Good morning. Today’s news comes from InYourArea.
New research shows Brits believe almost 300,000 empty houses across the UK should be used for tackling homelessness. Property buyers GoodMove revealed the number of empty houses there are in the UK. As it stands, there are currently 288,539 empty houses in the UK and 68 per cent of Brits believe they should be used to help target the nation’s homelessness crisis. The top two areas in the UK with the most empty dwellings are in Northern England – the North West and Yorkshire and Humber, with over 67,000 empty dwellings between them. Nima Ghasri, chartered surveyor and director at GoodMove, said: “It’s really interesting to see the number of empty houses in the UK, and that the vast majority of them are also situated in England.” “But with nearly seven in 10 Brits believing these empty houses could be used to accommodate homeless people in the UK, it raises a very important and interesting issue.” – Brits say empty UK houses should be used to tackle homelessness (InYourArea Newsroom – National)
A great community football tournament was held at Future Youth Zone in Dagenham on Friday 27 August. The 6 aside tournament saw teams from the police, Barking and Dagenham council and other organisations all challenge each other in an afternoon of fun. East Area Gangs Coordinator DC Anoushka Dunic was at the event with a team of her officers all engaging with the community. DC Dunic does amazing proactive work in east London, working constantly to support our youth and their parents. This was a fantastic community event where our youth were able to engage in sport and share a laugh with local community leaders and even a special appearance by ex West Ham star Bobby Zamora! – VIDEO: Community football tournament held at Future Youth Zone. (THD The Havering Daily)
Roads police in east London stopped a speeding car travelling at more than 100mph in the early hours of Tuesday. Met Police officers from the Barking and Dagenham division said a “sporty” white Peugeot joined the A13 in front of their patrol car. The vehicle was then followed into Rainham travelling at speeds of up to 101mph. Posting pictures of the stop on Twitter, officers said the Peugeot driver was “seemingly oblivious to our marked traffic car behind it”. The driver was reported for excess speed, police said – Speeding suspect ‘oblivious to police car’ (MyLondon – News – East London News – Metropolitan Police)
The end of the school year is usually filled with many happy traditions and rituals that should be a rite of passage for all children and young people. As a former teacher with plenty of friends still working in education, I know how hard schools have worked to ensure those moments have continued for young people. Thank you to all the teachers and support staff who have given their all to ensure young people got the very best end to a very challenging year. While our teaching friends have a well-earned rest, the baton is now passed on to those organisations that give young people positive activities to do when schools are closed to ensure children and young people have a summer to remember! At Youth Zone, our summer programme kicks off next week and this year we are delighted to be delivering the government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme alongside a whole host of other amazing organisations in the borough. Thanks to Barking and Dagenham Post for providing some space each month for me to champion young people and share my views and thoughts on the youth sector – Future Youth Zone: ‘Happy childhood experiences mould the people we become’ (Barking & Dagenham Post – News)
The mother of Stephen Lawrence, the 18-year-old who was murdered in 1993 in a racist attack at a bus stop in South East London, has said she doesn’t believe she will see full justice for her son during her lifetime. Baroness Doreen Lawrence, 68, told The Mirror that she doesn’t think the police “has any interest” in her son’s case. Baroness Lawrence believes the police’s treatment of her son is part of a wider story of the police failing black victims. Baroness Lawrence said: “I think the Met Police would like you to believe things have changed drastically since the Macpherson report came out.” Baroness Lawrence cited fans booing England players who took the knee and sending racist social media posts to black footballers after the Euro 2020 final as an example of the “disgraceful” intolerance still evident in the UK. “She said: “If you think about Raheem Sterling, without him England would never have got to where they got to in the Euros.” – Stephen Lawrence’s mum Doreen doesn’t think she will see ‘full justice’ in her lifetime (MyLondon – News – South London News – Race)
Summarised with SMMRY.
halfeatenmind.wordpress.com 