Thanks to everyone whom has supported the petition to ‘Save Harrow Green Library’. So far, there are over 1,000 signatures with more being received daily. Others too having been collecting signatures.
The petition is due to be presented to the Mayor in a matter of days. If you would like to show your support please sign our on line petition now at:
http://ourcampaign.org.uk/HarrowGreenLibrary
Thank you
At the Planning Committee meeting this week approval was granted to the ODA to use Drapers Field for 16 months from this September.
In January 2013 Drapers Field will return to the Council. The application included compensation which will be used under a Section 106 agreement to re-provide an upgraded full-size all weather pitch, plus a turfed junior football pitch. There will also be improvements to the Sport England pavilion. Since the Council has decided to carry out the restoration of Drapers Field themselves, it is reported that the Field should be reopened by September 2013.
A Section 111 agreement covers off-site improvements at Marsh Lane and Abbotts Park.
CHURCH LANE CAR PARK
Also, at the last minute, the multi-utility games area (MUGA) in the Church Lane car park was included. The FOCUS Team believes that this facility should not be unsupervised in the middle of the Shopping Centre, and would be better situated on the field next to the Pastures Centre in Davies Lane, a more central locations for residents in 3 wards, Cann Hall, Cathall and Leytonstone.
The council admits that, ‘here in the south of the borough, where deprivation is most concentrated, health, education attainment and housing standards are lower, libraries are a focus for communities that enhance people’s quality of life.’ Libraries alleviate the effects of deprivation.
The Councils consultation documentation can be accessed by log in on to:
http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/index/leisure/libraries/library-review.htm
You can also get a copy of the consultation document at any library.
Please help us to Save Harrow Green Library by signing the petition at:
http://ourcampaign.org.uk/HarrowGreenLibrary
The Liberal Democrat were shocked to see that a report on the Library Service, due to be presented to the Cabinet on 14 June, includes the proposal to close both Harrow Green and South Chingford Libraries.The report recommends that Leytonstone, Leyton, Walthamstow and North Chingford be designated Library Plus branches – open 7 days a week and offering some additional services that were previously available in the Waltham Forest Direct shops.
While Hale End, Higham Hill, Wood Street and Lea Bridge will become Library Local branches, open for 30 hours a week.
Providing that this report is agreed by the Cabinet there is expected to be a 12-week consultation period between June and September.
Whatever your views the Liberal Democrats urge you to respond to the consultation to make sure that the Council has the fullest possible picture of the feelings of local residents.
It is understood that a further report, taking into account the consultation, will be submitted to the Cabinet in October.
Waltham Forest’s Labour councillors have been condemned for outrageous hypocrisy for putting down a motion on school sports partnerships at tonight’s council meeting while simultaneously.
Forest ward Liberal Democrat councillor Farooq Qureshi said:
Labour talks the talk but we see their true colours when it comes to the decisions for which they are responsible. Their withdrawal of funding for the London Youth Games, school sport fee increases and clsure of Drapers Field shows that Labour’s commitment is all words and no action.
Leyton and Liberal Democrat Group Leader councillor Bob Sullivan added:
Drapers Field will close for two years so the Olympic Delivery Authority can use the playing fields to do its laundry and catering. This will deprive local children and Norlington school of their current playing fields. Labour has consistently failed to set out any clear plans for the future of Drapers Field once the ODA leaves the site.
Labour councillors at London Councils (Waltham Forest representative Cllr Chris Robbins) earlier this week voted to cut funding for the London Youth Games by £130,000. This will lead to a loss of over half-a-million pounds [£650k] of match funding and raises questions about the future of the Games
Labour has proposed the following sports fee increases
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.
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:
Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats have pledged to take immediate steps to sort out the schools places crisis if the party takes control of the council following the elections in May.
Labour has held the schools portfolio on Waltham Forest Council for over ten years. When Labour’s schools minister Ed Balls visited Walthamstow last Thursday (25 March) he blamed the council for the shortage of primary school places and refused to guarantee local schools the money they need to cope with extra pupils.
“The Secretary of State and the council’s Labour portfolio holder appear to be sniping at each other instead of taking the positive steps necessary to resolve the issue,” said local Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr John Macklin.
John Macklin today announced that a Liberal Democrat administration will:
John Macklin added:
“If it wasn’t for the questions asked by Liberal Democrat councillors, Labour would have swept this issue under the carpet until it was too late to take action. The shortage of school places is not an easy problem to solve because new schools cannot be built overnight and are expensive to build. But instead of the hand-wringing that Labour is indulging in we need clear leadership that is honest about the challenges we face.
“The actions I have set out today are just the first steps needed to get a grip on the situation.”
The scale of the problem was brought to light when Liberal Democrat councillors including James O’Rourke and Patrick Smith asked for a presentation to the Walthamstow West Community Council in February following an informal survey of headteachers in Higham Hill carried out by Lb Dem councillor Peter Woollcott.
Walthamstow faces a massive shortfall in school places which will get much worse by 2013 if urgent action is not taken, according to answers obtained by local Liberal Democrat councillors at a meeting of the Walthamstow West Community Council on Monday (1 March).
Council officers told the meeting that if nothing is done 162 reception-age children due to start school in the Walthamstow area will have no school place in September; equivalent to five-and-a-half classes. Currently local schools have capacity for 3090 reception-aged pupils but the projected intake is 3252 pupils.
By 2013 over 500 pupils will not have a school place to go to.
Reasons for the shortfall include increasing birth rates and the number of families with young children moving into the borough. This means many children face being educated in temporary classrooms.
Worryingly the portfolio holder in charge of schools, Cllr Liaquat Ali (Labour, High Street) was at the meeting but was unable to provide any details about how he proposed to deal with the problem.
Liberal Democrat councillors are demanding that the council gets a grip on the situation and produces a credible long-term plan to deliver the school places that local families need.
Liberal Democrat councillor James O Rourke, who chairs the Children and Young Peoples Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said:
“Cllr Ali couldn’t point to a single action he or his predecessor, the Council leader, had taken to ensure local people have somewhere to send their children. It’s time someone got a grip on the situation.”
Cllr Patrick Smith, Liberal Democrat councillor chair of the community council, said:
“The Liberal Democrats have been worried for some time about the increasing strain placed on local primary schools by the growing population. More and more children are being crammed into temporary classrooms. We know that teachers will do their best to deliver high quality teaching but it isn’t fair that children should be expected to learn in these conditions.
“Pressure for school places comes from numerous new developments in the Walthamstow area including an expected 1,000 new families in the Blackhorse Lane regeneration area.”
Waltham Forest Council have announced it is introducing pilot a scheme in schools in which students will be taught how to ‘spot’ extremists and report them to the appropriate authorities.
Local Lib Dem Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr John Macklin said:
“I’m deeply disappointed that Labour have not consulted fellow Councillors about this pilot before blindly following Gordon Brown’s policies.
“I am also extremely uncomfortable with the notion of Labour implementing Orwellian policies in our schools potentially setting pupil against pupil.”
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Walthamstow, Farid Ahmed said:
“Once again it seems that the Government is obsessed with setting up wacky and expensive schemes rather then deal with the issues at hand.
“It is vital that extremism is dealt with at the grass roots, though it is no surprise that the Government has cherry picked Walthamstow – an area with a very multicultural community – to launch this scheme.
“The sole purpose of this scheme seems to marginalise whole communities and is evidence once again of Labour’s failure to come up with realistic plans.
“In comparison, we will pump £2.5bn into schools so that students are equipped to join an increasingly tough jobs market.”