New CPZ proposed and consultation on traffic schemes

A new CPZ has been proposed in the borought – and local Liberal Democrats want you to hear your views.

The proposals include the junction of Leytonstone High Road, Cann Hall Road and Crownfield Road, which could effect some roads in Cann Hall. In the current proposal are Eve, Steele and Belton Roads on the north side of Cann Hall Road, whilst on the south side Argyle, Borthwick, Blenheim Roads could be included up to the Borough boundary at Janson Road.

There is also consultation on traffic schemes taking place. The consultation area stretches from Millais Road to the borough boundary with Newham, and across to High Road Leytonstone.

Leyton and Wanstead Liberal democrats say:

“What do you think? Many residents in these roads have complained for years about not being able to park in their own roads, due to overflow of traffic and parking from the High Road and the Thatched House area.”

“Whatever your views please let us and the council know. Your voice and views are very important.”

Borough Must Protect Rights of Leaseholders – Cllr Patrick Smith

Higham Hill councillor Patrick Smith has defended the rights of leaseholders in a letter to this week’s Waltham Forest Guardian:

“The legal rights and entitlements of leaseholders must be at the heart of all project works on their homes which are carried out on behalf of the Council.

Leaseholders should also be free to state when and how the project is done.

We must avoid residents being billed high amounts in one go and introduce an upper monthly limit charging structure. This policy would respect individuals and the more vulnerable leaseholders, whom do not deserve the shock of a sudden debt in this current financial crisis.

In Higham Hill our leaseholders have told us in Carlton Road and Garnett Road that they would like their views to be fully understood in the public consultation process and to remain fully informed and updated throughout.

I advocate an explanatory booklet be issued to each leaseholder setting out their rights and entitlements and the duty of social landlords.

The borough must aim for best practice to create a close watch on leaseholder rights in future, especially where our elderly and vulnerable families in Higham Hill are concerned”.

Public Want Positive Action on Crime – Cllr O’Rourke

Lib Dem High St councillor James O’Rourke has moved to reassure residents that local Lib Dem members are leading the fight against local crime.

In a letter to the Waltham Forest Guardian, Cllr O’Rourke reacted to claims that politicians who has attended local resident-led crime meetings were“as powerless as the non-elected”.

Cllr O’Rourke noted that the Lib Dem High St team have acted positively in setting up a task group to deal with the issues of antisocial behaviour in the area.

He continued:

“High St ward has the highest crime and antisocial behaviour figures in Waltham Forest, yet has the same number of Safer Neighbourhood Police Offices as the other 19 wards.

“It is a unique and significant area to manage and represent.

“The public want to see positive action from their elected representatives. Only Liberal Democrat councillors can offer such leadership.”

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 Dems Want More Resident Power

Cllr James O'Rourke launches the Waltham Forest resident consultation at parliament with Don Foster MP

Local Liberal Democrats are celebrating after opposition councillors gave their support to a Lib Dem proposal that could see aspects of the management of arts, sports and cultural venues in Waltham Forest handed over to user-led groups.

In a motion that went before Full Council, the Lib Dems asked officers to produce a report outlining the viability of, and the procedures needed to establish, a series of ‘Local Management Boards’, groups of service users who would be given areas of responsibility for “implementing ambitious and innovative ideas in our local libraries, sports facilities, museums and galleries to ensure that they fully reflect users’ needs.”

The plans first appeared as a policy commitment to residents made in Waltham Forest Lib Dems 2006 local election manifesto.

Lib Dem Leader Cllr John Macklin said that he believed local authorities “have a responsibility to let their residents take part in the process of shaping local services.”

Cllr Macklin continued:

“The proposals we are asking officers to look at would mean real involvement and responsibility for residents, not membership of a toothless body unable to provide real management and implement inventive ideas.

“The future of our local cultural services, such as museums and libraries, is obviously one of great concern to many residents. There is a diverse range of valuable expertise going untapped amongst those who use, lobby and campaign for these services”.

