Local Lib Dems welcome government climb-down over rent rise plan

Cllr John Macklin with Lib Dem leader Nick CleggLocal Liberal Democrat councillors have welcomed a last-minute government u-turn over plans to saddle council tenants with huge increases in rental costs.

Under growing pressure from local authorities, Housing Minister Margaret Beckett has announced that councils will now be allowed to cut their planned rent increases for tenants. Waltham Forest council tenants were facing a rent rise of 5.8% due to government guidelines.

“These rent rises (are) a cowardly act that put politics before people.”

Local Lib Dem Leader Cllr John Macklin has welcomed the government climb-down, but warned that the affair highlighted the government’s lack of understanding of the impact of the economic crisis.

Cllr Macklin said:

“This announcement, whilst perhaps not completely unexpected, will come as a relief to some of our most vulnerable residents, who were being asked to bear the brunt of these rent rises.

“However this announcement should be no cause for political celebration. This whole embarrassing u-turn by Labour has just served to demonstrate once again how completely out of touch the government is with the practical realities of this economic crisis. Asking local authorities to do their dirty work for them by implementing these rent rises was a cowardly act that put politics before people.

“I am pleased that the government have finally backed down on this issue but disappointed that, once again, it has been left to local authorities to try and make them see sense.”

Liberal Democrat MPs led parliamentary opposition to the government plan, as reported here by your local Lib Dem team.

More road money needed from government pot, say councillors

Councillors Peter Woollcott and Bob Belam, as featured in this week's Yellow AdvertiserThe good work of the Higham Hill Liberal Democrat Focus team has been highighted again in this week’s local press.

The Lib Dem councillor team of Peter Woollcott, Patrick Smith and Sean Meiszner are leading the campaign to get more government funding to help local councils deal with potholes and worsening road conditions.  Routes in Waltham Forest have suffered particularly badly this year due to the worst winter in decades.

Councillor Bob Belam joined Councillor Woollcott (both pictured above) to draw attention to the issue.

Councillor Woollcott told the local Yellow Advertiser:

“Some of the roads are ridden with potholes which pose a danger to drivers an cyclists especially.  Not only can they cause accidents they can also damage vehicles which can then pose a danger later on”.

Article by Martyn Dalton, Picture by Roy Tillett, both used by kind permission

Lib Dems keep Council Tax promise but warn of “uniquely challenging times”

Waltham Forest councillors last night approved the borough’s yearly budget, with Liberal Democrats keeping their promise to set Council Tax below 2.5%.

The level for this year is set at a below average 1.9%, with additional funds being put into street cleaning services, mental health services and enforcement powers to clamp down on rogue property developers.

Lib Dem leader Cllr John Macklin spoke for the Liberal Democrat group and congratulated fellow Liberal Democrat members for their work on keeping local taxes low. However he criticised the government for their hike in council tenant rent costs, suggesting that this move typified a “completely outdated” central approach to local government.

Cllr Macklin also offered opposition Tory councillors the opportunity to put their ‘alternative’ budget material budget proposals – recieved just hours before the budget meeting – through a proper scrutiny process, adding that there should be “no political restrictions on good ideas for our borough”.

Read Cllr Macklin’s full speech to Council and let us know what you think!

Waltham Forest the winner with the Lib Dems!

Cllr Bob Wheatley with Chris Huhne and Lib Dem leader Nick CleggWilliam 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!

Higham Park Lib Dems in action!

Cllr Patrick Smith, Cllr Sean Meiszner and Cllr Peter WoollcottThe Lib Dems Higham Hill Focus Team are campaigning to have a new bus route for local residents.

Councillors Peter Woollcott, Patrick Smith and Sean Meiszner want a new route to run from Tottenham Hale to Highams Park via Billet Road.  The bus route is required to forge a west/link public transport link in response to community expansion, with the new Banbury Park and Sutherland Road Estates, three schools – including Walthamstow Academy.  Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon has agreed to chair a meeting with TfL at Waltham Forest Town Hall to support the campaign.

