Lib Dems Want Council Support for Post Office Plan

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats are to ask the Council to support resident proposals for the reopening of local Post Office branches.

Local Lib Dem councillors have been approached by residents keen to see the reopening of branches axed under the Government’s Post Office closure programme and will request at Thursday’s Full Council meeting that the Portfolio Holder for Enterprise and Investment, Labour member Terry Wheeler, meets formally with local resident groups to hear proposals to reopen local branches using private investment.

Local Lib Dem Cllr John Macklin said that he hoped councillors from all sides would take the opportunity to show local businesses and Post Office users that the Council was “on their side”.

Cllr Macklin continued:

“From an economic point of view, the closure of local Post Offices couldn’t have come at a worse time.  The presence of a Post Office brings people to an area, benefiting neighbouring businesses. 

“Residents didn’t want their Post Offices to be closed, but have had that decision forced upon them.  If we as a Council are able to give practical support to efforts to have them reopened, then surely that is something that we should be keen to support.

“The efforts of residents and local businesses to get their Post Offices back are exactly the kind of entrepreneurial proposals that we should be supporting at a time when fresh thinking by small businesses is sorely needed.”

Statement on Arcade Site Report

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 updated!

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!

Local Lib Dems celebrate council group award

Councillors Bob Belam (left) and Bob Sullivan (right) receive the award from Lib Dem local government leader Richard KempWaltham 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 Lib Dems slam MPs fuel poverty snub

Winnie Smith (centre) with local Lib Dem campaignersLocal 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 Lib Dems attend opening of John Beanse Centre

Hale End and Highams park councillors Jane Morgan and Sheila Smith-PryorLocal 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 Lib Dems welcome government climb-down over rent rise plan

Cllr John Macklin with Lib Dem leader Nick CleggLocal 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.

More road money needed from government pot, say councillors

Councillors Peter Woollcott and Bob Belam, as featured in this week's Yellow AdvertiserThe 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

Lib Dems keep Council Tax promise but warn of “uniquely challenging times”

Waltham Forest councillors last night approved the borough’s yearly budget, with Liberal Democrats keeping their promise to set Council Tax below 2.5%.

The level for this year is set at a below average 1.9%, with additional funds being put into street cleaning services, mental health services and enforcement powers to clamp down on rogue property developers.

Lib Dem leader Cllr John Macklin spoke for the Liberal Democrat group and congratulated fellow Liberal Democrat members for their work on keeping local taxes low. However he criticised the government for their hike in council tenant rent costs, suggesting that this move typified a “completely outdated” central approach to local government.

Cllr Macklin also offered opposition Tory councillors the opportunity to put their ‘alternative’ budget material budget proposals – recieved just hours before the budget meeting – through a proper scrutiny process, adding that there should be “no political restrictions on good ideas for our borough”.

Read Cllr Macklin’s full speech to Council and let us know what you think!

Lib Dems lead opposition to council tenant rent rises

Liberal Democrat MPs have led a parliamentary debate criticising the Labour government’s decision to raise rent levels for hard-pressed council tenants.

Despite the economic crisis, rent payments for Council tenants in Waltham Forest will go up by 5.8%.  The move has been criticised by Liberal Democrats on the Council, with local Leader John Macklin calling on Gordon Brown to “seriously reconsider his lack of practical support for our local Council tenants”.

Now senior Liberal Democrats have led a debate amongst MPs in which it was claimed that the local council tenants were being “systematically mugged” by the Government as a result of how the housing subsidy works.

Liberal Democrat spokesperson Sarah Teather MP said:

“The whole system is predicated on the Government’s starting model, which forces councils to put rents up.

“Many council tenants pay substantially higher rents than one would expect.  Throughout the country, council tenants are falling into severe arrears.  Some 80,000 tenants in London are in arrears, and 11,000 of them have been threatened with eviction, underlining the point that the rent increases are felt very keenly by people on very low incomes.”

Neither of the two local Labour MPs spoke in support of the Liberal Democrats criticisms during the debate.

Click here to read the full debate.