Lewisham Southwark College which was previously rated “inadequate” has gone up a rating by Ofsted. Pic: Athena Stylli

HACKNEY

• Hackney Wick station to be kept open after locals complain 

Hackney Wick station will remain open on West Ham match days after complaints from locals, TfL has announced.

London Overground said last month that Hackney Wick had limited capacity and therefore would be closed when football fans flock the Olympic Stadium to watch West Ham play.

The controversial plans caused complaints from people in the area and their protests lead to TfL withdrawing the motion.

Instead football fans are encouraged to use Stratford station when they visit and leave the stadium.

• Foodbank is asking for help as more Hackney residents than ever are in need of the service 

Hackney Foodbank is holding a fundraiser to meet the rising demand in the borough while at the same time; they face the possibility of losing their 18 tonne capacity food storage warehouse.

Last year, the number of residents in Hackney using a foodbank went up by 25 per cent. From 2596 in 2014, to 3249 last year, according to food bank operator Trussell Trust.

The foodbank said many people in Hackney are struggling with increasing living costs and they hope locals will come and show their support.

Hackney Foodbank are also encouraging local businesses that are aware of any warehouse spaces to contact them.

The fundraising campaign starts of June 29 with comedy, live music and an art auction.

Tickets can be found here.

CROYDON

•  Croydon police warns sellers after Gumtree advertisers robbed 

Police are warning Gumtree sellers in Croydon as several people who used the site have been robbed of the advertised goods.

The sellers arranged to meet a buyer but were instead robbed, the advertised and stolen items included an iPhone, a PlayStation and a moped.

The sellers were located across Croydon and Wallington.

No arrests have been made and police in Croydon urges people with information to call them on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, quoting reference 3815840/16.

• 200-plant cannabis factory found in Croydon
  

A cannabis factory was found in Thornton Heath on Wednesday June 15.

The Home Office Immigration Services obtained a warrant and searched a home in St Christopher’s Gardens where they found some 200 weed plants.

Met Police arrested four men at the scene, they are suspected of cultivation of cannabis and immigration offences.

Officers located a cannabis factory in #Thorntonheath last night. Approximately 200 plants growing #Croydoncops pic.twitter.com/UxbROCGwTq

— Croydon MPS (@MPSCroydon) June 16, 2016

TOWER HAMLETS

• Officers kick off speed-awareness campaign with speed-trap in Bow  

On Friday, officers will stand along St Paul’s Way outside St Luke’s Primary school and stop vehicles that are going too fast.

Officers will check how fast drivers are going with radar guns and the campaign is aimed to aware drivers of the new 20mph speed limit across most of Tower Hamlets.

The borough-wide campaign is supported by Tower Hamlets Council and the East End will see more exercises carried out outside other schools in the coming weeks.

• Novotel chain opens its tallest hotel on Isle of Dogs 

The world’s tallest Novotel hotel will open near Canary Wharf later this year. It will be located in Marsh Wall on Isle of Dogs and will be the flagship hotel for AccorHotels group UK and Ireland.

It will be 127 metres tall, meaning one of the tallest in the area.

The hotel is set to have 39 floors and 313 rooms, plus restaurants and bars.

It was originally set to open in January 2017 but has been put forward and will now open in October this year.

LEWISHAM

• Lewisham families in need get 50 new homes 

Lewisham Homes has bought 50 properties that will house families in need.

The demand for affordable housing in London has hugely increased in the last few years and Lewisham is no exception.

Since 2013 the number of families housed in emergency bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation has risen from 60 to nearly 600 today.

The new homes hope to see more families have a secure place to live, but also benefit the Council.

Councillor Damien Egan, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “In the long term it also saves the Council £300,000 because the hostel costs are so high. We can put this saving towards protecting front-line Council services that are being threatened with cuts.”

Lewisham Homes manages 18,000 council homes in Lewisham.

• Ofsted rating for Lewisham Southwark College improves

After being rated “inadequate” twice in a row by Ofsted, Lewisham Southwark College has gone up one grade since their last inspection.

The education watchdog has inspected the college three times since November 2013 and has now decided on the overall rating: “requires improvement”. Seven headline fields received a result of “requires improvement” and the eighth one, the college’s provision for learners with high needs, was rated “good.”

The Ofsted report said: “They have improved the quality of provision, outcomes for learners and the college’s financial health, but, as leaders readily understand, and as confirmed by inspectors, they still have much to do to achieve their objective of providing outstanding education and training for learners.”