Save Drapers Field campaign hits headlines

Evening Standard: Sports field to be tarmaced and turned into Olympic depot
Leyton Liberal Democrats’ campaign to save Drapers Field from being tarmaced over has hit the headlines. The Evening Standard reports:

Park users, including the Norlington School for Boys and 23 clubs and teams, face upheaval as the council searches for alternative sites.

The chairman of governors at Norlington, whose previous pupils include former England cricket captain Graham Gooch and TV star Jonathan Ross, said the plans were “absolutely horrendous”. Stephen Pierpoint said: “It’s an amazing contradiction that in trying to promote sports they are preventing our pupils from playing sports.”

Leyton councillor Bob Sullivan, who leads the Lib-Dem group on Waltham Forest council, said he doubted the compensation would be satisfactory. He said: “It’s a disgrace. We’re supposed to be an Olympic borough. Norlington School for Boys uses the field four days a week and they are going to find it difficult to find somewhere else to go that is affordable.”

You can sign the petition to keep Drapers Field available for use as a sports field at http://ourcampaign.org.uk/DrapersField.

Lib Dems demand council apology for residents

Liberal Democrat councillors have demanded that Waltham Forest Council apologises to local residents for wasting money on Andrew Kilburn’s departure as Chief Executive.

Speaking after last week’s council meeting, Liberal Democrat councillor Naheed Qureshi said:

“At a time when money is tight and every penny counts, it is a scandal that Labour councillors are prepared to splash the cash simply to get rid of someone. There are many important local services that badly need that money. Local taxpayers deserve an administration which spends their money responsibly.”

The Liberal Democrats also demanded answers about which services will suffer from the cuts Labour plans to make to Children and Young People’s services. The Labour Cabinet has failed to spell out exactly where their cuts will bite.

”Councillors have not been given the information we need to know about where the axe will fall. When I attended the cabinet meeting I was astounded at the silence of Cabinet members, who failed to ask any questions,” said Liberal Democrat Group Leader Bob Sullivan.

Lib Dem Leyton councillors call on Cabinet to listen to local people about Olympic improvements

Leyton’s Liberal Democrat councillors have urged the council to learn the lessons of previous improvement schemes when implementing the Leyton Links project [PDF report] which was discussed by Waltham Forest Council’s Cabinet last week.

Councillor Bob Sullivan, Councillor Naheed Qureshi and Councillor Winnie Smith have welcomed the investment in Leyton – which was agreed when the Liberal Democrats were part of the council’s administration – but are raising concerns about how effectively the money will be spent.

“We need a scheme that delivers permanent improvements for Leyton, and does not just temporarily tart-up the High Street for a few weeks during the Olympics,” said Leyton councillor Naheed Qureshi. “I am particularly concerned that the council is not providing any specific funding for maintenance.”

She urged the council to consult local people on the detailed proposals soon.

“The published timetable does not allow much time for local councillors, businesses and members of the public to have their say. It is essential that the money is spent on improvements that will make a difference to local people,” she said.

Councillor Bob Sullivan is pressing for improvement plans to include action on street clutter, such as illegal letting boards and neon signs which have been installed without proper consent. He said:

“We need sustained action to deal with illegal letting boards and other street clutter. I hope the Cabinet will not get so carried away with spending money on public art and feature lighting that they forget about the basics.”

The council has £4m (£2.25m from the London Development Agency and £1.75m from the Department of Communities and Local Government) to spend on High Road, Leyton and pedestrian and cycling links to the Olympic Park.

The proposed scheme involves improvements to materials, lighting, and street furniture in key locations along the southern part of High Road, Leyton. It focuses on the areas outside the Old Town Hall, outside Coronation Gardens and outside the Cricket Ground. The report says “Other aspects such as feature lighting, landscaping, wayfinding and public art are also being considered.”

The scheme also includes improvements to footway and cycling links into the Olympic Park. On-going maintenance costs “will be absorbed within the existing highway maintenance budget” according to the council.

Waltham Forest Labour off to bad start spending thousands to get rid of Chief Executive

Lib Dem Leader Bob Sullivan has responded to the need to find savings at Waltham Forest council and Labour councillors’ decision to get rid of the council’s Chief Executive. He said:

Gordon Brown’s economic legacy means that all levels of government have to make tough choices. Labour in Waltham Forest has got off to a bad start by seeking to get rid of the serving Chief Executive at enormous cost to the local taxpayer.

The Liberal Democrats will campaign to protect crucial services that affect people’s lives. We will support measures to improve efficiency and cut out waste, bureaucracy and unnecessary spending.

The council spends hundreds of thousands of pounds each year on marketing and communications and could save more if it employed fewer interim staff and consultants. It must make progress on the Arcade site and other projects where every delay costs local taxpayers money.

It is vital that the measures announced by the council are considered properly by councillors and I will ask for full details to be submitted to the relevant scrutiny committee.

Lib Dems sound alarm over loss of Drapers Field playing fields

Cathall Lib Dem team at Drapers Field

Lib Dem councillors and campaigners have expressed alarm at news that Labour councillors are negotiating to exclude local people from popular sports facility Draper’s Field during Olympic year – just a few months after pledging to protect Waltham Forest’s green spaces and leisure facilities.

The news has sparked anger among local Liberal Democrat campaigners, who say the all-weather pitch and playing fields are used by over 9,000 people every month.

Information obtained by Leyton councillor and Liberal Democrat Group Leader Bob Sullivan shows that Labour Council Leader Chris Robbins has actively negotiated to lease the playing fields to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) for possible use as a VIP car park or other Olympic-related uses. As a result local children and football clubs will have nowhere to play in Olympic year while international elite athletes race for medals just a few hundred yards away.

