ISSUE NO.3 SUMMER 2021
HOUSING WHITE PAPER What is it, and what does it mean for you?
CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGY Becoming more energy efficient
FOCUS ON COMMITTEE MEMBERS And how their work affects your housing
Try a new ‘Resident Recipe’ - a cinnamon roll cake! Can you spot where our cover image was taken?
HOUSING REVIEW from...
LIAM GILLESPIE
Welcome to the Summer 2021 edition of @home magazine, the twice-yearly magazine for the City of London tenants and leaseholders. In this edition, you can read interviews with Common Councillors Randall Anderson and Mary Durcan, learn more about their work and the role of Allocated Members on your estates. We also take a look at Aldgate in Winter, which took a different form last Winter due to the pandemic. Despite the challenges posed by lockdown, the online event was still a success, with over 1,000 people enjoying the streamed performances
Head of Housing Management
held as part of the festival. The Social Housing White Paper has been big news recently for both tenants and landlords and you can read more about it, and what it means for you, in this edition of @home. We are already looking at how we will improve our services to ensure that we meet the aims of the proposed Charter for Social Housing Tenants. We will keep you informed of our progress in future issues of @home and set out our plans in more detail as we make progress. April saw the launch of our Climate Action Strategy, which aims to take the City
Corporation to zero carbon emissions by 2027. A major part of this work is looking at your homes and estates and how energy efficient they are. We want to involve residents in discussing ideas around increasing efficiency and to understand how these different ideas might impact residents. You can find out more about this, and how to get involved, on page 14. I hope you enjoying this edition of the magazine. If you have any comments on it, or any suggestions for future editions, please email home@cityoflondon.gov.uk
WHAT’S INSIDE?
An interview with... Randall Anderson
3
Word on the Estates
4
Feedbacks, Complaints and Compliments
5
An Interview with a Member
6
Committees, Members & our Housing Estates
7
Housing White Paper
8-9
Balcony, Window & Roof Safety
10
Summer in Aldgate 2021
11
Domestic Abuse & COVID-19: One year on
12
People Where I Live
13
Interviewed by IT & Systems Manager, Mohamed Hussain A year in review - statistics from across our housing services Plus, safeguarding our community through Prevent
Mary Durcan, the new Chairman of the Housing & Almshouses Sub-Committee Who are they and what do they do?
What residents should be able to expect from their landlord Preventing accidents in the home
And looking back at Aldgate in Winter 2020 For many it has been an incredibly challenging, frightening and unsafe year A Community Gallery Project
Climate Action Strategy
14
Resident Recipe
15
Attend the resident workshop, plus a sustainability themed crossword Make a Cinnamon Roll Cake - perfect for a summer picnic!
2
MEET THE TEAM! Who are the people behind @Home magazine and newsletters?
Liane Coopey Emily Grant
Rebecca Southin Mohamed Hussain
Wendy Giaccaglia Sophie Caley Contact the team at home@cityoflondon.gov.uk
An interview with...
