Heartless Housing Association Snubs Bereaved Son

Hackney housing association, Industrial Dwellings Society (IDS) rejects the requests made by Clement Rhule, a resident of Navarino Mansion for over 10 years despite numerous appeals.

 

The family of the late Daphne Noble, who recently passed away from Covid-19 after contracting the disease whilst in Homerton Hospital have been in contact with IDS with what can be classed as a unique request. Mother, Daphne Noble and son, Clement Rhule were both residents of Navarino Mansions, E8.

 

Clement Rhule was hoping to keep the memory of his mother alive for his sister, two nieces and other family members due to her unexpected sudden death. Clement requested to make a like-for-like swap of his property with his mothers as they both occupied one bedroom flats within the Navarino Mansions estate.

 

Daphne Noble’s tenancy agreement with IDS, states in Section 4 ii, ‘If no one is entitled to succeed to the tenancy IDS will consider whether to offer the tenancy of the premises…to a member of the tenant’s family or cohabitee, who…had been looking after the tenant…’

 

In a letter to IDS, son Clement Rhule explained his circumstances:

 

“My Mum had not been well for some some time with cancer and it was very useful for me and reassuring for the rest of the family, that I lived nearby because I was able to pop in and care for her on a daily basis.  She was a vulnerable person, so very sadly, when she was admitted to hospital during the Coronavirus Crisis she was susceptible to the illness and contracted it at the Homerton Hospital, where she passed away.

 

The nature of the crisis and the infection restrictions meant that as a family we were not able to visit her in hospital and give her the care and attention we normally would when she was ill.   This has added to our sense of grief and loss, which is made more acute by the restrictions on funeral arrangements at the current time.  Put simply, we were not able to assist with my mother’s care and comfort in her final days and we cannot honour her memory as we want to and as she deserved.

 

In the circumstances, as a family we are making a special request, which we believe it is within the power of IDS to grant.  I would very much like to swap my one-bedroom flat in Navarino Mansions for my mother’s.  This is in effect a like-for-like swap, as they are both one-bedroom, but it would mean a great deal to us because my siblings and my mother’s grandchildren would be able to visit me in her old flat which would provide great comfort.“

 

Sadly, the request was denied on the grounds of:

• IDS allocations policy allows transfer of tenants, but there is a waiting list for this (allocated by date order).
• Our records indicate that you are currently on the transfer list since 09/09/2017 and that you have a one bed need. You are currently number 34 on the list.
• The allocations policy works to overcome housing need.
• With regard to your mothers tenancy agreement, you would not be eligible for succession due to the fact that you already have suitable accommodation and that you have not lived with your mother for the last 12 months prior to her passing, despite the fact he may have cared for our late mother.

The family were given one week to appeal the decision made by Industrial Dwellings Society (IDS) in which an appeal was made on behalf of the family of Daphne Noble by ward councillor Vincent Stops. However the request was again denied, however on a new basis by a service leader at IDS:

“This is a unique request and not a straight forward ‘swap’ or Mutual Exchange.  Mr Rhule would have to be ‘transferred’ to his mother’s unit, leaving his empty and essential void works necessary before reletting, e.g gas safety and electrical safety tests as well as any other works to ensure the unit is fit for habitation for any new tenants.  This  would have a financial implication to IDS which we do not have a budget for.  For this reason, regrettably we had to refuse the request. “

 

The family have been forced to give up the property after many attempts to keep the memory of their deceased mother and grandmother alive. Daughter Andrea Lowe stated “I am very disappointed with the final decision made by IDS, my mother was already taken away from me so suddenly which is very hard for me to deal with and I am now being forced to get rid of one of the only memories we have of my mother”

 

Clement Rhule refused to comment further on the decision made by Industrial Dwellings Society (IDS).

 

The family have been given until Monday 15^th June 2020 to move out of the property and are currently in the process of moving out their mothers belongings.

THE FORMER EASE OF GETTING FROM A TO B FACES SOME DIFFICULTIES

The days of learning how to drive and making the decision to purchase a car because it was cheap, affordable and convenient are coming to an end for many, especially when it comes to young drivers.

