Playground cash arrives after pressure from Lib Dems

Cllr James O'Rourke with ward colleague Johar Khan (left) and Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Farid Ahmed (centre)The Waltham Forest Guardian is reporting that playgounds in Waltham Forest are to benefit from extra funding – just weeks after local Lib Dem councillors slammed the state of play areas throughout the borough.

Local Lib Dem councillor James O’Rourke led the protests regarding their upkeep alongside concerned local residents.

Now Cllr O’Rourke has given a cautious welcome to the funding boost, but has warned that the money must come alongside better standards of care and upkeep for the refurbished areas.

Read what he has to say in full over at Cllr O’Rourke’s blog.

Lib Dems Not Going ‘To Let’ Signs Clutter Streets…

Bob Belam (left) and the Chapel End teamThe Council’s reinforcement team have recently been out in the borough identifying estate agents whose boards were not compliant to regulations.

Now enforcement officers from both planning and street services have seized a number of estate agent’s board in a joint project to clampdown on clutter in Walthamstow. Estate agents are required by law to remove most boards within 14 days of a property being sold or let (if completion has taken place). 12 boards which broke the rules were removed in Chingford Road and Brettenham Road after the deadline for taking them down had expired.

The companies in question have also been issued a £100 fixed penalty notice for each offending board.  Should the companies elect to go to court the maximum penalty on conviction rises to £1,000.

Cllr Bob Belam said that Walthamstow residents had complained that their streets were being swamped by out of date signs.

He added:

“If estate agents don’t take their responsibilities seriously and remove their boards promptly, we will make sure the enforcement team do.”

Local Lib Dems Act to Stop Illegal Developments

In the past three or four months the Cann Hall Ward has seen a dramatic increase in the number of former family homes being extended or converted into multiple flats.

Many residents have complained to the Cann Hall FOCUS Team about properties suddenly having sometimes quite extensive works done, without any prior notice from the Planning Dept. to let local residents know what was going to happen.

In many cases the Council does not know because the owners have not sought planning permission to either extend or convert. In addition, small plots of land are being used to build new properties.

Lib Dem Cllr Keith Rayner and the Focus Team are clear this has to stop.

The Council has now designated Cann Hall Ward as an area where this kind of practice has to be controlled, and family housing maintained. Residents’ backing for this move is shown by the amount of emails and letters in support.

Cllr Rayner said: “Please contact the Focus Team if you see a property being converted or extended in your area and we will let you know if it has planning permission and is a legal development”

Illegal Fly-Tipping in High Street Ward

Fly tipping residents and traders who treat High Street ward like a dustbin have been warned they face huge fines and up to five years in prison when they are caught.

Efforts to clean up the Borough are being undermined by people dumping rubbish on our streets, and Cllrs James O’Rourke and Johar Khan has called for High Street residents’ help.

Cllrs James O’Rourke and Johar Khan said:

“If you have any information about fly-tippers please let us know. Our local area is being plagued by illegal fly tipping”.

Residents can help dispose of their rubbish responsibly

* Every household can have three bulky waste collections every year. Just contact the Council to have your rubbish collected from your doorstep.

* Take your larger waste to a household recycling centre near you

* The Council can provide more black recycling boxes — go online to order them!

* Fly tipping is a crime — Report it!

You can contact the Council to report fly tipping or to find out how to dispose of your waste responsibly on 020 8496 3000.

Lib Dem Council Team Speak on Tesco Plans

Hale End and Highams Park councillor Sheila Smith-PryorThe Lib Dem team for Hale End and Highams Park have said that “any proposed developments should absolutely have to compliment existing buildings and services in the area”

At a recent residents meeting, Cllr Sheila Smith-Pryor and the Hale and Higham FOCUS team spoke of the need for any development in the area to meet strict requirements regarding its environmental impact and the knock-on effect of the quality of life for all residents.

A FOCUS survey conducted by former Liberal Democrat councillor John Beanse and the local team showed that, out of over 500 resident responses, there was a range of opinions expressed regarding the proposals.  Many residents said they were concerned about the size of any proposed Tesco development.

Cllr Smith-Pryor said:

“Residents will remember that the Lib Dem team worked hard to ensure their voices were heard during the previous Tesco application.

“We will do the same again to ensure that all residents views are represented on this important issue”.

“Attendees at the recent meeting wanted to hear the views of the local councillor team, and I was pleased to be able to report back on the work that we have been doing on behalf of residents.”

Lib Dems Want Action to Protect Playing Fields

Cllr Macklin: labour has to stop selling off our playing fieldsLocal Liberal Democrats have reacted angrily to the news that Labour is failing to live up to its promise to protect playing fields.

