This week’s local press have highlighted in detail the decision by the Liberal Democrat Group not to support a report presented to cabinet entitled ‘Arcade Site - Revised Development Proposals’. 

Below is a statement from group Leader Cllr John Macklin explaining that decision:

The Liberal Democrat group has campaigned hard for progess to be made on the regeneration of the Arcade site.

We were aware that new proposals were coming to cabinet which would include using a leisure facility on the site as an ‘anchor’ for the development by St Modwens.  However we certainly did not expect to find that it would be the council tax payer, not St Modwens, who were taking on the substantial financial risk involved in this proposal.

We believe that the goalposts keep moving on this project with regards to the role of St Modwens, the content of the development and the financial risk to the Council and the taxpayer.  Whilst quick progress on the site is important, it should not be achieved by making poorly thought-out decisions that could simply swap one area of derelict land for another. 

We do not think the Council should rush into an enormous financial commitment that we believe has not been fully explained to either councillors or residents.  We do not want this to be yet another false dawn and we agree with the Scrutiny reccomendation that a much deeper financial analysis of this proposal is needed. 

That is why, after much discussion amongst Liberal Democrat councillors, we felt we could not give our support to the report presented to Cabinet.  The latest plans have enormous knock on effects for other facilities, such as the Pool and Track, and the wait is worth it in order to get any decision absolutely right.

I believe residents would want to know that their councillors are only making these kind of important decisions whilst in possession of all the necessary information, something which, although requested, we do not feel we have at present.

As a group we are now discussing how to progress with regards to the report and the plans for both the Arcade site and the Pool and Track. 

The FOCUS file has now been updated with the latest Lib Dem news for Hale End and Highams Park, grove Green, Leyton and Cathall wards.

The FOCUS file allows you to keep up to date with you local Liberal Democrat ward team online and see how they are working for your area.  But don’t worry - you will still be recieving your regular FOCUS delivery right to your letterbox!

Head over now to the FOCUS file to read what we’ve been up to in your area.

Your local Liberal Democrats working for you all year round - not just at election time!

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats are celebrating after they were recognised at the party’s yearly awards ceremony.

The local Liberal Democrats Council group received a Special Commendation prize in the national Council Group of the Year category in the local government awards unveiled at the party conference in Harrogate.

Local councillors received the award this week when Richard Kemp, the Lib Dem leader at the Local Government Association, paid a visit to Walthamstow Town hall to congratulate the group and present the certificate from party leader Nick Clegg.

The prize is reward for an excellent year for the local Liberal Democrats, who won four our of the five local by-elections in 2008 and saw the Council given a ‘Four Star’ rating in its most recent independent inspection.  Before the Lib Dems joined the Council in administration in 2002, the previously Labour-run council had been rated as one of the worst in the country.

Local Liberal Democrats have hit out at local MPs after they failed to turn up in parliament on Friday (20th March) to support an effort to end ‘fuel poverty’ for Waltham Forest residents.

The ‘Fuel Poverty’ bill, which has the backing of organisations ranging from Help the Aged to Friends of the Earth, would promote energy efficiency and cheaper energy tariffs for the less well off.  However the Labour Government blocked the passage of the bill despite the efforts of the Liberal Democrats.

Now Waltham Forest Lib Dems have taken up the cause, calling on Harry Cohen, Neil Gerrard and lain Duncan-Smith to explain their opposition to the Bill.

Figures recently released by the group Consumer Watch revealed that Leyton and Wanstead (5th), and Walthamstow (8th) both ranked in the top ten London constituencies for the number of residents living in ‘fuel poverty’.  A household is considered to be living in ‘fuel poverty’ when it spends 10% or more of its income on energy bills.  The figures revealed that an estimated 17 out of 100 local households fell into this category.  Chingford and Woodford green ranked 30th.

The charity Age Concern have described the result of Friday’s voting as “a huge let-down for the 2.75 million older people living in fuel poverty” adding that “many will question why a Government which claims to be concerned about fuel poverty has acted in such a cynical way.”

Leyton councillor Winnie Smith, who will second the local Lib Dem motion on the issue to Waltham Forest Council at Thursday’s Full Council meeting said:

“The actions contained in this Bill would help some of the most vulnerable residents of Waltham Forest and my ward, Leyton, at a time when fuel costs are rocketing and many people are finding it tough.

“Our local MPs need to start standing up for residents by using their voices in parliament, where it really counts”.

Last year local Liberal Democrats successfully got opposition councillors to agree to a series of measures aimed at ‘greening’ the Council such as improving the energy efficiency of council buildings.

Local Liberal Democrat councillors and supporters have attended the official opening of a new ‘green’ education centre named after a former Lib Dem councillor.

‘The John Beanse Centre’, named after the former Hale End and Highams Park councillor, is located at Pimp Hall nature reserve near the Kings Road Recycling Centre, and will provide information and exhibits for young people about waste management and services featuring exciting interactive displays, interesting artefacts and videos about recycling and waste issues.

John Beanse, who was elected to the Council after years of community service in| Chingford and the Hale and Higham Ward, passed away last year.  The death of his Liberal Democrat ward colleague, Noel Penstone, forced a double by-election in which Liberal Democrats Nick Bason and Jane Morgan (pictured) were elected.

Local Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed a last-minute government u-turn over plans to saddle council tenants with huge increases in rental costs.

Under growing pressure from local authorities, Housing Minister Margaret Beckett has announced that councils will now be allowed to cut their planned rent increases for tenants. Waltham Forest council tenants were facing a rent rise of 5.8% due to government guidelines.

“These rent rises (are) a cowardly act that put politics before people.”

Local Lib Dem Leader Cllr John Macklin has welcomed the government climb-down, but warned that the affair highlighted the government’s lack of understanding of the impact of the economic crisis.

Cllr Macklin said:

“This announcement, whilst perhaps not completely unexpected, will come as a relief to some of our most vulnerable residents, who were being asked to bear the brunt of these rent rises.

“However this announcement should be no cause for political celebration. This whole embarrassing u-turn by Labour has just served to demonstrate once again how completely out of touch the government is with the practical realities of this economic crisis. Asking local authorities to do their dirty work for them by implementing these rent rises was a cowardly act that put politics before people.

“I am pleased that the government have finally backed down on this issue but disappointed that, once again, it has been left to local authorities to try and make them see sense.”

Liberal Democrat MPs led parliamentary opposition to the government plan, as reported here by your local Lib Dem team.

The good work of the Higham Hill Liberal Democrat Focus team has been highighted again in this week’s local press.

The Lib Dem councillor team of Peter Woollcott, Patrick Smith and Sean Meiszner are leading the campaign to get more government funding to help local councils deal with potholes and worsening road conditions.  Routes in Waltham Forest have suffered particularly badly this year due to the worst winter in decades.

Councillor Bob Belam joined Councillor Woollcott (both pictured above) to draw attention to the issue.

Councillor Woollcott told the local Yellow Advertiser:

“Some of the roads are ridden with potholes which pose a danger to drivers an cyclists especially.  Not only can they cause accidents they can also damage vehicles which can then pose a danger later on”.

Article by Martyn Dalton, Picture by Roy Tillett, both used by kind permission