice.

Make it your

business!

There are certain things managers

of businesses need to do to

prevent people from smoking in

enclosed (or substantially enclosed)

areas.These include ensuring staff

know the law, removing ashtrays

and displaying correct no-smoking

signs. If you had a smoking room,

you’ll obviously need to think of a

new use for it!

Businesses are welcome to build

outdoor shelters for staff and

customers, although planning

permission will usually need to be

sought. Martine Baxter-Parsons is

the landlady of the Abrook Arms in

Fixed penalty

notice (if paid

in 29 days)

Signs

Court

awarded fine

£30 £50 Up to £200

£150 £200 Up to £1,000

N/A N/A Up to £2,500

Uxbridge. She has been preparing

for 1 July for some time and has

erected outdoor shelters for

customers who smoke. “I’m both

pleased and concerned about the

impact of England going

smokefree”, she says. “My child lives

above the pub, so it will obviously

benefit her health when smoke is

no longer wafting up the stairs.

However, I am concerned it will

affect business, as many of my

regulars are smokers.”

If you run a local business, we

have advice to help you meet your

legal obligations, as well as

information on stop-smoking

services in the borough. Please call

01895 556000. Alternatively, for

more detailed guidance visit

www.smokefreehillingdon.co.uk

All smokefree

premises,

including vehicles,

should display a

no-smoking sign

showing the

international nosmoking

symbol of a cigarette, in a

red circle with a red line through it,

and should have the words, ‘No

smoking. It is against the law to

smoke in these premises.’ (Posters

can be downloaded for free from

www.smokefreehillingdon.co.uk)

12 •

June/July 2007

transport

WWW.THIRD-AVENUE.CO.UK

The council is urging Hillingdon

residents to take care when parking

in the borough to ensure they

don’t fall foul of the new parking

law coming into force from 1 July.

The new scheme will mean

drivers will face different fines based

on the seriousness of the parking

offence.The initiative is being rolled

out by the government in an effort

to improve road safety and keep

London moving by reducing traffic

congestion and cutting the number

of illegal parking acts.

The two tier system will mean

motorists in Hillingdon will now

be fined up to £100 for more

serious parking contraventions,

such as parking in places like bus

stops, pedestrian crossings, safety

zones outside schools or where

loading is prohibited, compared to

lower fines of £60 for overstaying

at a parking meter or failing to

display a valid ticket. Penalties for

moving traffic contraventions, such

as being in a bus lane, entering a

yellow box junction and ignoring

no entry signs will also increase

to £120.

There will still be a 50% discount

for all fines which are paid within

14 days.

Cllr Keith Burrows, cabinet

member for planning and

transportation, says: “We

understand that no one likes to

receive a parking ticket and want to

ensure that as few people as

possible get them. However, the

new laws will enable more safe and

efficient journeys in Hillingdon.”

How to avoid getting a

parking ticket:

• always observe road markings

and read the signs

• make sure you park within the

parking bays

• display your parking pay and

display ticket, residents permit or

visitor’s voucher clearly.

If you do get a ticket whilst in

Hillingdon you can now pay quickly

and easily online by visiting the

online services section of the

council website

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/services-online

Contacts

For more information on parking

related services in Hillingdon visit

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/parking

June/July 2007 • 13

young people

Caring

for our

carers

For most,

childhood is a

carefree time

when someone

is there to feed

us, take care

of us and

nurse us back

to health

when we’re

poorly.

Around 700 young people in Hillingdon care for a family member,

but 500 of these have never come forward for support.

Sadly this is not the case for around

700 young people in Hillingdon,

who are the primary carers of

family members struck down by

serious health problems.

A Young Carers’ Strategy, just

launched by the council with the

support of The Children’s Society,

addresses the fact that sadly, a huge

number of these exceptional

youngsters don’t realise they are

entitled to support. The

organisation, Hillingdon Carers,

helps around 200 young people

aged under 18, but from the 2001

census it is clear there are up to

500 others yet to be identified.

