Lib Dems concern at council structure changes

Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed their concern at major changes to the way the Council will be run, and are asking local residents to share their views.

Government legislation dictates that the Council must adopt one of two new ‘models’ of local government, both of which Liberal Democrat councillors fear could lead to an even greater centralisation of decision making on behalf of residents.

The Government have told councillors that they must opt for either a ‘directly elected mayor’ or a ‘strong leader’ model. The new set-up will then be introduced after the local elections on May 6th next year. The directly elected mayor model, which is used in Newham and Hackney, sees the mayor hold all executive powers and control the appointment of cabinet members. The strong leader model is more similar to the current arrangement but further strengthens the powers of the Council Leader. The decision will be put out to public consultation but councillors have been told they must make a decision by the end of this year.

Local Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr John Macklin said:

“Obviously we have our concerns that the only two options being presented both leave the potential for much greater centralisation of decision making.

“My experiences of being part of the Council have reaffirmed my belief that better decisions are made with a greater scope for input from councillors and residents alike. Putting a large amount of power in the hands of one person may well make it easier for them to make decisions, but I believe it also means there is an increased chance that poor decisions will be made that don’t reflect all relevant sides of a debate.

“Lib Dems pride themselves on being community councillors, and the link between ward councillors and residents is hugely important. But if the potential for input from ward councillors continues to decrease, what faith can residents have that their local representative can have any impact upon the actual decision making process?

“Waltham Forest isn’t like many of the boroughs who have centralised their decision making processes. We are an enormously diverse area and the political makeup of the Council reflects that. Unlike some boroughs with directly elected mayors such as Newham, no political party has had a majority of councillors in our area for quite some time now.

“The strong leader model is closer to our current position, which in itself is one that has understandably drawn criticism, and our hands are tied to an large extent by what the government wants. However a Council Leader could work within this new model to give away an enormous amount of that power to ensure that properly representative decision-making could be made. This would be one of a Liberal Democrat-led council’s first priorities.”

Lib Dems get the facts on Tesco application

Lib Dem councillors for Hale End and Highams Park, Jane Morgan and Nick Bason, have met with council officers and Tesco themselves to gain clarity for residents on the latest Tesco planning application.

The application has been altered recently and some information circulating is now out of date. The local Lib Dems team want residents to have the full facts about the development. As of 23 July 2009, the application contains the following features:

Tesco store

The building itself would be 4 stories high, with a car park on the ground floor. The car park would allow people to park and shop around Highams Park for a limited time without having to use the Tesco store itself.
It would employ 320 people. Many of these are expected to be recruited from the local area.
If the application were to be successful, it would take around 2 years to build – so if this current application were to be successful, the store would not open until 2012.
Tesco propose the new store would be open 24 hours a day during the week.
The store would be a “green” store, emitting 50% less CO2 compared to an equivalent store in 2006.

Other industrial units

The site will have some other industrial units, such as a cafe and a Primary Care Trust Polyclinic.

Housing development

The current application includes 253 houses and flats. This is a mixture of private development and affordable housing.
The separation distance between the proposed new terrace housing and the houses on Selwyn Avenue is a standard 30 meters. The garden depths on both the proposed terrace and Selwyn Avenue vary so each one will be slightly different.
The design of the residential development is brick-clad, and features a ‘William Morris’ style external brick-work design.
There will be a Streetcar facility in the residential zone, with two cars available for hire.

Trees

Some existing trees will be kept, including the Limes on Larkshall Road. Some others will be moved (the Mulberry Tree).
In total there will be an increase in the number of trees on the development.

Next steps

The application has been submitted and is expected to go to Planning Committee in September.

The Hale and Higham Lib Dem team of Jane, Nick and Sheila Smith-Pryor The local Lib Dem Focus Team (left) know there is a lot of interest in the development from Hale and Higham residents, as it is a long-running issue.

Cllr Nick Bason said:

“What we need is for residents to have facts, not myths. Some residents tell us they are in favour of the scheme, some are against it.

“As Lib Dem councillors we want to ensure that whatever ends up on the site, the result invigorates the local economy and provides jobs and services for people in Hale End and Highams Park.

“The final decision will be taken by Planning Committee and we would encourage any residents with strong views to get in touch with us or the Planning department at Waltham Forest.”

Residents can contact the Focus Team via Cllr Nick Bason’s website, or can go straight to the Planning department at Waltham Forest.

Update on Tesco development in Highams Park

Hale End councillor Nick Bason has updated residents on the latest news regarding the proposed Tesco development in Highams Park.

Nick notes a number of conflicting reports about the proposals.

Nick continues:

“The issue was raised again at the South Chingford Community Council meeting on Monday 13 July.

“Your Lib Dem councillors have been in frequent contact with planning officers on the proposals. The situation as of Wednesday 15 July is this:

The planning application will NOT go to Planning Committee in July, as reported in the press. It is tentatively scheduled in to go to Planning Committee in September.
A number of different aspects of the plan are still being discussed. Images of the associated housing development on the site circulated in late June are out of date. The design is still being finalised.
Issues about local traffic are also still being discussed with officers.

“Your Lib Dem Focus Team will keep you updated on the proposals. Views at the South Chingford Community Council among residents remains mixed – some in favour, some not. The decision of Planning Committee will be solely on the application submitted, not on previous applications.”