The combination of the cost to learn how to drive with the price in which an individual spends on purchasing and maintaining a car is not for the faint hearted. Especially for those aged from the legal age to drive in the UK which is 17 to the age of 25 as they are already faced with high insurance rates compared to other ages as shown in data from MoneySuperMarket which shows a 47.8% difference in the average cost of insurance for 17-19-year-olds and 30-39-year-olds. 

 

Based on rates in 2019, learning how to drive includes payments for a provisional driving license which costs £43, £23 or a theory test, driving lessons which ranges from £45 for an individual two-hour session or £250 for based on a price provided by a local BSM driving instructor, £62 to book a driving test, and an additional £65 to rent out the car for the day of the driving test.

And it doesn’t stop there, new drivers then have to purchase a car, pay for car insurance, road tax, petrol, parking and any unexpected car faults that may occur if a second hand car is purchased which is the most cost effective option for many new, young drivers due to it being what they can afford.

When speaking to some student drivers from the University of Essex about the cost of having a car many agreed with the fact that it is “too expensive” and some even described it as not being worth it. 

After interviewing a couple students many admitted to having a black box which is a device which is fitted into a car to track speed, usage, the harshness of braking and the overall performance of drivers. One student admitted to having to opt to having a black box being fitted in her car in order to lower the price of her insurance, for her first year she paid £1890 with a black box fitted in her car and now in her second year of driving her insurance has decreased to £1056 for the year. 42 out of 60 of students from the University of Essex that I spoke to have a black box fitted in their car, with the reason being that it would be too expensive without it. This is because of the idea that younger drivers are more dangerous, less aware and like to ‘show off’ when driving.

The effect of this has not only caused regret for young drivers but it has also put many people off of driving due to not having the funds to do so. But with the improvements in public transport and the wide variety of taxi companies such as Uber, Addison Lee and local taxis, there are many more alternative, cost effective and less time consuming options as everywhere is much more accessible without the need to sit in traffic, so driving is no longer a necessity as proven when I asked 60 individuals “What is the most convenient form of transport for you?” and majority answered with public transport.

So is driving really the best and most convenient form of transport in 2019? 

Influencers Are Suffering From Cancelling Culture As Past Tweets Resurface Which Display Colourism

Monday 27^th April 2020

 

Online shaming has been an issue on social media for many years, however it is mostly seen between the general public by those who are considered as bullies. Online shaming has now evolved with the public now retaliating. Cancel culture has come about in recent years, it is ‘a form of boycott in which an individual, typically a celeb, has shared a questionable opinion, or again, has had problematic behavior called out on social media. This can be screenshots of old tweets or old videos that resurface of the problematic behavior in question’

 

In the early hours of this morning, old tweets from the UK’s favourite influencers came to light. In a bid to show the presence of colourism, old tweets from well-known influencers such as Nella Rose, Chunkz, Tion Wayne, Yung Filly, Stormzy, Paigey Cakey, Nines, DJ Khaled, Oloni, Zeze Mills and Ivorian Doll re-surfaced which displayed them talking negatively about black people. Some of the tweets were as follows:

 

• ‘@TIONWAYNE: Is cozz u f***ing black monkeys don’t vote’

 

• ‘@Paigey_Cakey: @ImanMulan Your mums an ape LOL dsfbdhjfsdfhk’

 

• ‘@Chunkz_EN: I hate Denise, with her default black lips’

 

• ‘@yungfilly1: Not feeling this black girl on the train and she’s trying to have eye sex with me, I refuse to look at her again. #LeaveIt’

 

• ‘@Mr200m_: You hardly ever hear someone say to a black girl, you light up my world. They’re to black for that s***’

 

• ‘@IvorianDoll_ @arnsmade do you even go outside? If so your mistaken for a black lamppost ‘

 

• ‘@Stormzy1: This the time of night when dark skin girls are up eatin trash’

 

• ‘@ZezeMillz: Why are Africans so aggressive when they speak’

 

• ‘@Nellarose_ These times when yur on a bus full of somalians and it sounds like a fish mongers market -_-‘

 

This caused chaos on twitter as many people were furious about the tweets which were coming out. Some of the most famous influencers were trending worldwide on twitter in a matter of hours and throughout the day more tweets were resurfacing from those you would least expect.

