Havering Council

23/10/2026

Your Friday roundup is here! 📧

This week’s Living in Havering newsletter covers the deep clean in Harold Hill, five new family homes at Priory Road reaching practical completion, Pride in Place Awareness Day, local events and much more.

Not subscribed yet? Sign up for free: https://orlo.uk/Wvx9J

23/10/2026

Update on proposed FCC Waste Management Strike Action 23 October 2026

Councillor Martynas Cekavicius , Havering's Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said:

"Havering Council is extremely disappointed that planned industrial action by Unite, involving waste collection staff is set to go ahead from 26 to 30 October 2026.

The Council’s position has been clear from the outset and this week we have continued to work with both FCC and Unite, encouraging them to reach a negotiated settlement.

FCC has a contractual obligation to collect waste across the Borough, and has contingency plans in place to minimise disruption to residents.

Naturally, it is likely that some disruption will occur, and we will continue to hold FCC to account for the delivery of its contractual services and will regularly monitor the impact of any industrial action.

We will provide regular updates to residents via the Council’s regular channels.

Our priority remains ensuring residents receive the waste and recycling services they expect, deserve, and pay for.

"This is an unprecedented situation, and we apologise in advance to all residents who will be affected.

We urge FCC and Unite to redouble their efforts to reach an agreement and bring this dispute to an end, and we remain hopeful that such an agreement can be reached as soon as possible."

Advice for residents
FCC have made efforts to minimise disruption to Havering residents next week.
They have secured staff from other municipal contracts, as well as agencies, to ensure that all kerbside collections will proceed as planned, and have sourced hire vehicles to enable other work to be caught up as quickly as possible.
As it stands, the expectation is that all kerbside recycling and waste bags will be collected as scheduled, as well as clinical waste and bulky waste.
There is likely to be some disruption to collections of garden waste and communal bins.
Havering staff have been working behind the scenes to ensure that colleagues in Housing are kept updated, and to identify any locations that may need to be prioritised due to local arrangements, such as where rubbish chutes are in use.
FCC will be deploying resource next weekend to help catch up with any outstanding work, and Havering's Waste Team have been in contact with the East London Waste Authority to confirm weekend tipping arrangements.
Residents are instructed to present their waste as planned, and to continue checking the website for updates.
Any work not completed will be published on the website on a daily basis, so that residents can check the status of their collections, with assurances that FCC are aware of any outstanding locations and will get to them as soon as possible.

23/10/2026

Update on the proposed FCC Waste Management Strike Action - 21 October 2026

Councillor Martynas Cekavicius , Cabinet Member for Public Realm, has issued an update on the proposed FCC Waste Management Strike Action.

"FCC are continuing discussions with Unite with a clear view to averting next week's proposed industrial action.

"Whilst some proposed resolutions are medium-to-long term, FCC are working on bringing forward interim measures to help provide appropriate assurances to staff, particularly with regard to workload concerns.

"Should the members proceed with industrial action, FCC have been devising a contingency plan that will minimise disruption to Havering residents.

"Therefore, the current instruction is for residents to present their waste as usual, but I would encourage residents to continue to check the Council's website and social media channels for any further updates.

"Havering Council will continue to encourage both FCC and Unite to reach a compromise at the negotiating table so that industrial action can be avoided."

23/10/2026

Looking for work, thinking about your next step or just not sure what support is available? 💼

Department for Work and Pensions - DWP drop-in at Harold Hill Community Hub can help with everything from finding work and improving your CV to understanding benefits, training and support available to you.

📍 Harold Hill Library
📅 Every Tuesday from 1pm

Take a look at the poster for more information 👇

22/10/2026

Mayor of Havering, Cllr Maggie Themistocli, and the Leader of Havering Council, Councillor Keith Prince AM, joined veterans and volunteers for the launch of the Royal British Legion's Havering today (22 October) at the The Mercury Mall in Romford.

22/10/2026

22/10/2026

We want to understand how gambling affects people in Havering and what support people may need.

We would particularly like to hear from people who gamble or have gambled in the past; if you feel gambling has affected your life in any way, or you have been affected by the gambling of a family member, friend or someone else close to you.

Read on to find out more. https://orlo.uk/96eGY

22/10/2026

⚠️ Yellow Wind Warning for tomorrow

The Met Office has issued a Yellow Wind Warning for Friday 23 October, from 10am to 9pm, as strong winds linked to Storm Austen may bring localised disruption.

Please take care if you’re out and about!

22/10/2026

A deep clean of Harold Hill’s Hilldene shopping parade is underway, with our street cleaning contractors, FCC. The works are part of the administration's goal to deliver visible improvements for residents, including cleaner streets and town centres.
The current deep clean works started in Romford in August, followed by Hornchurch and Collier Row recently. We're also looking to extend the works to other town centre areas across the Borough in the coming weeks.

22/10/2026

Councillor Keith Prince AM and Cllr Graham Day visited Harold Hill Community Hub today to meet the team, speak with partner organisations and chat with local residents.

They also visited the food pantry and heard more about the support available to people facing cost-of-living pressures.

With many residents still struggling with rising costs, we want to make sure people know what help is available, from food support to advice on managing household bills.

Find out more: https://www.livewellhavering.org.uk/article/money/