RANDALL ANDERSON DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMUNITY AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES COMITTEE
Mohamed Hussain, IT & Systems Manager for City of London Housing. Mohamed utilised his love for MS Teams to interview Randall online to find out about the work our members do in shaping your Housing Service. Could you tell us a bit about yourself? Well, I’ve been a lawyer for 30 some odd years, no 40 or so. Time flies. As you can tell from my accent, I didn’t grow up here, although I did go to school for a year in Scotland. Before moving to London I lived in New York for 20 years. When we moved to London, we moved to the Barbican Estate so I’ve lived on a City-run estate ever since we moved here - slightly over 20 years. What were some of the differences living in New York and living in London? In New York we lived in a condominium, and I ended up being chairman of the condominium board. It was an interesting time in New York and there was more than a fair bit of corruption in the building management and building trades at the time, and we encountered a bit of that ourselves with the window contract, which was extremely frustrating. So, having experienced something like that, you know the City is honest. This is quite a quite a benefit. Having been involved in governance both in New York and the City, what personally drives you to want to be involved to help residents? I think it’s a lot easier to do than to stand on the outside and carp about things being wrong. You will never get it all right, but at least you feel like you are getting things moving in the right direction. As a Member what do you see as your role in improving the resident experience? When I became Deputy there was a general view that the City had not been on top of maintenance. And one of the things that I was very interested in doing was getting some of that moving. We are very definitely moving on all these things, so doors, windows and roofs are being replaced. General maintenance of these estates is getting better, and I think that is largely because we have Members who wanted that to happen. What improvements would you like to see residents benefit from in the future? We are beginning to put real focus on the Climate Action Strategy and to what extent we can improve
the insulation of homes. Window replacements will be better - modern windows are more efficient than older windows. We are also looking at where we need to replace heating systems by looking at systems that do not rely on gas. In the long run, better insulation and moving to less volatile energy, and away from overpriced energy will really help with fuel cost for people. How keen would you be to see residents virtually attending public parts of our committee meetings? I think one of the few real silver linings of the pandemic is that we have made all our meetings available on a YouTube channel, so people can watch it live when it is convenient for them. I think that is just brilliant. Our meetings are always open to the public, but very rarely did people come to Guildhall to attend them, whereas we now routinely have at least 20 or 30 people viewing it live. It is always good to have the public understand what is being done with their money. As Chairman of the Digital Services Sub-Committee, what role do you think technology could play in improving the resident experience? Fibreoptic cabling is now in all our estates. One of the things we found early on was that it is not a cure-all because not everyone can afford it. Not everyone has it, nor sufficient means to buy it, even if they could afford it. It is reasonably clear that going forward virtual is going to be a significant part the way we live. We are going to have to figure out a way to ensure that everyone is digitally connected. I am confident that there are things that we will be able to allow people to do digitally that will just be quicker and easier for them. You’ve seen two issues of @home, what are your thoughts on the magazine? I like it. Our COVID-19 working party concluded that we’re still insufficiently communicating, so I think anything we can do to improve our communications - and @home is certainly part of that - I am all for it. Watch live and recorded committee meetings on the City of London Youtube Channel
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WORD ON THE ESTATES A YEAR IN REVIEW - STATISTICS FROM ACROSS OUR HOUSING SERVICES
903
households waiting to be housed
182
Rent collected
11265 6448 complete d on time 4
over 3 years
100%
homes offered days 5 n i h t i w of listing
48ies
propert let
3
downsizing payments made
Estate Services
Repairs calls handled
94%
Average waiting time for a new home
households waiting for a transfer
97%
0 202 1 2 -20
Repairs d complete
81%
84% Average internal score
Average external score
89%
Fire Boxes Checks
FEEDBACK, COMPLAINTS AND COMPLIMENTS
It’s important that you receive fair treatment and a positive experience when you deal with the City of London Housing Service. If you have cause to complain about a housing service, about treatment you have experienced or issues using our services, we want to know. The Housing Complaints Team are here to receive your formal complaints. We are also happy to pass on feedback or compliments. You can contact us by email at housing.complaints@cityoflondon.gov.uk We use your complaints to help improve our services so please do contact us if you feel that there has been a service failure. The Housing Ombudsman published a new Complaint Handling Code in July 2020, setting out good practice that will allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly. Landlords were requested to complete a self-assessment to review how compliant existing complaints process are with the Complaints Code. The City of London Housing self-assessment is published on the Making A Complaint webpage. Some changes will be made to the Housing Complaints procedure, in line with the Housing Ombudsman recommendations. They now publish all guidance on decisions on cases investigated, as part of their increasing transparency. Property Services and Repairs Complaints 2020-2021
2
Health & Safety
1
5
6 Leaks
1
5
6
Communications Maintenance
Noise Handling Communications
1
Rent Issues
4
Estate Standards (Cleaning)
Alarm Failure
1
3
2
1
1
Heating/ Missed Hot water Appointment Estate and Housing Management Complaints 2020-2021
5 Staffing
Disrepair
1
Housing Waiting List
ASB Handling
Mutual Exchange
Safeguarding our community through Prevent What is Prevent? Prevent is about safeguarding and supporting those vulnerable to radicalisation and aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. What do we do? • We provide training to a wide range of sectors (including education, businesses, support services, faith, charities, community groups, health) to help identify where there are risks of radicalisation • We provide practical help through intervention work to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support • We respond to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views. ACT Early – Counter Terrorism safeguarding website The increase in time spent online due to Covid19, and a rise in hateful extremism, has the potential to create an environment in which young and vulnerable people are at a greater risk of being targeted and groomed by people who wish to do harm.