Young carers face the challenge

of achieving in education, as school

or college work can often take a

backseat when there are such huge

obligations at home. But as Cllr

David Simmonds, cabinet member

for education and children’s

services explains, the strategy aims

to address problems such as these.

“Young people shouldn’t be

expected to carry out the same

caring responsibilities as adults”, he

says. “We are working to support

them in minimising the impact of

these responsibilities, so that they

have the same opportunities in life

as other young people.”

From now on, young carers will be

included in developing new services.

Since the plan brings together all

existing organisations on hand to

14 year-old Sam

and 16 year-old

Louisa Baker from

West Drayton

share the

responsibility of

caring for their

mother,Terri,

along with two

younger siblings.

Terri is now a

wheelchair user,

having suffered

a serious illness

last September.

Sam and Louisa’s time is divided between

help young carers and their families,

their support will be vastly improved

and crucially, should lead to an

increase in referrals to the service.

schoolwork and looking after Mum, and they admit it can be a struggle. But

Louisa is keen to go to college in September, and Hillingdon Carers are

supporting the whole family to help make sure this happens, and that her

brother and sisters fulfil their potentials too.

Contacts

Left to right, Jo Brill, project manager at Young Carers,

Sarah Reese, Sam Baker, Louisa Baker and Joanne

Venn, who are all young carers themselves, and Paul

Coventry, project leader at Hillingdon Carers.

If you are a young carer or know someone that is please call Hillingdon

Young Carers on 01895 811206, or email office@hillingdoncarers.org.uk

Alternatively visit www.hillingdoncarers.org.uk

14 •

June/July 2007

Ryan Harding

Vikki Millar, Cllr David Simmonds,

Darren Davies and Amy Morgan

Laura Turner and Tom Murphy, head of

the council’s youth and connexions service

Young people from Hillingdon were

awarded for their achievements in May at

the annual Young Achievers Awards,

organised by the council’s youth and

connexions service.

In all 255 young people aged

between 11 and 25 received

awards at a ceremony held at the

Beck Theatre, Hayes.

Any young person living or

attending school in the borough

was eligible to be nominated by a

member of Hillingdon’s education

and children’s services or by

organisations working in

partnership with them.

This year young people were

nominated for, amongst other

things, volunteering, commitment to

education, overcoming difficulties in

their lives, sporting achievements

and for achieving gold, silver or

bronze standards in the Duke of

Edinburgh Award. All nominees

received an award.

Cllr David Simmonds, cabinet

member for education and

children’s services commented:

“The young achievers awards are a

real celebration of the talent,

determination and commitment of

young people from the borough of

Hillingdon.Their achievements

should inspire others to work hard

to attain their goals and to

overcome any obstacles that they

come up against.”

The awards also featured live

music and entertainment by young

people from the borough and a

young

special guest speaker, Laura Turner,

Commonwealth Games silver

medallist and UK 60m indoor

champion, who studied at Brunel

University. She spoke passionately

about the young people's

achievements and their dedication

to overcoming the obstacles they

had been faced with in their lives.

young people

achievers

awarded

June/July 2007 • 15

young people

A summ

FIESTA is back by popular demand, replacing the long lazy days

of summer with opportunities to burn some energy, let creative

juices flow or simply stop you getting bored!

Dettie Quirke is FIESTA 07

programme manager, and

personally chose many of the

courses herself – so Hillingdon

People met with her to find out

more…

HP: In a nutshell, what exactly is

FIESTA, Dettie?

Dettie: It’s a programme of

informal learning and personal

development opportunities for

young people living or in education

within Hillingdon, aged 11-19…

HP: That sounds very much like

council jargon…

Dettie: Yes I suppose it is, but its

also true! FIESTA 07 is all about

unleashing young peoples’ potential

– its about them having fun, whilst

also learning.The choice is vast as

always – so whether they would

rather put on their trainers, overalls

or DJ headphones, we should have

something to satisfy everybody.