Cllr Macklin added that “although councillors and residents may not always agree, I have made it a priority to meet with and listen to as many resident and user groups as possible.

“Local management boards could provide a platform in order to give those in our Borough with progressive and ambitious ideas a way in which to turn these into practical solutions.

The motion is the culmination of a local Lib Dem campaign backed by parliamentary Culture, Media and Sports spokesman Don Foster MP, pictured above with High St councillor James O’Rourke.

DO YOU WANT MORE INVOLVEMENT IN THE RUNNING OF LOCAL SERVICES? SEE OUR WEBSITE POLL!

Lib Dem Council Team Speak on Tesco Plans

The 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.”

Waltham Forest worst hit in London as housing crash begins to bite

Liberal Democrats in Waltham Forest have reacted with concern to new figures which reveal that Waltham Forest has suffered the biggest “negative change” in property prices of any London borough.

And Lib Dem Council Group Leader John Macklin is asking for reassurances that the collapse in property values will not further delay long-awaited redevelopment schemes across the borough.

The news comes after Lib Dem councillors warned earlier this year that Walthamstow homeowners faced an “above average” risk of suffering from negative equity.

The new figures, published in HotProperty magazine, show that Waltham Forest has suffered heavily from the collapse in property prices in comparison with other London boroughs. The latest Land Registry figures show that the average property price in the borough is down 9.4% in the last year, with a huge 5% fall being suffered in the last quarter. The rapid collapse means many local homeowners are now at risk from negative equity.

Local Lib Dems sounded a warning over the heightened risk of negative equity for local property owners back in March after figures released by credit rating agency Experian predicted that Walthamstow residents could be amongst the worst sufferers of the economic downturn, with those who had bought property within the last 12 months expected to be the worst hit.

At the time, local Liberal Democrat leader and Walthamstow councillor John Macklin urged government intervention to prevent mass repossessions, which, he said, would only worsen the housing crash.

Now this week he has expressed his concern about the effect that the crash in property prices will have on building projects within the borough.

Cllr Macklin said:

“The collapse in property prices is bound to have an effect on regeneration projects in the borough, and I will be looking for clarification from the relevant portfolio holders regarding the timetables for work on these projects.

“As I have said before, a series of unused ‘land banks’ across the borough awaiting regeneration is just not acceptable”.

Fellow Walthamstow councillor and deputy Lib Dem leader Cllr Johar Khan has spoken out about the situation in Waltham Forest, noting that the collapse in house prices would “cause misery for those who could end up owing more on their mortgages than their property will be worth.”

Cllr Khan continued:

“Waltham Forest looks like it will be hit particularly hard by this recession and the collapse in house prices. Sadly, the anguish this will cause local homeowners has been all too easy to predict.

“The government has allowed house prices and irresponsible mortgage lending to rocket alomost unchecked, and this competely irresponsbile approach is now resulting in dire consequences for residents.

Liberal Democrats Welcome New Planning Guidelines

Liberal Democrats on Waltham Forest Council’s Planning Committee have welcomed the introduction of new guidelines that will enable members to turn down applications for further flat conversions in the borough.

The new measures mean there will be 8 restricted wards where no conversion will be allowed at all. These are Cann Hall, Cathall, Forest, Grove Green, High Street, Hoe Street, Leyton and Leytonstone.

A new 200-metre rule will also be introduced to prevent displacement to other wards. Applying to the whole borough, the rule will mean that if a property is over 120sq meters and outside a restricted ward, permission will be refused if there is already a converted property within 200 metres.

Labour Cabinet member Cllr Terry Wheeler, who is responsible for the Council’s transport and planning policy, recently had to deny claims from councillors that he had failed to give the committee sufficient powers to react to public concerns over the rate of conversions. He claimed that the delays were due to a “lack of resources”.

Liberal Democrat councillor Farooq Qureshi said he was “delighted that the guidelines have finally been introduced”.

