CHRISTMAS RUBBISH COLLECTIONS 2013
Collections for all refuse services including bulky collections are listed below:
All collections will return to normal on Monday 6 January 2014
Changes to waste collection days
Normal Collection Day New collection day
Monday 23 December No change
Tuesday 24 December No change
Wednesday 25 December Friday 27 December
Thursday 26 December Saturday 28 December
Friday 27 December Sunday 29 December
Monday 30 December No change
Tuesday 31 December No change
Wednesday 1 January Thursday 2 January
Thursday 2 January Friday 3 January
Friday 3 January Saturday 4 January
Recycling centres
All recycling centres will be closed Christmas Day, 25 December, Boxing Day, 26 December and New Year’s Day, 1 January 2014.
- Gateway Road Household Waste and Recycling Centre
- Kings Road Household Waste and Recycling Centre
- South Access Road Household Waste and Recycling Centre
‘ROGUE’ LANDLORDS CONSULTATION
Posted December 12, 2013
The Council has recently launched a consultation into Liberal Democrat proposals to tackle rogue landlords. This consultation was launched following a Lib Dem motion to the Council last year.
Landlord licensing has recently been introduced in the neighbouring borough of Newham and if we can introduce this law in our borough then it would require all landlords in a selected area to be licensed. If landlords did not meet certain standards and conditions then their license could be revoked, stopping them from renting out property.
Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan says:
“Many residents are suffering in properties that just aren’t up to standard and paying too much for poor housing that is blighted by anti-social behaviour. Selective licensing could give control to the Council to stop these rogue landlords from operating.”
Please see the Council’s draft document for information and consultation –
http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/Pages/News/selective-licensing.aspx
LABOUR ‘SHOULD APOLOGISE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING FAILURE’
Posted November 28, 2013
The following article appeared in the London Evening Standard on 11th November:
Published: 11 November 2013
Updated: 13:34, 11 November 2013
Labour should “apologise” for its poor record of building social housing, the party’s own London housing spokesman has said.
Tom Copley said it galled him that Margaret Thatcher’s government built more council flats and houses in a single year than Tony Blair and Gordon Brown managed over 13 years in power.
His remarks were attacked as too “bleak” by one of Labour leader Ed Miliband’s top lieutenants. But the Coalition Government’s housing minister said Mr Copley was right and called on Mr Miliband to say sorry.
At a conference organised by think tank the Centre for Labour and Social Studies, Mr Copley spoke about his role as Labour’s housing spokesman on the London Assembly.
He said: “As a Labour politician one of the things that really galls me is that there’s this statistic that more council homes were built in the last year of Thatcher’s government than were built in the 13 years of Labour government, and that’s something I think as a Labour Party we need to apologise for.” Official figures show only 6,330 council houses were completed from 1998 to 2010, compared with 17,710 in 1990 alone, which was Baroness Thatcher’s final year as prime minister. In one Labour year, 2004, the number fell to just 130 council homes completed.
Mr Copley called on his party not to “repeat this mistake”. He said Labour should allow councils to borrow more for social housing without it counting as a rise in the national debt, to fund a mass house-building programme. But at the same event, Mr Miliband’s Commons aide Karen Buck, MP for Westminster North, said Labour’s record “wasn’t as bleak and hopeless as some critics would have us believe”.
Conservative housing minister Kris Hopkins, said: “Labour failed an entire generation by not building enough houses but Ed Miliband has been too weak to apologise.”
Waltham Forest Lib Dem Group Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan said:
“It is about time that the truth came out. We have heard a lot of Labour Party propaganda rubbishing the achievements of the Coalition Government may be the Labour Party should now apologise for letting down the Country by not building enough homes in the 13 years of Labour Government.”
PRESS RELEASE: LIB DEMS CONDEMN LABOUR RETREAT ON FIRE SERVICES
Posted September 25, 2013
Lib Dems Condemn Labour Retreat on Fire Services – Councillor Mahmood Hussain
The Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats have a long standing campaign against the Mayor’s fire cuts and have been working with colleagues across London to try and stop the plans to axe our fire engines.
Last week the Labour council in Waltham Forest withdrew from the judicial review aimed at making the Mayor rethink his plans. Local Liberal Democrats believe that by backing down Labour have dealt a huge blow to the campaign to save our fire services.
