We are pleased to report that the new Dalston CLR James Library opened on Monday 23 January. It is the first new Council library to be built in Hackney for over 20 years.
At 2,964 square metres over three floors, the library is one of the largest libraries in the UK, more than twice the size of the previous facility.
As well as 17,000 books for adults, 9,500 for youngsters and 200 talking books there are 1,600 CDs/DVDs. The library includes 20 dedicated study spaces and 2 meeting rooms along with free use of 57 computes and free wi-fi. There will also be a cafe on the site (opening later in the year) managed by a local business.
The
building will also incorporate Hackney Archives, the Council’s official records
repository, and which is open to the public. They have over 20,000 historic
photographs, original records of Hackney Council and other local organisations,
and what are thought to be the oldest documents in the collections, a bundle of
property records relating to land in different parts of London, dating back to 1356.
The library, as with the previous building, is named after CLR James, a Trinidadian historian, journalist and social theorist. 
As you may be aware from a previous post on the
blog, Hackney Homes is establishing a Tenant Scrutiny Panel.
The Panel will
scrutinise Hackney Homes and hold them account for the provision of service
areas such as cleaning and repairs. Hackney Homes is currently
looking for volunteers to sign up and join the panel.
A short person specification is available here. The application form is available here, and should
be submitted by 13th February. Understandably, you will need to be a Hackney
Homes tenant.
The Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission, which
Daniel is a member of, has offered to provide scrutiny training for the new
panel to ensure that residents get the most out of the opportunity.
Hackney
Council is offering support for four groups in the borough to set up their own
community composting scheme by spring 2012.
The
project, in partnership with the London Community Resource Network and
environmental charity ecoACTIVE, will help community groups manage their garden
and food waste to create compost for use by residents.
Applications
for funding is open until 30 January 2012 to local voluntary, community or
school groups. The funding will include a free set of composting units; storage
for woodchip and kitchen caddies; information manuals and promotional materials
for the community; and a training workshop for participants featuring
activities for children.
You can
find out more about how to apply here.
On 18 January, Daniel attended a meeting of the Stamford Hill Neighbourhood Panel. One of the main items on the agenda was a presentation from Hackney Homes on its proposals to introduce Estate Plans on all of Hackney's estates.
The Estate Plans project is designed to bring together residents' views about how the communal areas on their estates can be improved. The intention is to have a Improvement Plan in place for every Hackney Homes estate by 2014. These will be made available online and will identify communal repairs programmes, resident-led improvement programmes and ideas for future improvements.
There will be no additional funding for this work: any improvements identified will have to be delivered within available resource. With this in mind, concerns were raised about how decisions over what improvements can and cannot go ahead will be made. Hackney Homes were asked to consider how they communicate to residents the decision making process - and the criteria against which decisions will be made - in order to avoid the risk of raising expectations that cannot be met within existing budget constraints.
You can find out more about the Estate Plans project, and how you can get involved,
here.
Clissold Leisure Centre has become the first
leisure centre in Hackney to install a new energy saving system, which is expected
to significantly reduce the centre's carbon emissions.
The leisure centre is now using a Combined Heat and
Power Unit, which will generate electricity from natural gas.
The electricty generation
process produces a lot of heat that typically gets wasted; however the Combined Heat
and Power Unit will capture this waste heat and make use of it in the centre. The energy
generated from the unit will be used to heat the swimming pools and the
building.
The Clissold Park Users Group met on Saturday 14 January. This was the Group's first meeting in the beautifully restored Clissold House.
A great deal of the meeting was dedicated to discussing users' views about the House and the new cafe. The cafe officially open on 3 January and has been extremely popular, serving over 5,000 people in its first 6 days.
The cafe is run by Company of Cooks, who have a five year contract to provide the catering services in the House. As part of its contract, Company of Cooks is required to monitor feedback and keep its services under constant review. This is particularly true in the first few weeks of operation; when everything from price to food is being assessed to make sure it meets the expectations of local community. The menu itself is temporary and feedback is invited.