Cllr Qureshi said:

“These measures will finally give the committee the ability to show some teeth when it comes to defending local residents interests.

“Sensibly restricting the conversion of family housing into flats is crucial to the future of Waltham Forest. Retaining family housing in the borough should be a central tenet of our sustainable communities strategy.

“The number of conversions has been a real concern for residents for a long time now, and planning committee members have often been powerless to help them. A cutback in the number of conversions in something the Liberal Democrats have been campaigning on for years.”

Lib Dem Leader Criticises Ministerial Visit as “Inappropriate”

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr John Macklin has explained his decision not to attend a high profile Government event in Waltham Forest, claiming the visit was “completely inappropriate”.

Government schools minister Ed Balls’ visit to Kelmscott School in Walthamstow came just a week after he caused anger by placing two other local schools — George Mitchell in Leyton and the new Walthamstow Academy — on a ‘hit list’ of “underperforming” schools that could face closure. The move has been greeted with anger from both head teachers and parents.

Cllr Macklin, the Deputy Leader of Waltham Forest Council, chose not to attend the event, which he called “enormously ill-timed.”

Cllr Macklin, who is also a senior university lecturer in education, continued:

“Whilst it is welcome that the excellent progress being made at Kelsmcott is being recognised, it almost defies belief that the Minister feels it is appropriate to put the boot into local schools one week and then, days later, turn up in Waltham Forest to use the borough for a government press launch.

“His hit list has caused a lot of anger locally and has apparently been based on completely arbitrary targets that take no account of any of the highly individual circumstances that schools such as George Mitchell work under.

“When the Lib Dem education spokesman David Laws MP visited Walthamstow Academy earlier this year he was hugely impressed by the hard work being put in by the head, Fiona Cordeaux, and her staff.

“How on earth can threatening these schools with closure under such apparently random criteria help in their future development?

“Ed Balls’ announcement has unsettled teachers, staff and pupils who I’m sure will see the Minister’s decision to go ahead with this visit in the wake of such an announcement as entirely lacking in tact.”

The Ministerial visit came on the same day that Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg set out plans to give schools greater freedoms, promising to strip Ministers of their power to “meddle and micro-manage”.

Council Better Off With Lib Dems: Audit Commission

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr John Macklin has offered his congratulations to local party colleagues after the publication of a report that has recognised improvements in the running of Waltham Forest Council.

Waltham Forest Council has been rated as a ‘four star’ Council in results just announced by the Audit Commission as part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).

The Council’s zero star rating before 2002, when the Liberal Democrats joined the administration, meant that previous Council leaders were forced to appear before Government officials to explain their poor performance.

Waltham Forest now becomes one of only ten Councils in London to receive the accolade.

Cllr Macklin said that he was pleased at the inspection results, but immediately warned that the Council still had to “up its game”.

Cllr Macklin said:

“There has undeniably been a correlation between the growing number of Liberal Democrat councillors elected by residents in Waltham Forest, our joining of the joint administration in 2002 and the Audit Commission’s award of vastly improved ratings for the Council.

“We firmly believe that our increased representation on the Council and within the administration has raised standards. We have started to claw back much of the ground that had been lost under previous administrations.

“However, the improvements that the Commission have recognised over the last 6 years must be seen as the start of the recovery work that is still necessary, both in terms of the way the Council is run internally and the services that we deliver on behalf of residents.

“Whilst the very nature of a coalition administration will inevitably bring disagreements and up and downs, this recognition by the Audit Commission of enormously improving standards during our involvement validates the Lib Dems decision to do our best for residents by taking part in the administration rather than by simply shouting from the sidelines.

“Like residents, we recognise that there is still plenty of work to be done in Waltham Forest and we will continue to work hard to ensure that Liberal Democrat values and residents concerns are at the top of the Council’s agenda.”
“We want to take control of the Council in 2010 in order to ensure that this much-needed progress can continue.”

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats

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