Around Ealing Autumn 2014 | Page 8

UP FRONT A healthy reward Hundreds of residents can look forward to healthier futures thanks to the efforts of Ealing Council employee Sapna Chauhan to encourage people to have NHS health check screening. Sapna Chauhan Sapna’s exceptional efforts as part of the council’s public health team have been recognised in its annual staff awards, with her being named Employee of the Year. Over the last year the uptake of health checks in the borough has been increased by 14 percentage points, an unprecedented amount that puts Ealing among the best areas of London and the country. Visit www.ealing.gov.uk for more information. Heritage register A Victorian pillar box, remnants of old walls in Acton and a few well-known pubs are just some of the new additions to Ealing Council’s list of heritage assets which has been updated for the first time in 13 years. The new list contains more than 1,000 locally listed buildings, structures and monuments of architectural or historical importance, and is in addition to the borough’s 300 statutory listed heritage assets and 29 conservation areas. The buildings were assessed in accordance with English Heritage guidelines. The Local Heritage Register will now be updated annually. Visit www.ealing.gov.uk Under scrutiny Four new scrutiny panels have been set up by the council to give you the chance to air your views, and to hear evidence from experts. The contracts, demands and partnerships panel will make recommendations on how contract arrangements can be made more efficient. The Ealing 360 Degrees panel will look at a wide range of council operations. An ‘Ealing’s customers’ panel will examine how the council engages with residents and businesses. And the Ealing 2024 panel will endeavour to understand what the borough will be like in 10 years’ time. Get involved – email [email protected] or call 020 8825 7497. 8 around ealing Autumn 2014 1 The biggest change to voter registration in a lifetime has taken place with a new, individual electoral registration (IER) system. Up until now, one person was asked to register all eligible adults in their household. Now, in a bid to reduce the risk of fraud, everyone eligible to vote will have to register themselves individually. Ealing residents who are already on the electoral roll are automatically moved to the new IER system. They will have received letters over the past couple of months asking them to check their details and make corrections if necessary. If the details are correct, no action is necessary. People who are not on the electoral roll can register online easily, but postal registration is also available. To find out more about the changes go to www.gov.uk/yourvotematters. Or, to register to vote go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote 2 More than 300 cyclists of all ages joined free, guided bike rides on an 11-mile route through the borough. Led by experienced marshals, the council’s Ticket to Ride event started at both Gunnersbury Park and Brent Lodge Park in Hanwell. The route took cyclists along roads, the canal towpath and through parks. Visit www.ealing.gov.uk/cycling 3 Council leader Julian Bell was recently appointed to the executive of London Councils as lead on transport and environment for the coming year. London Councils represents all 32 boroughs in the capital and works with the government and other organisations to get the best deal for Londoners. He