Some of the comments raised at the User Group meeting were:
Affordability - there was a general feeling that the cafe is currently too expensive. It was reported that the price of standard items - such as teas and coffees - were higher than the cafes on Stoke Newington Church Street.
Accessibility - a number of people raised concerns that the House is not as accessible as it should be for elderly and disabled residents. It was also pointed out that the slope leading up to the House could be dangerous, particularly for mothers with prams, in icy weather. It is our understanding that this is being looked at.
Young people - a number of people also identified that the cafe is not designed with young people in mind. In particular, the cafe was not seen as inviting to teenagers.
In addition to the House and cafe, the following matters were reported on:
The problem of flooding in the skate park has now been resolved following recent maintenance work.
A planning application to install lighting for the tennis courts is being reconsidered and is expected to be submitted by the tennis club shortly. Hackney Council considered that the original application was not in keeping with the Clissold Park Conservation Area.
Room hire and events at Clissold House are managed by GLL. Booking and tour enquiries can be made by contacting GLL.
The next meeting of the Users Group is at 11am on 3 March in Clissold House.
We will be visiting Lordship North Estate this coming Saturday to meet with residents to discuss the local area and to address any concerns that residents may have.
We shall arrive at 11am and will try to meet as many residents as possible.
This is part of our ongoing work to visit residents across the ward and to make sure that everyone always has an opportunity to raise any concerns with their local Labour Councillors.
If would like to raise anything with us, you can also email us (daniel.stevens@hackney.gov.uk or edward.brown@hackney.gov.uk) or make any appointment on 020 8356 3373.
Hackney police have issued a press release asking residents and business owners to be vigilant following an increase in burglaries in the Stamford Hill area.
One
of the burglaries occurred on Monday 9th January, at a business premises in Fairholt Road, N16.
The suspects were able to gain entry to this property due to the door not being
properly secured.
The police are asking residents to follow some simple crime
prevention advice, which includes, closing and locking of all doors and windows,
even if you are only going out for a few minutes. Please also ensure that you do not
leave valuables in sight and that you leave some lights on, if it will be dark
before you get home. Protect your sheds and outbuildings by locking them and if
possible install a burglar alarm.
If you would like any further support you can contact Hackney Police’s Crime
Prevention team on 020 8217 3343.
As Londoners return to work this week after the holiday period they will be faced with yet another increase in public transport fares.
These latest fare rises mean that since 2008 (when Boris Johnson was elected as Mayor):
A single bus ticket has increased by 50%, from 90p in 2008 to £1.35 in 2012. This year's increase alone is £1.30 to £1.35 for a single journey.
A weekly bus and tram pass has increased by 45%, from £13 in 2008 to £18.80 in 2012. In 2012 alone the increase is 5.6%, from £17.80 to £18.80 for a weekly pass.
A weekly zone 1-2 travelcard has increased by 21%, from £24.20 in 2008 to £29.20 in 2012.
A weekly zone 1-4 travelcard has increased by 21%, from £34.60 in 2008 to £41.80 in 2012
A weekly zone 1-6 travelcard has increased by 20% since 2008 from £44.60 to £53.40 in 2012.
This is despite the fact that TfL has a significant surplus on its operating budget, which increases every year.
Ken Livingstone has pledged to cut fares if elected and keep them down, saving Londoners an average of £1,000 over four years. You can find out more
here.
The first new library to
be built in Hackney for over 20 years is set to open in late January.
The brand new Dalston CLR
James library will be a state of the art facility. It will feature separate
adult and children's libraries, a teen zone and a 'quick picks' area. There
will also be a wide range of books, study materials and online reference, as
well as education facilities. The new
building will also house Hackney Archives.
You can find out more about the Council's libraries on the Hackney
Council website.
Published and promoted by Luke Akehurst for Hackney Labour Party on behalf of Edward Brown and Daniel Stevens, all at 52 Aden Grove, London, N16 9NJ.
We are pleased to report that the new Dalston CLR James Library opened on Monday 23 January. It is the first new Council library to be built in Hackney for over 20 years. 