Cllr Smith and Cllr Meiszner also attended a recent event at the Houses of Parliament to see Julia Goldsworthy MP and join the `Unlock Democracy’ national campaign to open up new income streams to local councils as part of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Cllr Patrick Smith said:
“Liberal Democrats want Waltham Forest residents to gain the maximum financial help from Government. “This legislation is designed to ask local people to prioritise their community projects and give back power to the people on issues such as unpopular post office closures, affordable housing or a lack of local doctors and dentists”

Local Lib Dems hit out at government rent rise plan

Cllr Macklin: Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats have criticised Government proposals for a massive hike in Council Tenant rent payments.

Rents in London are set to rise by up to 9% after the Government proposed an increase of more than double the current rate of inflation.  Although the increase in Waltham Forest has been recommended by the portfolio holder to be set at 5.8%, local Liberal Democrat Leader John Macklin is calling for the Government to think again about its reccomendations.

Cllr Macklin said:

“I am very unhappy about this proposed local rent increase and I have made my feelings on the issue clear to both Council officers and the responsible cabinet members.

“This proposal either represents some very muddled thinking by the Labour Party or another cynical attempt to play smoke and mirrors with financial support at a time when many need it the most.

“First it was Whipps Cross, then Post Office closures.  How many more times are local Labour councillors going to be forced to try and disown their own party colleagues in Government?

 “I accept that, to a large extent, the Council is dictated to by the Labour Government’s policy on this issue, and so I find it staggering that they think it is appropriate to saddle local people with this kind of increased financial burden.   It comes at a time when the country is suffering what ministers are now admitting is a national financial crisis more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s.

“Gordon Brown needs to stop juggling his finances in order to produce the best newspaper headlines and seriously reconsider his lack of practical support for our local Council tenants”

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.

Higham Hill team want better buses for residents

This week's local Yellow AdvertiserThe Liberal Democrat councillor team in Higham Hill are busy lobbying transport bosses for a new bus route through their ward

This week’s local Yellow Advertiser (pictured) features news of the attempts of councillors Patrick Smith, Sean Meiszner and Peter Woollcott to secure a new bus service along Billet Road in Walthamstow to cope with increased demand amongst residents.

Cllr Patrick Smith told the paper:

“We want to ensure that residents and visitors have proper access to and from the area.  Local services are not always reliable or convenient and we want something that will connect the area with the borough’s main transport hubs”.

Council Tax Level – Lib Dems respond

Lib Dem Leader Cllr John Macklin has had the following letter (‘Labour does not act alone here’) published on page 14 in the ‘Your Views’ section of this week’s Waltham Forest Guardian in response to a recent article in which Labour Leader Clyde Loakes set out the Council’s proposed 1.9% Council Tax increase – a level well below many other boroughs:

* * * * *

Waltham Forest Lib Dems keep Council Tax promise

Liberal Democrats on Waltham Forest are “very pleased” that they have been able to keep their Council Tax pledge to residents, but have warned that the Government needs to do more to relieve the economic crisis being felt by local people.

Liberal Democrat members of the Council administration will propose a 1.9% rise in Council Tax this spring, a level below many other local authorities.  However local Lib Dem councillors have called on the Government to take more responsibility for the downturn and provide more effective relief for residents.

Cllr John Macklin, Leader of the Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats Group, said:

“The Liberal Democrats always promised that, as part of the Council administration, we would keep Council Tax down below 2.5% and we are keen to keep that pledge despite very challenging financial times for local authorities.

“Lib Dem councillors have worked very hard to ensure that we are able to set local Council Tax at this low rate, and I am very pleased that residents will this year see an increase far below that likely to be felt in many other authorities.

“However I understand that our hard work will still only provide partial relief to local residents who are feeling the full effects of job losses and negative equity on their properties.

“The Lib Dems were warning a year ago that Waltham Forest residents were likely to be hit particularly hard by this recession and property slump, and the collapse in local house prices — one of the worst in London — has certainly shown this to be the case.

“A local council can only do so much to relieve the huge financial burden on local people. 

“Residents will no doubt make up their own minds as to whether trying constantly to ‘spin’ this situation as a ‘global credit crunch’ rather than a recession really constitutes an effective economic policy from Labour.”