The latest issue of the Hale End and Highams Park FOCUS is being delivered across the ward.
An advance copy may be accessed here: Hale End Christmas 2012
Waltham Forest News
This free sheet drops through our letter box every two weeks and yet it is hardly free. We, the taxpayers, pay nearly £500,000 a year to have this published and delivered. The defence of this has always been that it pays for itself through revenue from advertising.This is not true as the adverts are for events held by borough departments who have to pay with their budget funded by the taxpayer.
Your Liberal Democrats believe that this paper is, more than ever, a council propaganda publication and a waste of our money.
It is time this paper was replaced. It does not need to be paid for by the residents of Waltham Forest.
Our local councillors need to be telling residents about what is happening in the borough as well as asking for opinions on borough matters as we do in our Focus newsletters.
RECKLESS..with YOUR money!
Labour councillors have forced through a proposal to build a swimming pool and leisure centre on the Walthamstow Arcade site by borrowing £35 million and selling off the Pool 
and Track site in Walthamstow.
Labour councillors ignored the recommendation from the all party Scrutiny committee which said that, before any decisions were made, the Council should obtain a financial appraisal to see if the proposal was affordable and a study as to whether the High Street was the right place for a swimming pool.
Lib Dem Cllr James O’Rourke, who sits on the Scrutiny committee, said:
“I’m amazed that anyone could make a decision costing residents millions without any financial appraisal. I agree totally with my Lib dem colleague and chair of the scrutiny commitee, Cllr Bob Sullivan, when he says that anyone doing this is “Damn reckless” with ratepayers’ money.”
High Street Focus Team says:
· Why does Labour refuse to allow a proper financial check of the plans to borrow £35 million to fund the proposal?
· Why haven’t local people been asked whether they want a swimming pool on the Arcade site?
· What does this plan mean for the future of our competition pool and the Borough’s only athletic track in the run-up to the Olympics?
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
Hale and Higham team: What the Tesco decision really means…
Liberal Democrat Hale End and Highams Park councillors have moved to set the record straight after the defferal of Tesco’s planning application to build in the area.
And despite claims of a ‘victory’ for residents, the local Lib Dem team fear that the decision may actually lead to councillors – and residents – losing control over the outcome of the Tesco proposal.
The application was deferred after committee members voted by 5-4 to ask for more information on the proposal. No councillor voted outright for or against the plans.
In their latest Focus leaflet, the Hale and Higham team – Jane Morgan, Sheila Smith-Pryor and Nick Bason – say:
“This deferral actually means that the decision on the planning application may be taken away from Waltham Forest Planning Committee. Tesco have the right to appeal on the grounds of ‘non-determination’, which means the council have not made a decision on the application in a timely fashion. The application could now be decided by another body unconnected with Waltham Forest.
“The Planning Committee did not get a chance to discuss resident concerns on the impact of the Tesco application on traffic congestion in Highams Park and access to education and healthcare in the area.
“We are also very concerned that the decision may now be taken out of the local council’s hands.”
See the latest issue of Focus (below) for the full story:
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.
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.
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!
Waltham Forest the winner with the Lib Dems!
William Morris councillor Bob Wheatley has a letter published in this week’s Waltham Forest guardian outlining the improvements in local services since the Liberal Democrat became involved in the Council administration.
Cllr Wheatley, who is one of the longest sereving councillors in Waltham Forest, goes onto credit the regular delivery of the Liberal Democrat FOCUS leaflets for our FOUR recent by-election wins in the borough.
Have a look below to see what he had to say…
Remember – it’s now easier than ever to catch up with your local news through the FOCUS FILE!
The Focus file
As well as recieving your latest Lib Dem FOCUS leaflet direct to your door, you will now be able to keep up to date with all the latest news from your ward in The FOCUS file.All the latest issues of the popular Lib Dem newsletter will now be available to view here online, so you never have to miss hearing about the latest work being carried out on your behalf by the Lib Dem team in your corner of Waltham Forest.
So head over now to The FOCUS file to check out the latest news from your local Lib Dem team.
Get your FOCUS online!
Through our website you will now be able to keep up to date with the work of your local Liberal Democrat ward team via our popular FOCUS leaflets, as all issues will now be available online!
But don’t worry, you will still be getting your FOCUS delivered regularly to your door…
First up is the latest issue of the FOREST WARD Focus, featuring the work of councillors Farooq Qureshi and Samina Safdar.