Newham Council is proud to join with partners from Westfield Stratford City, The London Fire Brigade (LFB), The London Ambulance Service (LAS) and Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to launch a new safety hub for residents.
Westfield Stratford City has temporarily donated the use of a vacant retail unit within the Mall to create a hub for shoppers to get free information from Council Officers and London’s emergency services.
Council officers from Housing Services, Community Safety, Private Sector Housing and Repairs services and Engagement Teams, will meet residents, giving advice and reassurance on a range of issues from fire safety, to Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and how to report any issues to the Council effectively.
The unit will be open for a month and will act as a drop-in centre for visitors to learn more about Council Services, particularly fire safety, as well as get information from the LFB, MPS and LAS.
Councillor Carleene Lee-Phakoe, Cabinet Member for Crime and Community Safety said: “This is a great opportunity for Newham residents to meet face-to-face with some of the teams we all rely on to keep us safe and secure.
“Along with officers from the MPS, LFB and LAS, Council staff will be on hand to give advice and guidance on fire safety issues, from gas safety to smoke alarm installation and maintenance, reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour, and other council services - to signpost residents to get the best out of all our services.”
Station Commander at Stratford Fire Station, Chris Kendall, has worked closely with partners to bring the concept together. He said: “We very rarely get the opportunity to do something like this and are very grateful to Westfield for donating the space to us.
“The shopping centre has a daily footfall of thousands of visitors, so it’s a fantastic opportunity for us and our partners to speak to members of our community we may not otherwise come into contact with.”
The Met Police’s Newham Borough Commander, Richard Arnold, said: “The work Chris and all partners have done to bring this opportunity together has been fantastic.
“As the Borough Commander, I am very proud of our commitment to work with key partners in keeping the community and visitors of Newham safe.
“We’re really looking forward to welcoming visitors into our unit, so please do stop in and say hello if you’re at Westfield.”