 

Based on the responses to the tweets, supporters of the influencers were furious, with peoples main confusion being ‘how can you speak down on your own kind?’; black people have suffered from racism for many years and at a time where majority of black people have built up their confidence, these tweets from their idols have resurfaced, in turn having a major effect on them which is being released as anger.

 

In response to this, majority of influencers suffered from a huge decrease in the number of followers they previously had and public apologies have been released throughout the day. However many of the influencers reputations have been ruined.

 

Some of the published apologies are being disputed due to the fact that many people are arguing whether or not the apologies are genuine or whether these influencers are simply apologising due to the fact that the tweets have resurfaced but in fact still have the same mentality that they had when tweeting these tweets.

 

However, some supporters are still defending the influencers with the excuse that ‘they were young and people change’.

 

Many of the supporters still seem to feel betrayed due to the fact that they felt as if they have built a relationship with the influencer and based on the tweets found which are referring to the major audience of these influencers. It could be seen as if their audience was only being targeted due to the mass number of black girls in the world which allows them to generate a larger audience, ultimately profiting off of them.

 

This assumption was further confirmed when some of the influencers such as Nella Rose began to upload their apology videos on YouTube which they’ve were able to monetise off of.

 

This sparked the decision of many of the supporters to ‘cancel’ the influencers in order to show that they do not support their actions.

 

Unfortunately, this has not gone to plan as the influencers have begun to receive threats from troll pages which can be very upsetting. Some threats included trolls commenting under Nella Rose’s social media posts criticising her appearance and speaking ill of her deceased mother and some messaging AliyahMariaBee about her miscarriage that she suffered from last year summer.

 

Since then many of the influencers have made the decision to delete the old tweets and deactivate their social media accounts which is understandable and would most likely be recommended by management in order to protect their own mental health.

 

There is no knowing how long this will last for, whether it will be a day, a week or a month; but we will be waiting to whether or not the supporters will stick to their word and continue to support these influencers or if they will boycott the influencers forever.

 

Cancel culture could in fact be a game changer but that is entirely down to whether or not it is done correctly and if majority of an influencers fan base supports it. Cancel culture could definitely be effective because if a celebrity or influencer no longer has their supporters defending them or purchasing, listening to or watching their content then they will begin to lose their popularity which will affect their earnings.

 

Whether or not their comeback will be genuine is the question. Will cancel culture continue to be something which is performed or will it eventually come to an end, allowing celebrities and influencers to continue to get away with stuff in which we do not consider to be morally right. We can’t wait to see what happens!

Quarantine has fuelled the minds of many as new businesses are launched and new skills are learnt

The worldwide lockdown has seen the creative side of individuals be unleashed as many people around the world have found new hobbies to ultimately kill time whilst being stuck at home during quarantine.

 

With the closure of majority of stores around the UK including hair and beauty salons, bakeries, clothing stores, restaurants and gyms. People are being forced to find alternative ways to accommodate their needs.

 

This has resulted in people purchasing the items needed to complete this; nail kits, hair styling tools, furniture, paint, cookbooks, fitness equipment, home electricals, games consoles and baking ingredients have been amongst the most purchased items during quarantine. Which in turn has led to a boost in sales of online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay as a limited number of shops are currently open and based on the guidelines set by prime minister, Boris Johnson which states that you must ‘only leave home to shop for necessities’, ‘work from home and do not travel’ and ‘do not meet others – even friends or family’ it is both safer and more convenient to order online.

 

Not only have majority of people found D.I.Y versions of their favourite hobbies but many independent business have now been created during quarantine as people discover new ways to make money and learn new skills.

 

After speaking with Michelle Ajala who is the owner of her all new clothing line ‘Virtue London’ she stated “Prior to lockdown I had no intentions or interests in starting my own clothing line. I just got bored one day and started watching videos on YouTube on how to edit and create designs and practiced by myself and here I am now”.