Nick Bason, Sheila Smith-Pryor and Jane Morgan – the Hale and Higham councillor team – would be happy to hear your views on the development – you can submit them via Cllr Bason’s website.

Catch up with the latest news in the FOCUS file

As local residents hit the streets of Waltham Forest to deliver a new batch of Liberal Democrat Focus newsletters to your doorstep, we have updated the Focus File page – meaning you can view all the latest news from your area online.

Highlights from the latest batch of deliveries include:

* The end of the line for Leyton and Wanstead’s Labour MP Harry Cohen.

* An update on parking provision in Cann Hall ward.

* A visit by the Lib Dem shadow Home Secretary to Leyton.

* Lib Dem action to clean up Hale End and Highams Park.

* A special Focus leaflet focusing on Beaumont estate in Leyton.

So head over to our FOCUS FILE page to check out what we have been up to in your ward.

Lib Dems join forces with ‘Save Our Stow’ campaigners

Cllr Macklin speaks to campaigners at a recent protest aginst the closure of the Walthamstow Stadium Liberal Democrat councillors recently attended a rally in support of efforts to reopen the former Walthamstow Stadium as a greyhound racing venue.

Liberal Democrat councillors have previously spoken out in support of efforts by resident groups to purchase the site and restore it to its former use. Cllr John Macklin, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Waltham Forest Council issued a statement of support in November last year after meeting with campaigners in which he told residents he was “fully in support of their efforts to keep the Stadium as both a greyhound racing track and a sport and leisure venue” adding that the stadium was an “iconic London venue and, perhaps more importantly, an enormously valuable part of Waltham Forest’s evening economy.”

He added:

“The success of our leisure venues is an integral part of building a sustainable community in Waltham Forest and ensuring that we are attractive to both our residents and visitors.

“There is no long-term sustainability in forcing residents out of the borough to spend their leisure time.”

Cllr Macklin was one of the lead speakers at the rally, and expressed his concerns that the closure of ‘The Stow’ was representative of a greater decline in leisure and clute activites within the borough, and arranged to work with local MP Neil Gerrard to further efforts to reopen the facility.

READ MORE ON THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS WORK WITH SAVE OUR STOW CAMPAIGNERS HERE.

More and more residents logging onto local Lib Dems…

Our stats this month show that more and more visitors are heading to walthamforestlibdems.org.uk to hear about what their local Liberal Democrats are up to in our borough.

If you are one of our new readers, then welcome!

Amongst other things, you can look at your most recent local Focus leaflet in our Focus file, find contact details for your local ward Liberal Democrat team, or get in touch using the contact details on the right to pass on your thoughts or let us know how we can help.

Many of our local councillors use ‘blogs’ and online videos to keep you up to date with local developments, so check out the links in the left hand bar to head over and see what they are up to…

Tell your friends and neighbours!

Latest Hale and Higham video update now online

Following on from their recent online video Focus update, Cllr Nick Bason of the Hale End and Highams Park Lib Dem council team is now asking residents to get him touch and let him know what they want to see in the way of cultural provision in our borough.

Cllr Bason and Cllr Jane Morgan, who were both elected in Hale and Higham in December’s by-election victory for the Lib Dems, are members of the Council Cultural Strategy panel, and they want to make sure they can best represent to Council what it is you want to see in the way of activities such as music and theatre for your borough.

So head over to www.youtube.com/nickbason to see their latest video update and to find out how to get in touch.

Hale and Higham Lib Dems now online

As a companion to the regular Focus leaflets delivered to residents, the Hale End and Highams Park Liberal Democrat council team of Sheila Smith-Pryor, Nick Bason and Jane Morgan have launched the first of their online video updates to keep you up to date with the work they are doing on your behalf.

You can head over now to www.youtube.com/nickbason to see how the Lib Dem team have succeeded in getting Council officers to remove a fence, which residents had complained was becoming an eyesore.

Make sure you drop the team a line to let them know if you want more online Focus updates…

Remember, you can still head to our Focus file to see the latest news from our team in your area of Waltham Forest.

Lib Dem Success as Council Agrees to Help Axed Post Offices

Local Liberal Democrat councillors have achieved the first step in assisting residents with the reopening of axed local Post Office branches, after opposition councillors agreed to a Lib Dem motion promising to look at plans to reopen those facilities recently hit by the Labour Government’s closure programme.

Hale End and Highams Park councillor Jane Morgan (pictured above with fellow Hale and Higham councillor Sheila Smith-Pryor) spoke at the Council meeting, in which the Lib Dems agreed to accept Labour amendments to the motion in order to ensure it passed.

However Cllr John Macklin, the local Lib Dem leader warned that he would not allow the Labour amendments (which removed the responsibility of meeting with those local businesses who plan to invest in local Post Offices from the Portfolio Holder for Enterprise and Investment) to enable the Council to ‘bury’ any proposals for the reopening of local branches.

The Liberal Democrats have vowed to help after being contacted by local resident groups who presented pland for the reopening of local branches through a combination of private enterprise and outside funding.

Head to our Speeches page to see what Cllr Morgan had to say about the Lib Dems support for the plans:

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.”