Issue 126 November 2009The magazine for Tower Hamlets Council’s staff

We need you to do your bitFind out how to be greener p4-5

The H factor

Who's your hero?p6

Online and on-time

Find out how R2P helps youp8

The staff quiz is back!

Book a tablep8

Features:

TogetherPULLING

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The Local Government Chronicle this weekfeatures a story on the race to ‘freeze counciltax’ describing the ambitions of over 80councils to cut or freeze their rates. TowerHamlets is no different. The political ambitionnot to put any additional financial pressures onresidents by increasing their council tax isunderstandable – and whether it happensacross all of the 80 plus councils or none ofthem – the fact is, the financial climate aheadfor Tower Hamlets will be tough.As honoured as I am to have been appointed

to the ‘top job’, I’m very aware of what thecurrent economic and political climate meansin reality. You’ll be hearing talk of efficiencysavings, transformation, and noticing thatservices are being reconfigured, or‘streamlined’ - changes designed to keep thefocus on frontline services.As the new Chief Executive, I’ve been

considering what this means for all of us. Staffat the frontline, support staff, supervisors andmanagers – all of us will be affected by whatlies ahead wherever we work. I know many ofyou are anxious about messages like this,because I am too (I haven’t always been aChief Executive)!Last month I wrote to senior managers about

a new organisation, East London Solutions – away for us to work with our neighbours on re-shaping services and delivering savingsthrough partnership, to encourage them toengage with them on potential projects.I’m very excited by my role in a place I am

passionate about, and I hope I am also realisticabout the pace and the type of change weneed to bring about if we are to become thekind of organisation we need to be. I think itwill be about seizing opportunities, seeingchange as positive and creating a culturewhere innovation and creativity arechampioned and encouraged. I hope it willmean removing any hint of a ‘blame culture’and encouraging staff to think laterally, workcollaboratively and plan carefully.I know we have the talent and the ambition

to create that culture.Kevan Collins, Chief Executive

General news

Welcome Kevan makesthe gradeHe’s been a Tower Hamletsteacher, a governmentadvisor, and the architectof our Children’s Servicesdepartment. And nowKevan Collins is our newChief Executive.Yorkshireman Kevan

fulfilled his dream ofbecoming a teacher whenhe took his first teachingjob at Malmesbury Schoolin Mile End, and got togrips with life in the EastEnd by moving into RobinHood Gardens before

going on to live in BethnalGreen.He told Pulling Together:

“I was so pleased when Igot the job at Malmesburyas I had always wanted toteach in London. It wassuch an exciting time.“It was 1983, the time

when education wastransferring from the ILEA(Inner London EducationAuthority) to local councils,and I had a mixed andtalented class of pupils sothere was a lot going on.

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I never knew that!• Kevan taught inMozambique

• He comes from a militaryfamily in Yorkshire

• He doesn’t own a car- youwill often see him cyclingor riding around on hisscooter

• He enjoys a good breakfastin Peliccis in Bethnal Green

• He’s a fan or art housefilms and recently went tosee Bright Star

“There was a lot going onsocially as well, and when Imoved to Bethnal Green I startedto get involved in the community,and that’s when I really found ahome here.”So what was it about Tower

Hamlets that attracted Kevan,who has a doctorate ineducation? “The East End hasalways had that spirit of beingslightly on the edge, because it ison the edge of the City. And Icome from a strong working classbackground so it felt beingcomfortable being here as it wasfamiliar.”But eventually the desire to be

nearer his family became toostrong and he took a teaching jobin Bradford before becomingsenior advisor to the localauthority for its English Literacyadvisory service.After making a success of that

role he returned to London andTower Hamlets to join the DfES(Department for FurtherEducation and Schools) where heheaded up the national literacystrategy.In 2005 he joined the council as

our first director of Children’sServices giving up a prominentcareer in Whitehall to return tolocal government.“With Children’s Services I saw

the value of joining together allaspects of a young person’s life,from education and health toyouth provision and evenhousing.