 

Not only has quarantine been a time to relax it has become a time to reflect which has taken majority of people down memory lane as a craze has begun on social media related to the famous ‘ sprinkle cake’ which was served in majority of schools in the UK. This craze saw a peak in the number of  bakers as everyone made attempts to make their own ‘sprinkle cake’ which most definitely contributed to the lack of flour, eggs and milk available in supermarkets

 

Owner of Krystal Cakes, Olivia Brown said “This lockdown is a blessing in disguise, I never imagined or thought that I could do this if I’m being honest with you. The amount of orders that I have got so far is unbelievable and with there not being anything to do, I am able to fulfil all of my orders as well as perfect my craft”

 

The number of paid online classes and masterclasses, online tutorials and live sessions available has increased as professionals use this as a way to teach from home and make further income during this time.

 

With the more people being trained and given the skills and techniques needed to start a career in any of these fields, there is a risk that those with businesses already in the field may be affected due to the increased number of competition.

 

Truly Cupcakes owner, Andrea Lowe expressed that ‘ I am worried about my business once lockdown is over, for the safety of myself, my family and my customers I continued to follow the governments guidelines on quarantine which meant that I stopped baking but many of these new quarantine bakers have continued and have now taken a lot of the customers and I’m scared that I will have to shut my business down once everything returns to normal”

 

Following the outbreak of Covid-19, quarantine has been a time for people to find new hobbies or better yet learn new skills and improve on any existing skills which can be used to improve existing business or to launch any new business ventures. If you have not utilised your time in quarantine, there is still time!

 

 

New Conditions Are Put In Place By Transport For London which will effect many after a 90% decrease in income

Today, Transport for London revealed their £1.6 billion bailout deal which comes into play in the next coming weeks. This comes after Transport for London reported a 90% decrease in income during the nationwide lockdown due to many people not requiring public transport anymore due to working from home and the restriction of travelling unless the trip is essential.

 

During the nationwide lockdown, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan made bus travel free, Congestion, ULEZ and LEZ charges were lifted and NHS staff were offered free access to Santander Cycles.

 

However, the drastic fall in income has forced Transport for London to seek the help of the government in order to save it from collapse, in which they were awarded a £1.6 billion bailout deal.

 

The new conditions include further fare price increases above inflation, free travel will be temporarily suspended for Freedom Pass and 60-plus card holders at peak times, free travel for under 18’s will be axed and congestion, ULEZ and LEZ charges will be put back in place with congestion charges increasing and being extended over the coming weeks.

 

In a statement issued by Mayor, Sadiq Khan he has accused the Department for Transport of “making ordinary Londoners pay the cost for doing the right thing on Covid-19”. In an interview with Sky News, Sadiq Khan stated “this is not a deal I wanted to do as the mayor of London but the alternative was for our buses and tubes to stop running at a time we need to be maximising the services on our buses and tubes”.

 

Many people are taking to social media to express their views on the new conditions set out in regards to Transport for London which are set to be put in place by January 2021. Co-Founder of TeacherTapp, Laura McInerney tweeted “@miss_mcinerney: Just seen that Transport for London is stopping free travel for children. This has HUGE ramifications for schools”. In response to the conditions outlined, a petition has been created to ‘Stop TFL from removing free travel for under-18s which has gained over 38 thousand signatures.

 

Under 18 year olds have had free travel for over 10 years, so this change is a big shocker.

 

With the fact that children travel to and from school 5 days a week, the free travel was ideal for them but now with this change parents will be forced to pay for their children as well as themselves which could be pose further financial pressure for many. The removal of free travel for under 18 year olds in particular has very high risks as it could lead to less children attending school.

 

Another group strongly affected by the new conditions set by Transport for London are general commuters. In January commuters already saw a 2.8% price increase in train fare prices in and around London based on inflation. With the fact that it has been said that the fare prices will increase above inflation is worrying for many. A local commuter stated “roughly 30% of my pay check goes towards travel monthly, I can’t afford for my train fare prices to go up anymore, especially with the fact that I will now have to pay for both of my children to get to and from school”

 

Transport for London’s new conditions have the chance to put a lot of families in London under financial pressure. However, it is now down to the government to either lift or amend these conditions which will be under review in October 2020 which is based on whether or not Transport for London are able to increase their income.

My Life As A Young Adult – Transmedia Project

This is my transmedia project for my creative media module on my life as a young adult:

Students around the UK struggling to find reasonable priced housing

As the autumn term of university begins, many students have returned to university either feeling secure with their student housing situation or have come back ultimately being homeless.