It is family and friends or co-workers who are often the first to spot the worrying changes in behaviour that might be signs that someone they know may be at risk from being radicalised by terrorists or extremist content online. Therefore, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has launched a new website - actearly.uk - to encourage friends and family to act early, share concerns and seek help if they are worried that someone they care about is being radicalised. This year has underlined the crucial role employers and businesses play as a trusted source signposting staff and customers to information and support.
If you’re worried that someone you know is being radicalised, visit actearly.uk
If you are worried about someone or need advice, you can call the Prevent advice line 0800 011 3764 f you are interested in receiving Prevent or training please contact safer.city@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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AN INTERVIEW WITH A MEMBER
MARY DURCAN
Mary is the new Chairman of the Housing & Almshouses Sub-Committee and the Allocated Member for Holloway and York Way Estates Can you tell our readers what the role of an Allocated Member involves and what allocated members do to champion our estates? There are 12 City of London housing estates, and 10 of those are outside the Square Mile, all of varying size. We have 10 Common Councillors as members of the Housing Management and Almshouses Sub Committee, so with a bit of doubling up we can cover them all. I am the allocated member for Holloway and York Way estates, both in Islington. In pre-COVID times, I had visited the estate and talked to the manager and other staff discussing issues, walking around the estate, finding out if I could help by raising matters with officers or the committee and talking to any residents who were about. I also joined in the summer fair arranged by residents with help from the staff and, as it was a gloriously sunny day, sat chatting to residents enjoying a cool lemonade.
four years since I was elected as a member of Cripplegate Ward. I am now on the Community and Children’s Services Committee and a member of the following sub committees: • Housing Management and Almshouses (Chairman) • Homelessness and Rough Sleeping (monitoring and reviewing efforts to prevent rough sleeping in the City of London) • Safeguarding (care of children in care and vulnerable adults) I am also a member of several other committees. You are the allocated member for York Way and Holloway Estates, what do you see as the top priorities for these two estates?
What committees do you serve on and what are the responsibilities?
Definitely window replacement, which is long overdue. This will help with heating costs for residents, condensation and noise issues, plus it will contribute to our Climate Action Strategy of reducing fuel usage. In addition we hope to provide some additional housing at York way which will help those on our waiting list and help those currently resident on York way to move into more appropriate housing. We are also looking to provide more community facilities for residents and for children such as play areas.
My membership of committees has grown some what over the
More about the Climate Action Strategy on page 14
How do you become allocated member?