“By pulling these thingstogether you can have a realimpact on the lives of youngpeople and that makes working inlocal government far morerewarding.”And what does he think about

working for Tower Hamlets? “I’veloved it from the day I walked in.The wave of support and goodwillwas amazing.“In Tower Hamlets the gap

between reputation and reality isamazing. This is a very friendlyyet challenging place, and it’sevident when you visit anydepartment that staff are reallycommitted to our values andmoral purpose.”Moral purpose?“I genuinely believe local

government has a real part to

play in the lives of local people. Itis our challenge to be the bestcouncil in the country andprovide the best services and thebest value for money.”

“It is our challengeto be the bestcouncil in thecountry and providethe best services andthe best value formoney.”

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General news

The right climate for

Imagine 340 hot airballoons floating abovethe Town Hall. That’show much carbon wewaste each year byleaving our computerson each night.

As well as having a huge effect onthe environment, it also has aneffect on our finances too, wastingover £26,000 of tax-payers moneyeach year.Our new campaign, The Big

Switch Off, which launched onOctober 21, aims to stop this.By now you will have seen the

posters and the screensavers, andmay even have tried out the carbonsimulator at the launch event.

carbonchange

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But what does it mean for you?Quite simply, you have to switchyour machine off!Such a small act can make a big

difference, and it really takes noeffort at all.So what are you waiting for?

Switch it off!

Green CampaignersYou’ve probably heard a lot of talkabout Green Campaigners, youmay even be one of themarvellous members of staff whohave volunteered to help thecouncil tackle climate change.But for everyone else, here’s a

quick guide to what who they are,what they do and how you canget involved.

Who?Green Campaigners are membersof staff who have volunteered tohelp the council tackle climatechange.

What?Green Campaigners have agreed toencourage their colleagues to begreener as well as conduct a quickweekly audit to see how many PCsare being left on overnight. Thisinformation will help managers andthe Carbon Management Team tosee if the campaign is working andwhat else needs to be done tosupport staff.

How you can getinvolved?It’s easy! Simply emailabdulj.khan@towerhamlets.gov.ukand ask to join. You will be giventraining and the team’s fullsupport.

So what else is the councildoing?It’s not just about switching yourmachine off. Across the councildirectorates have identifiedprojects that can help us reducecarbon and costs.

What elsecan we do?Do you have an idea on

how we can save even

more carbon? Then let

us know! Everything

counts in the fight

against climate change

so if you have an idea

then share it with the

team. Email abdulj.khan

@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Projects currently underwayinclude:

• Street lighting at WestferryCircus. By changing the streetlighting to low energy bulbs weare saving 37 tonnes of CO2and over £63k a year.

• Placing pool covers over thecouncil’s swimming pools willsave 100 tonnes of CO2

• By placing a voltage optimiseron Mulberry Place ( a devisethat changes us on to a lowervoltage than we currently use)we can save over 336k a yearand a whopping 368 tonnes ofcarbon.

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Feature focus

If everyone workstogether we can make areal difference to life inTower Hamlets, that’s themessage of our newcampaign.

Tower Hamlets Together, whichlaunched last month, is an 18-month campaign aimed athighlighting what can be achievedwhen residents, groups and otheragencies work with council staff toimprove living conditions in theborough.The campaign is based on the six

key themes that residents areconcerned about: raisingeducational standards; supportingolder people; tackling crime andanti-social behaviour; cutting youth

unemployment and worklessness;making the borough cleaner andgreener; and reducingovercrowding.Every month a different resident

hero or member of staff will be theface of the campaign, highlightingthe important work we are all doingto tackle these problems.The campaign launched with

young mayor for Tower HamletsUma Akther, who is championingthe work we are doing to improveeducational standards.She said: “During my time as

young Mayor I’ve been visitingloads of local schools and have seenfirst hand what a difference a goodteacher can make to children’sprospects.“If we can get more people

involved in raising educationalstandards – and a campaign like thiscan help to achieve this- so muchthe better.”And to make sure our heroes

know how much we value them,the campaign launches withphotographs taken by celebratedphotographer Rankin.The stunning portraits will be seen

at bus stops, poster sites and in thelocal press, and can even form thebasis of an exhibition, making surethat as many staff and residents aspossible can see them.Rankin, who usually photographs

celebrities and supermodels forglossy magazines, agreed todramatically reduce his fee becausehe believes in the campaign.