When speaking with university students, I found that many in fact struggled to find housing in Essex that was both affordable and not too far from the main campus. When speaking with Sports Science student, Tosan Egodo, she described the house prices as “unreasonable and unrealistic”.

She then went on to explain that in her first year of university she had been actively looking for a two-bedroom house since January 2018 and she managed to find a house in June 2018, with her and her housemate having to pay a deposit of £1800 each.

This has sparked her decision to commute from London for her final year of university as she has recognised that it is “more affordable for me, especially now that I drive and I am close to many transport links that get me in and out of London “

I contacted a representative from Jackson and Co Property Services to get a quote for one of the most popular residential areas for University of Essex students, Ship Wharf which is located within close proximity of Tesco. For a two-bedroom student friendly property I was quoted £925 a month. To my surprise I was also informed that the tenancy agreements are 12 months’ long which is different to the university tenancy agreements that often range from 39 weeks to 51 weeks and most bills are not included.

With the fact that many students, rely solely on their maintenance loans provided by Student Finance England which is split into three instalments paid in October, January and April this is in fact unrealistic for many students. With such high rent prices, combined with utility bills and necessities like food, each maintenance loan payment most likely only covers the 3 months it is intended to cover which means nine months’ worth of rent payments. The fact that these tenancy agreements are 12 months’ means that will in turn end up making payments out of their own money, if they have a part time job or they will require the help of their parents.

Not only did I find out about the unreasonable prices whilst talking to students, I was also informed about some extreme cases where estate agents did not have the student properties ready in time for the beginning of term. After speaking to one student who did not want to be named, he explained that he had sorted out his house in good timing, however there were some complications which led to them being given temporary accommodation which was in an unacceptable condition, they were then given a refund unexpectedly so they had to go through the process of looking for a house once university had already started.

This can be very difficult because of the simple fact that most residences will have occupants by the start of time. Not only that, this will also mean that his tenancy agreement will be October-October. This will cause a continuous delay in the process of him finding a house as he will have to wait until the term begins again to find another property, so will ultimately be placed in the same unfortunate position.

Asides from the issue of unreasonable pricing of houses in Colchester, I was informed by a student named, Nicola Pete that pricing is not the only issue students are facing in regards to housing. Those who opt to stay at Maltings accommodation which is an accommodation for mostly second and third year students have a lack of availability and many are added to a waiting list just in case anyone changes their mind. She stated that “the system is not logical, it provides us with false hope of potentially getting a property but not only that but they tend to get back to you too late regarding a cancellation so you end up getting another house in the meantime.

A brand new accommodation is currently being built which will provide homes for over 100 students but yet again there is a lack of availability due to demand being so high for university based and student friendly accommodation options at many universities around the UK, not only the University of Essex.

So, what is going to be done about this? Is there a way that the university can help or intervene or is there any way more university led accommodation can be provided for second- and third-year students?

We hope that we will see further progression in the next coming years with more student friendly, low cost and good location homes and student accommodations are made available.

 

 

Is university really for me?

Is university really for me? That’s the question that comes to the minds of many but with the numerous amount of societal pressures that an individual encounter’s majority of people go ahead with the decision to go to university as that is what seems right to do.

From a young age, children are forced to believe that going all the way through the education system is the only way to secure a good job in the future, so the choice not to go to university is usually looked down upon by both family members and teachers.

University is no longer a necessity, compared to previous years as many people are able to get into various industries simply by independent work. University degrees are more like a bonus now.

When you sit down and look at how successful some people have become on their own, it makes you analyse your life choices and the main life choice that I analyse and regret, much like others is the decision to come to university.

Although the main costs of university such as tuition fees and maintenance loans are covered for the meantime, it should not be ignored as it has to be paid pack eventually.

More than £50,000 worth of debt for additional stress and not to enjoy your course. A waste of my time, that’s what it seems like.

The time that you waste attending university, completing work and reaching deadlines you could be working in your desired industry or gaining the experience that is required to get you your dream job.

Many call universities a scam and the can not be disputed, especially for people who are trying to get into the creative or media industry. A lot of the techniques and knowledge can easily be self taught through tutorials and practice or taught through an online course which can be completed within a shorter amount of time e.g. a week or month rather than three years.