an
We try to accommodate members preferences and interests and it is all done amicably with everyone’s agreement
How has your role as an Allocated member been affected by the pandemic and resulting lockdown? I have not been able to visit Holloway or York Way Estates due to the pandemic, and many staff have been working from home. I look forward to resuming estate visits once the lockdown is over. Would you encourage residents to set up Tenants and Residents Associations? And what support/ advice would you be able to give them? I would encourage residents to set up tenants and residents Associations. They can be a great opportunity for residents to work together on social events and discuss improvements or issues affecting their Estates. I would welcome an opportunity to join them at social events and occasionally at meetings if they thought I could contribute and act as a conduit between the residents and the Corporation. Interested in joining or setting up a Residents Association? Email your Estate Manager, or the Community Engagment team To find out more about the Governance of the City of London and the role of Common Councillors, visit: https://democracy.cityoflondon. gov.uk
We’d like to feature interviews with a variety of residents, to get your perspective on life in your community. If you would like to be interviewed for a future issue, please contact us by emailing home@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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COMMITTEES, MEMBERS & OUR HOUSING ESTATES There are currently 100 Common Councillors and 25 Aldermen serving as elected representatives, representing public interest and informing how the City of London Corporation should carry out its various activities. Housing Management and Almshouses Sub (Community and Children’s Services) Committee Our decision-making arrangements operate on a committee-based system of elected Members appointed annually to serve on our many committees and sub committees. These committees meet regularly throughout the year. Most of the decisions directly affecting our Housing Estates, situated in six London boroughs are made at quarterly meetings of the Housing Management and Almshouses Sub (Community and Children’s Services) Committee The Housing Management and Almshouses SubCommittee is responsible for Social Housing (i.e. the management of the property owned by the City of London Corporation under the Housing Revenue Account and the City Fund). Additional responsibility is also for the management of the City of London Almshouses, a registered charity. Unlike councillors elsewhere, in the City being a member is purely voluntary and is not paid. The committee is comprised of eight Members, elected by the Community & Children’s Services Committee. The Committee is responsible for: • discharging the City of London Corporation’s function in respect of the management of its existing social housing stock • approving schemes affecting the City’s existing social housing and proposed stock • approving policies in relation to the management of housing services to tenants and leaseholders in City estates and review them as necessary • the management of the City of London Almshouses in accordance with the charity’s governing instruments • advising the Community & Children’s Services Committee on:○ the general performance of the Social Housing Service and the Almshouses; and ○ its recommendations concerning the Allocation Scheme in the City’s Housing Registration process.
Subscribe to updates and you will receive information via email regarding committee meetings and issues raised.
Members (Councillors) In addition to sitting on Committees, each year the Allocated Members Scheme matches Members from the Community & Children’s Services Committee to each of the City’s social housing estates. The City Corporation’s composition is different to other local authorities in that the majority of the elected councillors are not elected on a party political basis and are therefore independent. There are eight Allocated Member positions, with some covering more than one small estates. It is possible for more than one Members to share the Allocated Member role on a large estate if they wish to do so. The purpose of the Allocated Member scheme is to: • Give residents and staff a named Member to ‘champion’ their estate • Allow Members to take an interest in the estate, its residents and staff • Develop a group of members with housing knowledge & experience to contribute to the Community & Children’s Service Committee. If an individual raises an issue with an Allocates Member, the Member will either • give the resident details of the appropriate local manager so that they can contact them, or • bring the matter to the attention of the local manager and ask them to contact the resident directly to seek to resolve the issue.
Meetings of the Court of Common Council, its committees and sub committees are open to the press and public. Register for updates here
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SOCIAL HOUSING
WHITE PAPER
In November 2020, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the Social Housing White Paper, titled The Charter for Social Housing Residents. The paper has a strong focus on strengthening consumer regulation and empowering residents. It covers seven key areas and explains what residents should be able to expect from their landlord: The Government intends to raise safety standards and help residents feel safer in their homes. They will work with landlords to ensure every home is safe and secure, and intends to: • Legislate to require social landlords to identify a nominated person responsible for complying with their health and safety requirements; • Launch a consultation on requiring smoke alarms in social housing and introducing new expectations for carbon monoxide alarms; and • Consult on measures to ensure that social housing residents are protected from harm caused by poor electrical safety.
1. TO FEEL SAFE IN THEIR HOMES
2. TO KNOW HOW YOUR LANDLORD IS PERFORMING The Government plans to create a set of tenant satisfaction measures for landlords on things that matter to tenants. This will inform how a landlord is performing and what decisions it is making. The government will: • Ensure landlords provide a clear breakdown of how their income is being spent; and • Require landlords to identify a senior person in their organisation who is responsible for ensuring they comply with the consumer standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.