Figures uncovered by the Lib Dems show that playing fields deemed vital to local sport are being lost at a rate of one a week.

The government have been forced to reveal statistics, in response to a request by the Liberal Democrats, which show that on average 843 planning applications affecting playing fields are accepted each year.  Of those applications approved, Sport England believe that an average of 57 a year constitute a ‘threat’ to sporting provision for surrounding communities.

Liberal Democrat councillor for Chapel End, John Macklin, has led local calls for the better protection of grassroots sporting facilities within Waltham Forest, a problem highlighted by the cutting of lottery grants to sporting organisations ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in East London.

Lib Dems on Waltham Forest Council recently unveiled proposals for the formation of a ‘Sports Academy’, comprising existing venues within the borough, which would offer specialist coaching and training in relevant skills such as physiotherapy.

Cllr Macklin said:

“It’s an absolute travesty that the nation’s playing fields legacy is being sold off under our noses.

“The mass selling off of playing fields both in our area and across the UK was supposed to be a nothing but a bad memory of the Conservative government of the 1980’s.  Instead, we have Labour MP’s admitting that they have failed to tackle the problem, as they promised to do in 1997.”

Cllr Macklin also noted that the figures released by the government did not include smaller playing fields.

“Labour announced as far back as 2002 that they were reducing the size threshold for statutory consultation on playing fields.  This has proved to be yet another broken promise.

“A real legacy of the Olympic Games in 2012 would be for our budding sportsmen and women in Waltham Forest to still have the green spaces available to be able to practice and participate in sports with their friends.

“Labour now has to stop selling off our playing fields and end the empty rhetoric and broken promises regarding its commitment to sporting activity.”

Waltham Forest Lib Dems Secure Local Climate Change Resolution

Cllr Bob Belam discusses local climate change action with senior Lib Dem MP Chris HuhneLocal Liberal Democrats have expressed their delight after Councillors last night backed their plans to put climate change awareness at the heart of the Council’s agenda.

The successful motion calls on Cabinet to undertake a series of initiatives aimed at ‘greening’ the way in which the Council works.  These include a commitment to greater heat and light efficiency in council buildings, renewed efforts to maximise the use of renewable energy and a borough-wide campaign to bring about a voluntary ban on the provision of free plastic shopping bags.

After a heated debate, Lib Dem councillors angrily rejected a Labour amendment to the motion that deleted 25 paragraphs of text and removed a Liberal Democrat proposal for a ‘Climate Change Impact Assessment’ to be included in all reports produced for Council.  Councillors eventually passed the Lib Dem motion unanimously.

Cllr Bob Belam, who moved the motion on behalf of the Lib Dems, said that the introduction of a ‘Climate Change Impact Assessment’ would make environmental considerations central to the work of the Council and provide for a more joined-up approach to tackling climate change.

Cllr Belam said:

“Local authorities are now rightly being put under pressure to deliver practical results with regard to the environment.  Waltham Forest residents are already playing their part through the excellent uptake of waste recycling that will save significant sums of money in landfill costs.

“The Climate Change Impact Assessment is central to our motion as it will ensure transparency regarding the Council’s commitment to addressing residents environmental concerns.  It will also put the consideration of climate change issues at the front and centre of everything the Council does.

During the debate, Cllr Belam also reassured councillors and residents that the proposals outlined in the motion would actually save taxpayers money.

“We are proposing simple but effective measures that will make the way the Council works cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

“Liberal Democrats want Council to become standard bearers for our residents, businesses and other local authorities by proving that making small changes to the way in which we live and work can make a significant difference in the fight against harmful climate change.”

Lib Dems Praised for ‘Green’ Action

The Liberal Democrats have offered Local Lib Dems have welcomed a report which rates them as the top performing party on ‘green’ issues.

The report by the Green Alliance, How Green Are Our Parties?, claims that the Liberal Democrats have offered “the strongest set of policies on climate change, green taxation and green living” whilst also delivering “the most substantive policy commitments”.

The Lib Dems were the only party to recieve the top ‘green star’ rating for their action on Climate Change, Green Living and Environmental Tax and Subsidies, with the report claiming that the party’s ambitious green taxation plans were part of a “bold and far reaching strategy”.

The report, however, awarded no ‘green srat’ ratings to the Conservatives, claiming that “the gap between their aspirations on the environment and their limited policy commitments is stark”.

Liberal Democrat councillor Bob Belam welcomed the report, claiming it was “pleasing that our ambitious and forward thinking work in this area is being recognised.”

He continued:

“By ensuring we instill a ‘green’ ethic in the local community, we can do simple things to benefit our living envionment in Waltham Forest whilst also making a contribution on a larger scale”

“The report suggests that the ‘green’ rhetoric coming from other parties is just hot air.”