The main issue with going to university when you have the intention of getting into the creative industry is, the creative industry is very broad, majority of people have an idea of what they want to specialise in and if your university cannot aid that choice, you will not enjoy your course. You will begin to feel trapped and could potentially fall out of love with the craft all together.

University is not a joke, so if it is something you’re interested in then make sure you do your research beforehand.

How to apply individual eyelashes on a client?

You will need:

• Individual eyelashes
• Professional eyelash glue
• Eyelash tape
• Oil-free makeup remover
• Make remover pads
• Straight tweezers
• Curved tweezers
• Eyelash brush

 Step 1: Firstly, lay the customer down, on their back making sure they are comfortable

Step 2: Next clean the eyelashes and around the eyes of the client using an oil-free makeup remover.

Step 3: Using the eyelash tape, tape the bottom row of eyelashes onto the under eye section in order to avoid the bottom and top lashes getting stuck together when the clients eyes are closed.

Step 4: Using an eyelash brush, brush out the client’s eyelashes.

Step 5: Using the straight tweezers, isolate one eyelash and keep it separate

Step 6: Take a false eyelash from the packet and using a glide motion, dip it into the eyelash glue.

Step 7: Apply the false eyelash directly on top of the isolated lash

Step 8: Repeat steps 5 and 6 on the opposite eye to allow the glue to dry on the eyelash you just done.

Step 9:  Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 until every one of your client’s eyelashes have a false eyelash attached to it.

Step 10:  Using the eyelash brush, brush out your client’s new, beautiful set of individual lashes.

Step 11: Lastly remove the eyelash tape from the bottom lashes.

THE RATED LEGEND – CONCERT REVIEW

Following on from the unexpected and sudden death of rapper Cadet, many were left devastated. In-stead of dwelling on his death, Krept from the dynamic duo Krept & Konan who is cousins with Cadet used this as a time to instead celebrate his life rather than solely mourn his death.

Krept took to social media to get the opinions of fans of both Cadet and supporters of the dynamic duo Krept and Konan. He tweeted “@Kreptplaydirty: My aunty (Cadets mum) wants to do or build something in Cadet’s name so that he can always be remembered. She has asked me to ask you to send some good suggestions 🙂 <3”. Many suggestions came flooding in which included ideas such as a youth centre, record label, studio, gym, mosque and an annual concert.

Krept then took to twitter to inform everyone on his decision to do a tribute concert “@Kreptplaydirty: Ok so guys we are going to do a fund raising event to make this happen for him. I want to put on the sickest show to raise the money to do something amazing in his name. I have over 20 of some of our best UK artists and counting that have said they are willing to perform <3”

The tribute concert took place on Saturday 2nd March, 2019, on what would have been Cadet’s 29th birthday, at O2 Academy Brixton which holds up to 4,921 people.

Charlie Sloth opened the show with the premiere of Cadet’s new song ‘Gang Gang’ which he developed and directed himself. Followed by a performance of ‘Forever Young’ by Mr Hudson.

The night was filled with emotions, with over 25 acts coming out to celebrate the life of Cadet and show their love and gratitude.

Special guests on the night included Mostack, NSG, Afro B, Chip, Fekky, Yungen, Tion Wayne, AJ and Deno, One Acen, Amelia Monét, Ay Em, Swarmz, WSTRN, Hardy Caprio, Lethal Bizzle, Dave, Big Shaq, AJ Tracey, Big Tobz, Ramz, Dappy, Unknown T, Not3s, Stormzy and many more.

All artists paid tribute to Cadet with a special message to him and his family and an energetic performance of their hits from the past years.

Those who were unable to attend the show were able to watch a live stream on Youtube courtesy of GRM Daily.

Krept and Konan closed the show with their performance of many of their well known tracks and presented the family of Cadet with a silver plaque for his song ‘Advice’ which features Deno. Followed by those present at the sold out event singing Happy Birthday.

Overall the night was a success and a great celebration of the life of Blaine ‘Cadet’ Johnson and we pray that his name continues to live on as we remember him for his talent and contribution to the music industry over the last couple years.