3. TO HAVE YOUR COMPLAINTS DEALT WITH PROMPTLY AND FAIRLY Residents should get quick resolution to their complaints. The Government will: • Ensure tenants know how to raise complaints and have confidence in the system by launching a communications campaign; • Legislate to ensure clear co-operation between the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing to hold landlords to account more effectively when things go wrong; and • Make landlords more accountable for their actions by publicising the details of cases determined and published by the Housing Ombudsman. What are the next steps for the White Paper? The White Paper will have notable implications for our residents, how we operate as a social landlord and how the whole social housing sector will operate over the coming years. The implementation of the proposals has already started, with the Regulator of Social Housing appointing a newly created role of Director of Consumer Regulation in January 2021. Not all the proposals will be implemented at the same time, as many will require legislative and regulatory changes, and the anticipated timescales for these changes are currently unclear.
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Scott Myers, Strategy Officer Scott joined the City of London Corporation in January 2020 and is a Strategy Officer within the Department of Community and Children’s Services, where he supports the development of Housing Strategy. When not working, Scott enjoys exploring and discovering the history of the Square Mile.
4. TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT The Government wants to transform consumer regulation to drive behaviours and hold social landlords to account when things go wrong by: • Transforming the role of the Regulator of Social Housing so it proactively monitors and drives landlords’ compliance with improved consumer standards; • Give the regulator the power to publish a Code of Practice on the consumer standards to be clear what landlords are required to deliver; • Strengthen enforcement powers to tackle failing landlords and to respond to new challenges facing the sector; and • Hold local authorities to account as landlords, including how they manage Arm’s Length Management Organisations and Tenant Management Organisations.
5. TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD BY THEIR LANDLORD The Government wants to champion the voice of the tenant by: • Require landlords to seek out best practice and consider how they can continually improve the way they engage with social housing tenants; • Support more effective engagement between landlords and residents and give residents tools to influence their landlords and hold them to account; and • Review professional training and development to ensure residents receive a high standard of customer service.
6. TO HAVE A GOOD QUALITY HOME & NEIGHBOURHOOD To ensure tenants have good quality, decent homes and neighbourhoods: • Review the Decent Homes Standard, including access to and the quality of green spaces; • Tackle anti-social behaviour by enabling tenants to know who is responsible for action and who can support and assist them if they are faced with anti-social behaviour; and • Emphasise through its new National Design Guide the importance of building beautiful and well-designed social homes.
7. TO BE SUPPORTED TO TAKE THEIR FIRST STEP TO OWNERSHIP The Government wants to support home ownership and plan to: • Implement a new, fairer and more accessible model for Shared Ownership; and • Implement a new Right to Shared Ownership for tenants of Housing Associations and other private registered providers who live in new grant funded homes for rent. What are our next steps at the City of London Corporation? • Committing to improving standards by empowering and supporting tenants; • Ensuring transparency by meeting any new requirement to publish a core set of tenant satisfaction measures and how income is spent as set out in the proposals; • Ensuring that we are ready for new proactive regulation of consumer standards in social housing by the Social Housing Regulator; • Identifying a named City Corporation Officer or elected Member who will be responsible for consumer standards and health and safety compliance; and • Assessing the impact on the Corporation of any proposed change to the Decent Homes Standard.
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BALCONY, WINDOW & ROOF SAFETY
Most home accidents are preventable through increased awareness, improvements in the home environment and product safety. But there are also steps we can all take to ensure our homes are safe for ourselves and our loved ones. With the arrival of warmer weather, the likelihood of your windows and balcony doors being open increases the risk of an accident in your home. Falls from height pose a significant risk to you and your family, especially small children. Young children are naturally curious but have no real sense of danger. Nationally every day, at least one child under 5 is admitted to hospital with head injuries caused by falls. It’s important you report any fault or damage to your windows, balcony railings or glazing to us at once, so we can make them safe or carry out an urgent repair. This includes any damage to balcony or walkway railings, balustrades or glazing panels to communal walkways. Residents are not allowed access to roof areas, unless the roof forms part of the building escape route. If contractors or utility providers chosen by residents need access to roofs, they must contact us to get a permit to work.