Programmes take place all over the

borough; in colleges, young people’s

centres and sports grounds.

HP: So what’s new for 2007?

Dettie: Aqua Extreme is in the

mix, as well as a week-long cycling

course that includes a chance to try

out Hawks BMX track. Something

I’m particularly excited about is the

football camp – Queens Park

Rangers coaches will be teaching

the Brazilian philosophy of football,

so there could be a chance to pick

up some of Pele and Ronaldo’s

legendary tricks.

HP: Sounds like you’ll be having a

go yourself?!

Dettie: I’d love to but as you can

imagine with so many programmes

going on it’s a really busy time for

me. We’ll have all the old

favourites too - like Summer

Action, where for just £30 young

people can spend an entire week

trying their hands at things like

dance, urban arts and music

production, and not only that but

the cost includes a trip to either

Thorpe Park or Chessington on

the last day. All FIESTA 07 courses

are affordable in fact - and none

more than £30.The council has

subsidised everything.

HP: So did you say something

about career-based courses?

Dettie: Yes – call them tasters of

what’s to come if you like! But it

won’t be like real work at all.

Young people can have a go at car

maintenance, web design, cookery

or food hygiene and there’s also

something called Stage Combat –

a brilliant workshop revealing the

secrets of special effects and

stunts used in filmmaking.There’s

much more as well, as you will see

in the brochure…

HP: What brochure? How

can people get one? And

how do they book?

Dettie: It’s simple – by

phoning 01895 250453

for a brochure or

downloading one from

www.hillingdon.gov.uk.

Everything they need to

know is contained in it.

Oh, and there’s a 20%

discount if more than

one family member living

at the same address

attends FIESTA.

HP: Cheers then, I’m off

to get one… see you

there!

16 •

June/July 2007

er Fiesta

young people

Don’t just take

Dettie’s word for it

– look what FIESTA

2006 participants

had to say:

“Staff were helpful, friendly and

funny!”

“If I hadn’t have done it, I would

have been bored stiff at home!”

“I’ve learnt kayaking and rock

climbing – plus how to

communicate better”

“Thank you for the additional

support for the Chessington visit,

without it my son would have

missed out.”

Fiesta 07 runs from 23rd July to 31st August 2007

June/July 2007 • 17

environment

More recycling

services for Hillingdon

Hillingdon council is committed to extending its recycling services to suit

our residents’ needs. In December last year the council introduced glass

recycling and in January free recycling for charity and non-profit

organisations was rolled out across the borough.

The council is now taking another step forward by introducing street litter

recycling bins.This means you will now be able to recycle rubbish such as

paper, cardboard, cartons, newspapers, tins, glass bottles and jars that would

have once been thrown away.

Where does

your can go?

6. The liquid

metal is then put

into moulds and

cooled and turned into

blocks of aluminium

which are then re-used

to make new cans.

1. Once you place your

cans in a clear plastic

recycling bag ready to be

collected by Hillingdon

council refuse collectors,

the 8.5 tonne fully

loaded lorry is

transported to a

recycling plant in

Colnbrook owned

by Grundons.

Did you know?

Thanks to our residents’ efforts, in

Hillingdon we have reduced the

amount of household waste going to

landfill by 5,900 tonnes, that is the

equivalent of 23kgs per person per year.

5. The flattened cans

are then melted in a

750 degrees celsius

furnace.

It is estimated that

every household in the

UK throws away

around 200 aluminium

drink cans every year.

2. All the materials

are then sorted and

separated here and

sent to various

locations across

the country.

4. Once at the recycling

plant, mechanical hammers

flattened the cans into

small pieces, about the

size of a 50p piece.

3. Aluminium cans are

recycled in the UK by

Alcan, Europe’s

dedicated aluminium

can recycling plant.