Councillor Mahmood Hussain said:
“Labour clearly went ahead without thinking and then got cold feet.”
“Withdrawing now makes it seem as if we’re not confident the case can be won. We should be backing our fire fighters and standing with other Borough’s against the Mayor’s cuts.”
“It’s becoming clearer that when it comes to cuts to local services, Labour’s commitment to fairness is only words and not action. They are giving the tory Mayor a free pass to do what he wants with our fire services.”
LEA BRIDGE ROAD – FAULTY BUS STOP INDICATOR – update!
The Lib Dems have been chasing Transport for London (TfL) for an update on progress for the repair and reinstatement of the Countdown indicator on the shelter, in Lea Bridge Road, for buses going towards Whipps Cross.
TfL has advised that they currently have a problem with the power supply at this stop which they are seeking to resolve. At the moment they are not able to estimate the completion date.
They offer apologies for the delay and are seeking to restore this useful service as soon as possible.
PRESS RELEASE: 75% OF COUNCIL WORKERS EARN LESS THAN BENEFITS CAP!
75% of council workers earn less than the benefits cap – Councillor Farooq Qureshi
Following the debate on the coalition welfare reforms at last Thursday’s council meeting, it has emerged that 75% of council staff earn less than the £26,000 benefits cap.
The figures, which exclude those working for schools in the Borough, show that only 25% of council workers earn more than the £35,000 that someone would need to earn to take home £26,000.
At the meeting Labour claimed the cap was a ‘London living tax’ and was unfairly penalising London residents.
Lib Dem Deputy Group Leader Councillor Farooq Qureshi said:
“The welfare reforms are extremely difficult for some people in our Borough and as councillors we are on the front line of trying to help them.
“But Labour’s claim that this is a “London living tax” just aren’t credible when the majority of council workers take home less in their pay packets.”
“The Labour Party are quick to campaign against the welfare reforms but refuse to put forward any alternatives. Ed Miliband supports capping welfare spending, so where will Labour’s cuts come from?”
PRESS RELEASE: NEW COMMITTEES SHOULD NOT MEAN ANOTHER £12,000 IN COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCES
New committees should not mean another £12,000 in allowances for councillors – Cllr Bob Sullivan
On Thursday the Liberal Democrat group voted against proposals that would mean more special responsibility allowances for councillors.
Lib Dems criticised the Labour group for using scrutiny politically to avoid any real scrutiny of council policies, whilst at the same time awarding themselves more money.
The Labour council are splitting the health and adults committee into two new committees that will focus separately on public health and adults services.
They are creating two additional paid positions for their members who will take the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee, who will get an extra £8,000 and £4,000 respectively on top of the £10,000 a year they earn as councillors.
Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said:
“Labour are just creating more paid positions to reward their members. The current proposal could mean £12,000 in extra costs to Waltham Forest council tax payers.”
“There are a lot of ways Labour could ensure this doesn’t cost more money: Either by cutting these allowances across the council or by sharing the existing allowances for the old committee across the two new ones.
“Labour councillors should stop trying to hide their failures by stuffing committees full of their own members.
“They should be taking responsibility over their failures over jobs in this Borough and cutting their ‘special responsibility allowances’ rather than giving themselves more allowances.”
Lea Bridge Road – faulty bus stop indicator
The FOCUS Team has alerted Transport for London (TfL) to the faulty Countdown indicator on the shelter, in Lea Bridge Road, for buses going towards Whipps Cross.
We are monitoring progress.
PRESS RELEASE: COUNCIL PHONE BILLS SOAR UNDER LABOUR
COUNCIL PHONE BILLS SOAR UNDER LABOUR
Over the last few years council phone bills have soared. According to figures released by the council mobile phone costs soared by over £110,000 last year costing taxpayers a total of £314,000 in one year alone, whilst landline costs also rose by £80,000.
Council tax payers are now forking out £860,000 every year for phone bills alone.
Cllr Bob Sullivan said:
“Labour need to get a grip on these soaring phone bills. Other council services are being cut whilst phone bills are going up and up.
“The council are putting more and more services online but clearly aren’t making any savings by doing it.
“This £190,000 could be helping us build a fairer society by investing in social services, it could help build a stronger local economy by investing in jobs or it could even protect local services like keeping open a library.
“Instead, Labour is proving time and time again that they can’t be trusted with our money.”