To make sure you and your family stay safe in your home, remember: • Ensure, where fitted, window restrictors are working efficiently. The restrictor is a safety device which prevents the window opening wide enough to allow a child to fall out; • Never leave small children unattended in rooms where windows or doors leading to balconies are open; • If possible, move any furniture units, tables and chairs away from windows. These could be used by a child to climb out of an open window or climb over a balcony railing; • If your windows and balconies can be locked, ensure any keys are kept in a secure place; and • Don’t put any material (such as vinyl sheet or tiles) down on your balcony. This will prevent rainwater from draining properly and may also make the surface slippery when wet, causing you to slip and fall. Remember, if there is a fault or a repair is needed to your windows or balcony railings, you should report this to us at once.
REPORT A REPAIR 0800 035 0003 propertyservices@cityoflondon.gov.uk
City of London Corporation have procured six window replacement contracts across the housing estates totalling 824 properties. Estates benefitting from new windows are: • William Blake Estate • Sydenham Hill (Otto Close & Lammas Green) • Dron House • Holloway Estate • Southwark Estates (Pakeman House, Stopher House and Sumner House) • Windsor House Dron House will see a pilot flat completed imminently before starting on the rest of the estate. The other estates are just going through the very last of the formalities before work can commence on site, but this should start later this year. Once the new windows are in, redecoration work will start. The main benefits for the new windows will be increased comfort, reduced heat loss to help lower heating bills, less noise, ease of use, better ventilation, reduced condensation and better security, not just for those trying to get into the property but also helps prevent young children climbing out.
If you have any queries regarding the work, please contact the team at dccs-majorworksteam@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Looking back at Aldgate in Winter 2020
The popular City-based event moved online in 2020 in response to social distancing guidelines, which allowed the event to be opened up to people outside of the City! Instead of a lantern parade and winter fair, there was a two-week programme of online talks, virtual walks, performances and creative workshops. Small scale lanterns were displayed in the local area for those able to safely view. Over December 2020...
1298 99 126 watched online performances
attended online booked online talks workshops
117
booked online conversations
“Thank you for organising a great virtual event, I’m thrilled this is still going on despite the circumstances”
148
5
plus... local exhibition sites
booked virtual walks “The workshop was fantastic, the children thoroughly enjoyed it.”
1. The squirrel lantern was created by Shapla Primary School and displayed in Toynbee Hall. 2. The Aldgate School Art Club created this dragon lantern which resided in Kahaila Cafe. 3. Dorsett Hotel housed jellyfish lanterns created by community members in online craft workshops. 4. The snail lantern inviting you to ‘Take your time’ was created by Harry Gosling & Prior Weston Primary Schools and was also displayed in Toynbee Hall windows.
The programme continued into 2021 in the form of a short film project, Dawn Chorus Soundscape workshops (led by Soundcastle) and an Air Quality Superheroes competition, with selected entries being turned into large scale sculptures for the summer exhibitions.
Moving into Summer in Aldgate Friday 25 June - Friday 9 July 2021
An Exhibition by the Community for the Community Summer in Aldgate will shine a light on the wonderful work, creative endeavours and community activities which have taken place locally over the past year. The exhibition will bring together artworks, film, sound pieces and photography from around the wider community, which will be displayed across local sites and windows.
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/events/aldgate-in-summer @aldgateinwinter #summerinaldgate
facebook.com/groups/aldgateinwinter
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DOMESTIC ABUSE & COVID-19: ONE YEAR ON This article highlights the experiences of domestic abuse victims and survivors throughout COVID-19 and how the pandemic has increased levels of abuse. Please note that some readers may find this article triggering.