Bob Sullivan said:

To allow Drapers Field to be given over to the ODA and turned into a car park would be a travesty for local clubs and schools. The Olympics should be used to encourage sport, not destroy it. Under Labour the council is in danger of missing a huge opportunity to gain Olympic benefits.

There are no other all-weather pitches in the immediate area. This could cause enormous disruption to users.

Councillor Sullivan has written to the ODA and the Council Leader demanding information about the negotiations and assurances that the interests of local sports clubs and residents will be protected.

Drapers Field consists of an all weather football pitch, playing fields and an Arts and Drama Centre. It is used extensively by local sports clubs, schools and residents. The estimated use of Drapers Field is 108,260 people per year excluding the use of the Arts and Drama Centre.  The all-weather pitch has 1,380 users per week (71,760 per year).

Only last December Labour councillors voted for a Liberal Democrat motion which pledged to protect green open spaces and leisure facilities. The key text of the agreed motions reads:

This council

  • notes residents’ concern about threats to green spaces, playing fields and associated amenities such as sports facilities within our borough;
  • understands the vital importance of green spaces and playing fields as areas for recreation and sport in both informal and organised capacities;
  • recognises the importance of local playing fields for local schools;
  • believes that actively protecting our green spaces and strengthening sports facilities will be a key part of Waltham Forest’s Olympic legacy.

Labour Leader must come clean about Waltham Forest Chief Executive’s reported departure

Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan has responded to press reports claiming that Waltham Forest Council Chief Executive Andrew Kilburn has left his post.

Bob Sullivan said:

Chief Executives are appointed to serve the whole council, not just the whims of the Leader. The council has clear procedures to deal with the appointment and departure of chief executives and so far it is not clear that these have been followed.

Nationally the coalition government is introducing a new era of openness and transparency about public sector spending..

Residents will rightly be concerned about anything that smacks of a behind the scenes stitch-up to suit the convenience of senior Labour councillors, especially if it ends up costing the local taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds.

Recent research by the Audit Commission shows that the average cost to councils of severance agreements with Chief Executives is over a quarter of a million pounds (£256,104).

Bob Sullivan is demanding that councillors and the public are told what the true situation is and has put a series of questions to the council about how the matter is being handled. He believes it is unacceptable that the council’s Labour leadership is keeping councillors and residents in the dark.

Waltham Forest Lib Dems consider legal action over High Street count

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Bob Sullivan has confirmed that the Liberal Democrats are considering challenging the result of the local election in High Street Ward. The council has admitted that it may have made an error when the votes were counted, because the number of votes recorded in the result was bigger than the number of votes actually cast.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan said:

”If a mistake at the count led to the wrong councillor being elected it is a very alarming error. The Liberal Democrats are consulting solicitors with experience in this area with a view to challenging the result. It is vital that residents can have confidence in the integrity of the local democratic process.”

Labour councillors vote to avoid scrutiny of their policies

Labour councillors last night voted to duck close examination of their policies by excluding Liberal Democrat councillors from six key council committees.

In a cynical move the Labour Party voted to reduce the size of each scrutiny sub-committee to just five members, each consisting of three Labour councillors and two Conservative councillors but no Liberal Democrats.

“Labour is running scared of proper scrutiny,” said Liberal Democrat Group Leader Bob Sullivan, who also used the meeting to raise questions about primary school places, the EMD cinema and the Arcade site.

“It is a bad sign that the first act of the Labour administration is to close down debate and discussion. They don’t seem to realise that residents expect councillors to work together on the many difficult challenges facing our area. Despite the problems caused by Labour’s actions the Lib Dem group will continue to speak up for local residents and fight for their interests.”

Until last night’s Annual Council Meeting seven councillors served on each scrutiny sub-committee. This would have given the Liberal Democrats one seat on each committee. A Liberal Democrat attempt to halt the change was defeated by the Labour majority.

The six scrutiny sub-committees deal with:

  • Children and Young People
  • Health, Adults and Older People
  • Performance Improvement
  • Community Safety and Housing
  • Environment
  • Finance

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats choose new Leader

Cllr Bob SullivanWaltham Forest Liberal Democrats have elected long-serving Leyton councillor Bob Sullivan as their new Group Leader. By-election winner Cllr Winnie Smith is the new Deputy Leader and Cllr Farooq Qureshi will serve as Whip (internal liaison on the council).

Speaking after his election Cllr Sullivan said:

“The Liberal Democrat Group has an important job to do on the council and in the local community. Between them our members have enormous experience and determination. We will hold the Labour administration to account and continue to work hard for the local community. When Labour had full control of the borough before, they turned it into one of the worst run councils in the country. We will do all we can to stand up for local residents and stop that happening again.”

He identified the following priorities for the council:

“In the run up to the elections Labour spent many months ducking decisions on issues like the EMD Cinema, Arcade site and Walthamstow Stadium. Labour failed to take action to deal with the shortage of primary school places in the borough. The Liberal Democrats will demand that the Labour administration faces up to its responsibilities and comes clean about the decisions it plans to make.

“We will continue to press for a fair allocation of Olympic spending across the borough and for the swift implementation of the Liberal Democrat Weedbusteers scheme agreed just before the election.”

Cllr Bob Sullivan was first elected to Waltham Forest Council in 1981. He has won a reputation as a dedicated campaigner for local residents. He was instrumental in saving Leyton library from being sold off and ensuring the Leyton Lagoon swimming pool was built.

Cllr Winnie Smith was elected in 2008 in a by-election after the sitting Labour councillor was convicted under the Representation of the People Act for smearing her Liberal Democrat opponent. She represents Leyton ward.

Cllr Farooq Qureshi is a well-known councillor who represents Forest ward. He was parliamentary candidate in Leyton & Wansted where he achieved a 2.6% swing from Labour to the Liberal Democrats.