Have you got the‘H’ Factor?

He said: “The East End has alwaysbeen famous for its communityspirit. I chose Brick Lane’s TrumanBrewery for my retrospective inAugust 2009 because it is a vibrant,diverse area that I am both drawnto and inspired by.“I like the idea of being part of a

campaign that highlights howstrong the spirit of Tower Hamletsis, and how positive andhardworking the local people are. Ihope my photos can both draw

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HeroHeadlinesHere are just some ofthe initiatives thecouncil has put in placeto make our area abetter place to live andwork.

� £500,000 has been spenton new CCTV cameras overthe past few years – helpingcut down on crime whichhas fallen for the fifth year running

� 2008/09 saw a 25 per cent drop in youth violence

� Numbers of young people not in work, training or educationhas fallen by almost 400 since 2005

� GCSE results are among the fastest improving in London – witha 13 per cent increase in passes since last year

� 22 schools rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted

� The council has injected £20 million into the community totackle unemployment – with a target of getting 4,000 localpeople into work on training over the next few years

� Millions have been invested in local youth services – with longeropening hours and better training for youth workers

� Around £20 million is being invested in homes for larger localfamilies to tackle serious overcrowding experienced by manyfamilies

� Millions of pounds have been invested in local parks - includingplans for a possible £12 million makeover of Victoria Park

� Recycling rates have increased by over 50 per cent over the pastyear to 19.5 per cent as of April 2009.

� More local people say they’re satisfied with street cleaningstandards than previously – with satisfaction rates up to 59 percent from 51 per cent over the past year

� The council helps more frail older people to live independentlythan any other local authority in the country

� Over 800 new users signed up to the Telecare support servicefor older and vulnerable people over the past year, more thandouble the previous year

attention to some importantchallenges facing everyone in theborough and encourage them tobecome part of the solution tothose challenges.”Over the coming months you will

see some real heroes and we wantmore! If you make a real differenceto the lives of people in theborough, or you know someonewho does, then let us know! Visitthe campaign’s webpage on theTower Hamlets to fill out the form.

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General news

A quicker way to order and payIt will now be easier and quickerto order and pay for goods andservices thanks to the newRequisition to Pay (R2P) system.

What is R2PRequisition to Pay (R2P) will

enable staff to trade with suppliersusing email and internettechnology and will be linked toJD Edwards (the council’s financialsystem).

Sometimes called an e-marketplace, the R2P system hasbeen tried and tested in over 100other authorities across thecountry.

R2P will include a number ofsupplier catalogues from whichthe most commonly orderedgoods and services can be ordered– similar to online shopping withsupermarkets or Amazon.

Approved suppliers will also beable to access the R2P system toview orders and submit electronicinvoices. The project team hasstarted to communicate withsuppliers to collect the datarequired to set them up on R2P.

Why are we doing this?The R2P project will make it easierto do the right thing whenpurchasing -and more difficult todo the wrong thing!

All transactions will be managedelectronically: orders will be raisedand approved on the R2P system,then emailed to suppliers. R2P willenable payment based onmatching of electronic order,electronic goods received ordelivery note and invoice. Invoiceswill no longer be sent tomanagers for certification – byordering and receipting on theR2P system the approval to pay islargely automated.

The improved process will

reduce paperwork, increaseefficiency, speed up payment andreduce costs for both the counciland our suppliers.

Improved managementinformation will be available tofacilitate increased use ofcorporate and collaborativecontracts with suppliers,aggregation of demand, supplierrationalisation and negotiation ofeffective and competitivecontracts, all of which will lead toincreased value for money.

When is R2P beingimplemented?Starting with the ResourcesDirectorate, R2P will be rolled-outacross the council betweenDecember 2009 and March 2010.

Briefings and training will beprovided to all staff impacted bythe new system and we will alsobe working with directorates tounderstand how local processescan be replaced with the newstandardised R2P process.