It’s been one year since we were told to ‘stay at home’ for the first time and what a rollercoaster of a year it has been for everyone. For some this year has brought moments of reflections, gratitude and a maybe a new hobby! However, for many it has been an incredibly challenging, frightening and unsafe year. We must spare a moment to think about those who have been trapped at home with their abusive partner or family member. Domestic abuse has been in the spotlight like never before, as services have seen an unprecedented increase in referrals, calls to helplines and demand for refuge space. During the first national lockdown, within three weeks the number of women killed by an abusive partner in England and Wales had already increased from two a week to just over five a week. Domestic abuse services, the police, amongst others in the domestic abuse sector have worked to ensure people know where to go for help and are able to access this support. However, for many victims and survivors the level of abuse has increased during the pandemic and added further barriers to accessing support. Women’s Aid conducted a survey with victims and survivors to find out the impact COVID-19 has had on the abuse they have experienced. One victim/survivor they spoke to said “I am reliant upon my abuser to get food and medication as I am shielding for 12 weeks. This is being used against me”. Abusers have used the pandemic, virus and lockdown restrictions to further isolate and control Where to get help: National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/ Victim Supportline: 0808 16 89 111 www.victimsupport.org.uk/ Galop (LGBT+ service): 0800 999 5428 www.galop.org.uk/ Solace: 0808 802 5565 www.solacewomensaid.org/ Asian Women’s Resource Centre: 020 8961 6549 www.asianwomencentre.org.uk/
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their victims, by preventing them from leaving the house, restricting access to support networks or preventing them from seeking medical attention. These abuse tactics have prevented victims and survivors from being able to seek help and escape the abuse. However, the resilience of victims and survivors must be acknowledged and applauded as the increase in referrals and helpline calls speak for themselves. There has been an increase in funding for domestic abuse services to ensure victims and survivors have continued to receive support throughout the pandemic. Within the City of London during the first national lockdown the number of reports made to the police had decreased compared to the same months in the previous year. This could be a result of victims and survivors not being able to leave their home to get help or their abuser always being around. It could also be a result of the population of the City of London significantly decreasing since people were told to work from home. However, the decrease in reports does not mean domestic abuse is not happening and throughout the pandemic the City of London have continued to raise awareness of support services that are available to victims and survivors, within the City and across all City of London estates. Throughout the past year there have been big changes in awareness of domestic abuse, it has been at the forefront of news and media outlets and big organisations have come together to support victims and survivors, through schemes such as Ask for ANI. It is crucial that we do not lose the momentum that has been created around domestic abuse and we continue to work towards a society where everyone can live free from abuse. Domestic abuse is everyone’s business and it is crucial that we do what we can to support our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues. For further advice on how you can support others please contact Safer.City@cityoflondon.gov.uk IKWRO (Iranian and Kurdish women): 0207 920 6460 ikwro.org.uk/ Men’s Advice Line: 0808 8010327 mensadviceline.org.uk/ Respect (support for perpetrators): 0808 8024040 www.respect.uk.net/ LAWRS (Latin American, Spanish and Portuguese service): 020 7336 0888 www.lawrs.org.uk/ City Advice: Advice for people in the City of London (toynbeehall.org.uk)
PEOPLE WHERE I LIVE A Community Gallery Project Residents across the City and our housing estates were invited to take part in a lockdown art project last year where art packs were sent out to residents and their families. Over 100 art packs were given out to families across the City and beyond. Thank you to everyone who signed up and took part, and if you haven’t already, send us a photo! A public exhibition to display all the artworks created will be forming part of the Summer in Aldgate exhibitions. The People Where I Live exhibit will be in the windows of Golden Lane Community Centre between Friday 25 June and Friday 9 July. If you can’t get out to see the artworks in person, check out the virtual gallery on the People Where I LIve project webpage
If you are interested in any future projects or have any suggestions please email the team at Community.Engagement@cityoflondon.gov.uk or visit the Community Engagement team webpage.