Contacts

If you require more information

on recycling email

dmjones@hillingdon.gov.uk or visit

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/recycling

18 •

June/July 2007

Hillingdon is...

environment

Following a successful pilot in

Townfield, over 193 people and 56

teams of council workers and local

partners descended onto the

streets of Yiewsley last month, to

launch the start of a twelve month

programme called ‘Streets Ahead’.

The new scheme, which is being

led by the council, focuses on

engagement, education and

enforcement and aims to improve

local areas, ensuring closer

community working with

Hillingdon residents.

Streets Ahead coming to you soon:

Barnhill Thursday 24 May 2007

Northwood Hills Thursday 28 June 2007

Brunel Thursday 26 July 2007

Botwell Thursday 23 August 2007

Manor Thursday 27 September 2007

West Drayton Thursday 25 October 2007

Pinkwell Thursday 22 November 2007

South Ruislip Thursday 20 December 2007

Uxbridge North Thursday 24 January 2008

Heathrow Villages Thursday 28 February 2008

Cavendish Thursday 27 March 2008

Contacts

For more information on Streets

Ahead visit

www.hillingdon.gov.uk/streetsahead

or email

streetsahead@hillingdon.gov.uk

Alternatively telephone:

01895 556247 or 01895 556792

Adopt an allotment

Unlike other parts of London where

there is a shortage of allotments, in

Hillingdon we have a number of

available plots across the borough.

There’s no cheaper, healthier, more

satisfying way to make sure you get

your five a day than by growing

them on your very own allotment.

The exercise and fresh air will do

you the world of good and if you

have children, get them involved in

the whole enjoyable experience too.

From easy peasy sweet peas to more

challenging vegetables like asparagus

and celery, an allotment can be

kept by gardeners of all abilities.

Prices for plots range from only

£16.00 to £62.20 per year and all

new allotment holders will be given

a pack to get started.

Allotment

competition

If you already have an allotment and

are interested in winning a cash

prize, get digging now, the annual

allotments competition is on its way.

Cash prizes will be awarded to

the top three allotment holders of

the best quality plots, with three

trophies also awarded for the best

kept allotment sites.

Contacts

If you or a friend is interested in

renting an allotment or to find out

about the competition please call

01895 277 765 or email

nporter@hillingdon.gov.uk

June/July 2007 • 19

older people

Lady Craig Court

new homes for older people

Hillingdon People meets one of the

new residents of Lady Craig Court,

Hillingdon’s new, high quality

council homes for older people.

Lady Craig Court provides

housing that Hillingdon’s older

people told us they want – well

located, high quality homes like

those more often found in private

developments. Lady Craig Court’s

new residents started to move in

to the £4.8 million council-funded

development in May.

Lady Craig Court adds to the

community of older people in

Harlington, with Michael Shersby

House (a sheltered unit for older

people) and Hooper Drive’s

independent retirement homes

nearby. This has advantages for

residents in terms of social

networks, safety and security. All

Lady Craig Court’s new residents

are leaving larger family size homes,

which are in heavy demand

throughout Hillingdon.

Cllr Philip Corthorne, cabinet

member for adult social care,

health and housing said: “Lady

Craig Court works on so many

levels. It offers older people the

homes they want in sustainable

communities, while freeing up larger

council homes for families who

need them.”

Meet Donald Pascoe

“Ilived in Glebe Avenue, Ickenham

for 38 years. My wife and Ibrought

up our three children there and the

house was a great family home. I’m a

widower now and my children have

long since flown the nest so the

house got too big for me – a family

home needs a family to live in it.

“I’m no spring chicken. I’m 73

years old now, and the garden was

getting too much for me too. I

didn’t have the interest or

enthusiasm for it any more.

“I’m looking forward to having a

nice new home in a community of

older people. It’s hard to move

though, so many of my memories

happened in the old house and it’s

been really hard to make the

decision to leave that behind.”