To find out more aboutR2PBased at Mulberry Place, the R2Pproject is being managed by NickColdicott. The full time membersof the Project Team are:

Andrew Coulson: ChangeManager

Stephanie Favell: ComplianceManager

Dean Farran: Technical Specialist

Stuart Facherty: Change Agent

Adam Sargent: Project Officer

Regular updates about theproject will be provided throughemails, newsletters, PullingTogether and Managers’ Briefings.Further information, includingdetails of Directorate R2Pchampions, FAQs etc isavailable on the intranet.

News in brief> getting quizzy with itFOR ONE YEAR ONLY theTower Hamlets Staff Quizwill be held in February!!!

The date this year is the11th February starting at6.30 pm at York hall. Tableswill be priced at £36 pertable, maximum of 6 peopleper table.

To enter please emailquizqueen@ymail.com foran application form.

> Sam’s a cyclechampionTravel awareness officerSam Margolis has scoopedan award at a prestigioustransport conference inReading.

Sam won the Best Paper bya Young Professional for hispresentation at the seventhTransport PractitionersConference.

He organises a range ofactivities such as cyclebuddying, cycle training,fun cycling and walkingevents for the communityand walking events.

He said: “The wide-rangingset of programmes we haveworked on are dedicated toboosting physical activitythrough encouraging morewalking and cycling and hasalready shown excitingincreases in cycling levels.”

Tower Hamlets is one ofnine ‘Healthy Towns’,selected following asuccessful bid to the HealthyCommunity Challenge Fund(Department of Health andDepartment of Children,Schools and Families).

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Performance page The Council’sStrategicPrioritiesOne Tower Hamlets1. To reduce inequalities,

foster strong communitycohesion and providestrong leadership andinclusive services

2. Working efficiently andeffectively as One Council

A Great Place to Live3. Provide affordable

housing and strongneighbourhoods

4. Strengthen and ConnectCommunities

5. Support vibrant towncentres, and a cleaner,safer public realm

6. Improve the environmentand tackle climate change

A ProsperousCommunity7. Support lifelong learning

opportunities for all8. Reduce worklessness9. Foster enterprise

A Safe and SupportiveCommunity10. Empower vulnerable

people and supportfamilies

11. Tackle and Prevent Crime12. Focus on Early

Intervention

A Healthy Community13. Improve health and

reducing differences inpeople’s health bypromoting healthylifestyles

14. Support mental healthservices to improvemental health

15. Improve access to, andexperience of, healthservices

The issue of exactly how manyresidents are living in theborough – and how this is goingto change in the next 20 years –is a hotly debated topic.According to the latest official

figures from the Office forNational Statistics, the populationof Tower Hamlets is 220,500, butalternative data sources – whichare considered to be more reliable– put the figure much higher, atwell over 230,000. Suchdifferences are important as thepopulation figures inform serviceplanning and the level of fundingthe council receivesThe choice of different

population measures can be veryconfusing. To help staff navigatethese issues, the Strategyand Performance team hasproduced a Research Briefing onpopulation data. The Briefingaims to demystify things byexplaining the different sources ofpopulation data available andproviding advice on their use. Thereport also discusses thelimitations of official data onpopulation and recommendsalternative sources.The Briefing is on the intranet at

the following link: http://towernet/Intranet/staff_services/business_planning/corporate_policy.aspx

What is the size of theTower Hamlets population?

Improving your Intranet –survey resultsThank you to all of you who gavefeedback in our recent user surveyof the council’s intranet. We hadnearly 500 responses telling ushow you use the site and how youwould like to see it developed.More than 85 per cent of

respondents said they use theintranet every day, mostly to accessthe staff telephone directory (93per cent), HR information andonline payslips (73 per cent) andread the latest news andannouncements (63 per cent).Users said the things they like

most about the intranet is that it isconvenient and saves the councilmoney on printing and documentstorage by holding informationonline (64 per cent).On the down side, staff reported

that they sometimes findinformation on the site difficult tofind, or that the information theyare seeking is either out of date ornot available. The site search tool

was also something that users feltcould be improved, along withbetter information about councilmanagement structures and teams.You will be please to hear that

improvements to the intranet arealready underway. A new searchtool is being developed and shouldhave gone live on the site by theend of October. Alongside this theWeb Team is working withCorporate HR and other keycontent suppliers to support themwith getting their intranet contentimproved.If you want to find out how to

get your information published onthe intranet contact the Web Teamat webteam@towerhamlets.gov.uk And ifyou think you have identifiedsomething that should bepublished on the site but isnowhere to be found, please let usknow by completing the “what’smissing” form, which you can findon the site.