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CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGY WORKSHOP DATE: Monday 12 July @ 6:30pm April 1st 2021 marked the start of delivery under the City of London Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy. The targets of the strategy are to reach net zero carbon emissions in our own operations by 2027 and across our full value chain – that’s the things we buy and the thing we invest in – by 2040. We also aim to reach net zero carbon emissions across the Square Mile by 2040 and achieve climate resilience in our buildings, public spaces and infrastructure. To reach this target, we will be looking at all of our buildings, including housing within and outside of the Square Mile. This is to help us understand how energy is sourced and used, and how buildings can be more energy efficient. The first stage in this process is to look at different building types and the solutions that would be most suitable in different locations. Solutions might include things like improvements to lighting, heating and insulation.
Our sustainability consultants Etude have been undertaking a study to look at how housing can decarbonise and become more energy efficient. A workshop held by Etude in May listened to the views and insights of residents. In July, a second workshop will bring residents up to date with the progress of the study and its outcomes. The workshop will give you a chance to understand more about how Etude have been looking at solutions for decarbonisation, and the sorts of measures that may be required for housing. The workshop will take place on Monday 12 July, 6.30-8pm, online via Zoom. You can register for the event workshop here. Other actions beginning this year include changes to the public realm, including wider pavements and urban greening, plus changes to planning guidelines to ensure new developments include carbon reduction and climate resilience measures in their applications.
To find out more, please visit our webpage: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/climateaction Or register your interest at climateaction@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Sustanability
TRY OUR SUSTAINABILITY CROSSWORD! You can complete this puzzle online! Go to: crosswordlabs.com/view/sustanability-7
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Across 4. Home to 2.5million insect species (6) 6. Type of guitar or a source of power (7) 9. Energy generating windmill (7) 11. Dry ice gas (6, 7) 6 12. Metal, glass or bamboo replacements (5)
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Down 1. Holey layer (5) 2. A 20p charge (7,4) 3. Creeping ice (7) 5. The natural habitat (10) 7. New ideas (9) 8. All washed up (5) 10. Not depleted when used (9) 13. Of the sun (5)
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1
5
7 8
10 11
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What would you like to see in our next issue?
Get in touch with us at home@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Resident Recipes
CINNAMON ROLL CAKE Cake 110g unsalted butter 200g caster sugar 2 large eggs 360g plain flour 4tsp baking powder 350ml milk 1tsp vanilla extract Cinnamon swirl 150g unsalted butter 200g light brown sugar 4 tbsp cinnamon Glaze 200g icing sugar 50ml milk 1. Preheat your oven to 170 and line a 8x10” cake tin. 2. Cream your caster sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, add your two eggs one by one, adding a spoon of flour if they begin to curdle. 3. Sift the rest of your flour and baking powder into the mix and combine. Mix in the milk and vanilla. 4. Combine your butter, brown sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon swirl and mix until smooth. 5. Pour your cake batter into a tin, drop spoonful’s of your cinnamon swirl mix on top and swirl into the batter using a knife. 6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 7. To make the glaze combine your icing sugar and milk, pour the runny glaze over the warm cake and you’re ready to serve! If you would like to see your favourite recipe featured in a future edition, please email home@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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City Advice – Here to help you manage during difficult times We’re already half way through the year and as restrictions begin to ease and the world slowly starts to open up again, many people may not be able to fully enjoy it as they continue to struggle to manage their debts, keep up with their bills, rent or mortgages and stay on top of their finances in general. This year we might all feel the pinch even more than usual as the pandemic sees many people’s incomes fall or our expenditure increase. However bad things seem, don’t panic! City Advice, is a free, expert and impartial advice service for people who live, work or study in the City of London. We’re here to help you with any issues you might be experiencing due to the pandemic or otherwise. Despite having to close our advice surgeries and stop face-to-face appointments, City Advice is still operating by phone and email. Our expert advisers can help you manage your finances, help with any housing problems, employment or redundancy issues, or help you with benefits. We can also help with consumer issues and family and relationship problems. All advice is confidential, impartial and completely free. If you need any advice at all, please get in touch. Call 020 7392 2919 Email city.advice@toynbeehall.org.uk Visit www.toynbeehall.org.uk/cityadvice to find out more and complete an online form
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