Hillingdon Council is seeking to

add-on to Mr Pascoe’s former

three-bedroom home, making it a

six-bedroom home, to increase the

number of council homes available

for larger families.

Hillingdon –

building

better communities

Hillingdon has an ongoing

redevelopment programme for

sites that are under-utilised or

outdated. We also support housing

associations and community

partners to develop more modern

facilities using central government

funding.

The council aims to maximise

opportunities for building new

developments such as Lady Craig

Court in locations that are

attractive to older people, as well

as new low cost homes for sale to

first time buyers.

We recently redeveloped four

former garage sites to provide 19

new council homes, which received

hundreds of bids each when

advertised for letting. We are

looking for new opportunities to

redevelop under-utilised council

land, including garage sites, parking

and public amenity areas,

particularly where they attract antisocial

behaviour like graffiti, fly

tipping or vandalism.

Contacts

For more information contact

Julie Marshall on 01895 277593

20 •

June/July 2007

Adult abuse

it happens,

safer hillingdon

it hurts

The council remains serious about tackling

adult abuse, so during June and July we’re

campaigning to keep ‘no secrets’ about this

serious issue.

WWW.THIRD-AVENUE.CO.UK

Daisy’s story

Daisy (not her real name) is

85 years old and lives alone.

She receives support from her

neighbours and a care worker

employed through an agency

visits daily. One day she told

her neighbours that money

was going missing from her

purse.The neighbours, through

a process of elimination,

thought the most likely

suspect was the care worker

but couldn’t prove it. One of

the neighbours worked for

the BBC and borrowed a mini

camera, which he put into

Daisy’s video recorder with

her handbag in front of the

camera. One particular day

the carer’s visit was cancelled

yet mid-morning the carer still

called saying he needed to call

his agency about another

vulnerable adult who was not

answering the door.

While Daisy was in the

kitchen, the worker was filmed

pretending to make a phone

call and then bending over and

stealing money from Daisy’s

handbag.The evidence was

handed to the police.The care

worker was convicted of theft.

Daisy’s story is just one of many

investigated each year by Hillingdon

Council, working with the

Metropolitan Police, private and

voluntary service providers, and

health trusts. Last year we

investigated 128 allegations of adult

abuse. Adult abuse doesn’t only

happen to older people. Adult

abuse can happen to any vulnerable

adult, such as people with mental

illness, learning disability and

physical disability.

No secrets about

adult abuse

Adult abuse can be physical,

psychological, sexual or financial. It

can include violent or threatening

behaviour, verbal abuse, neglect,

unwanted touching or kissing, theft

or being pressured into giving

things away.

During June and July, we will be

joining with organisations in the UK

and worldwide to raise awareness

about adult abuse, to coincide with

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

on 15 June. As well as taking part in

a number of local events, we will be

running a ‘no secrets’ campaign so

watch out for information

throughout the borough including

billboards, leaflets and posters.

It is important that people in

Hillingdon know that vulnerable

adults may be abused, so they can

report it. We can then investigate

the allegations and better protect

people unable to protect

themselves.The abuse that Daisy

suffered was stopped by the

prompt action of her good

neighbours.Vulnerable adults need

your help to protect them from

harm and abuse.

Report it

If you suspect that somebody you

know with a physical disability,

learning disability, mental health

problem, or aged over age 65 is

being abused, please contact the

council. If the matter is criminal, call

the police straight away.

Cllr Philip Corthorne, cabinet

member for adult social care,

health and housing, said:“We owe it

to people who can’t look out for

themselves to report any signs of

adult abuse. We believe that adult

abuse often remains hidden, so it’s

important that we bring it in to the

light and keep ‘no secrets’.

With your help

vulnerable adults will

be safer.

Contacts

Hillingdon Council Contact

Centre 01895 250111

Metropolitan Police (Uxbridge

Police Station) 01895 251212

June/July 2007 • 21

June/July 2007 - London Borough of Hillingdon

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