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Sometimes it can feel like your hard work goesunnoticed, but this is often not the case. Withoutthe tireless hard work and dedication of staff wecould not have been named as a four star authority.Your efforts really do make a difference, both to

your colleagues and to members of the public.On this page you can thank a colleague for the

extra work or excellence they have demonstratedthat makes a difference.So if you want to say thank you to a colleague

simply pick up a Thank You card from HumanResources, fill in the details and return it to SteveWiggett, 6th floor Anchorage House, c/o MulberryPlace, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BG. All entries will beentered in to a prize draw with one member of staffbeing selected at random for a £25 gift voucher.It’s now even easier to nominate colleagues

that you think deserve a special thank you.The thank you card is now available to download

from Towernet, the council’s intranet, making itquicker and easier for you to let colleagues knowthat you appreciate the work they do.To nominate someone visit http://towernet/

Intranet/staff_services/learning_development/staff_recognition_strategy/staff_thank_you_scheme.aspx

Name: Kien LuongJob title: Equalities Monitoring OfficerThanked for: determination to complete the

collection of data for the staffequality audit

Name: Hubert SenyahJob title: Equalities Project OfficerThanked for: Organising support for the Parent

and Community Governor project

Name: Philip GospageJob title: Case investigation officerThanked for: Maintaining a quality service when

the team was under staffed

Thank you

SAMPL

E

Name: Denise MentessiJob title: Admin support officerThanked for: putting in a huge amount of effort to

make sure all the entries in thedirectory were accurate

Name: Florence AdeyemiJob title: Case investigation officerThanked for: Maintaining a quality service when

the team was under staffed

Name: Leander DonoghueJob title: Admin officerThanked for: providing timely management

information not usually required

Name: Paul SwainJob title: DesignerThanked for: Consistently high quality work and

positive attitude

Name: Emily BlackshawJob title: Stakeholder Engagement and

Participation OfficerThanked for: Support on the ‘Don’t Box Me In’

project

Name: Andrew HarveyJob title: Desktop SupportThanked for: sorting out a long standing ICT

problem

Name: Jodie JeffriesJob title: Admin officerThanked for: assisting with a difficult enquiry while

the team leader was on holiday

Name: Nasrena MiahJob title: Admin support officerThanked for: Sorting the team’s resources and

making it easier to find things

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Occupational health

With sensational headlines in thenews it is easy to panic aboutSwine Flu. But staff should bereassured tha the council has well-developed plans in place to copewith any emergency. Fromhygienic hand gel to staff rotasthere are plans to place to ensurestaff safety and keep all servicesrunning.Below are the answers to some

frequently asked questions:

Swine Flu and WorkI am in a High Risk Category –should I tell my manager?You don’t need to be specificabout which High Risk categoryyou are in but it is advised that youinform your manager that you areconsidered high risk. This is so thatthey can make appropriate riskassessments regarding your workactivities. You will need to be told ifa person you have been workingclose to (client or colleague) hasbeen found to have symptoms ofswine flu as, doctors may advisesome high risk patients to havetreatment before they havesymptoms if someone close tothem has swine flu.

I am a manager – What should Ido if one of my team tells methat they are in a High Riskcategory for Swine Flu?Managers should carry out riskassessments as they wouldnormally for employees exposed toinfectious disease at work. No ‘highrisk’ individual should be exposedto a ‘known’ case of swine fluwhilst at work.However, if concern is raised

regarding an ‘at risk’ individual in

the team, or regarding contactwith clients within their workingcapacity, for example social careworkers, managers should seekadvice from Emergency Planningor HR.You will also need to keep your

high risk employees informed if itappears that they have beeninadvertently exposed to someonewith symptoms of swine flu so theycan discuss this with their GP.

Should I attend work if I think Ihave Swine Flu?If in doubt symptoms of‘unwellness’ can be checked on theNHS Direct webpage symptomchecker (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) orshortly you will be able to contactthe National Pandemic Flu Servicefor advice.Individuals with symptoms

suggestive of flu should stay awayfrom work whilst they havesymptoms. It is likely that thesymptoms will usually precludemost people from attending.

Should I attend work if I think Ihave been in contact with SwineFlu?Staff who are not showing anysymptoms but have been incontact with someone with swineflu should attend work.

What is the Council doing tohelp reduce risk of swine flu?Most areas of the council managedcentrally have now moved toantibacterial hand-washing liquidsin the bathrooms. You can yourselfand others by washing your handswhen you arrive at work aftertravelling on public transport.

It has been suggested thatconsideration can be given toantibacterial hand disinfectantsbeing available at work especiallywhere there is a public access toservices. Managers can make thisdecision locally and order throughthe existing first aid equipment andstationery suppliersDesk and telephone wipes are

readily available in most people’sstationery supplies or can be easilyordered. It makes sense for peopleto clean their desks tops andphones at least once a day inaddition to normal cleaning duringthis time. In hot desk areas, this isessential as well as courteous.

Where can I get further advice?Council intranethttp://towernet/Intranet/staff_services/newsroom/news/swine_flu.aspxLocal NHS Informationwww.towerhamlets.nhs.uk/your-health/swine-flu.NHS Direct www.nhsdirect.nhs.ukNHS Choices Swine Fluwww.nhs.ukSwine Flu Information Line0800 1 513 513National Pandemic Flu Servicewww.pandemicflu.direct.gov.ukNHS Direct Phone Line (non-swineflu inquiries) 08 45 46 47

Swine Fluwhat you need to know

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Offers

Produced by Tower Hamlets Council’s Communications Unit | 12303 11/09

Pulling Together is printed on100% recycled paper

We’d like tohear from you

If you’ve got a story to tell in PullingTogether please contact yourdirectorate lead or editor Claire Rudd.

Chief Executive’s Kevin Kewin ext. 4075Development and RenewalLee Lixenberg x4754Children’s ServicesSukhjinder Nunwa x4149Communities, Localities and CultureSarah McLaughlin ext. 2860Adult Services Lorna Bayford ext. 2189Or email claire.rudd@towerhamlets.gov.uk

A large print version isavailable by contacting020 7364 7791

Celebrate the festive season withMemsaheb on Thames in the Docklands

A sophisticated and upmarketIndian restaurant, Memsaheb onThames is one of Docklands finestlocal restaurants.Our Christmas season is always a

memorable occasion and onceagain, we are pleased to invite youfor a fabulous Christmas menu andan unforgettable experience toshare with family and friends.We offer the perfect Christmas

party as Memsaheb with riversideviews and just the right and highlycosy ambience.Our Christmas menus are

£19.95 and £22.50. Or, we canalso prepare a bespoke menu justto your liking. Just call us for more

information.Memsaheb’s north-Indian and

Bangladeshi specialities includesfirm favourites such as well-madeKormas and Bhuna dishes tomouth-watering signature itemslike Seabass Mojadar and RoghaniKing Prawn.Cooking aside, Memsaheb has

always been praised for its friendlyand welcoming service, ensuringcomplete satisfaction for thecustomer and leaving you wantingmore!So don’t miss out and when you

book with us quoting this letter,you get 10% off from theChristmas food menu.

Special Christmas menuSTARTERS

papadums and chutneysfollowed by

assorted starter – chickentikka, shish kebab (lamb), onion

bhaji, samosa

MAINlamb korahi-cooked withonion and green pepper,

medium hot.lamb rogon josh-cooked with

fresh tomatoes.chicken tikka masala-mild.garlic chilli chicken-fairly hot.king prawns with spinach.

SIDEmix veg, sag aloo (spinach

with potato)

DESSERTkulfi-rich creamy ice cream

All main dishes will be servedin large sharing bowls and as

much as you like. 10% optionalservice charge will be added.The Christmas menu will be

served all the Christmas season.

MemsaheB on thames65-67 Amsterdam Road,Docklands, E14 3UUTel: 020 7538 3008

www.memsaheb.uk.com