Concerns continue over local property price crash

Cllr John Macklin at the site of the Walthamstow Arcade development, as featured in the local Yellow AdvertiserThe Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats recently revealed their concerns that the property price crash could have a major effect on redevelopment projects in the borough – and now it seems as if those concerns are being shared by others in the borough.

In the same week as the London Evening Standard bought to wider attention the severity of the problems  in Waltham Forest, the local Yellow Advertiser featured Liberal Democrat leader John Macklin in a feature on the local property crash.

The Evening Standard confirmed that Waltham Forest suffered the largest year-on-year fall in London property prices .  The local Lib Dem team recently revealed that there had been a 9.2% fall in local prices, sparking concern about building projects in the borough.

Cllr Macklin told the Yellow Advertiser:

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

“The Government has allowed house prices and irresponsible mortgage lending to rocket almost unchecked and this completely irresponsible approach is now resulting in dire consequences for residents.”

Meet our new councillors

Simon Hughes MP, Cllr James O'Rourke and Cllr Sheila Smith-Pryor

The local Liberal Democrat team are celebrating a remarkable victory after FOCUS team members Nick Bason and Jane Morgan beat off the challenge of the Conservatives in Iain Duncan-Smith’s constituency to be elected to the Council as the new members for Hale End and Highams Park

Jane and Nick polled 1298 and 1295 votes respectively to take victory, retaining the seats won in 2006 by John Beanse and Noel Penstone in 2006.  Fellow Lib Dem Sheila Smith-Pryor completes the council team line-up for the ward.

Senior Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes MP (pictured above) joined Sheila recently to meet local residents and give his support to the campaign.

Here’s what our new councillors have to say…

Cllr Jane Morgan JANE MORGAN

I have lived in the ward for nearly 30 years and have been actively engaged with community work during that time through the Liberal Democrats.

I teach music in local schools and I am a coordinator of ‘Sing Up’, a project which encourages music and singing amongst primary school children.  I have an 18-year-old son at University.

As an active community member I am a regular attendee at the local Neighbourhood Watch and a frequent contributor at Community Council and Police Panel meetings.

Residents have always told me they appreciate the work the local Lib Dem Council team carry out through our surgeries and FOCUS leaflets and I want to ensure that work is able to continue on behalf of residents.

As a new councillor I want to carry on the unrivalled community work undertaken by John Beanse, Noel Penstone and Sheila Smith-Pryor.

Cllr Nick Bason NICK BASON

I live in the local area with my wife and I currently work for a disability rights organisation called Employers’ Forum on Disability.  I have previously worked as an independent elections adviser, working with community, housing and regeneration projects across the UK.

As a member of the Liberal Democrat team I am proud of the work we have done for Hale End and Highams Park residents.  We are happy to be judged on that record of campaigning and responding rapidly and effectively to every resident who raises a problem or an issue with us.

The work of the Lib Dem team and the commitment to contact with local residents through the FOCUS leaflet has shown the positive, practical work that Lib Dem councillors do for our area.

Myself, Sheila and Jane will continue to  work for residents all year round – not just when there is an election on. 
 

Double by-election triumph for local Liberal Democrats

Jane Morgan and Nick BasonLocal Liberal Democrats are celebrating after Hale End and Highams Park FOCUS team members Nick Bason and Jane Morgan were elected to Waltham Forest Council

In a remarkable by-election victory, the Liberal Democrat Focus team candidates Jane Morgan and Nick Bason polled 1298 and 1295 votes respectively to beat off the challenge of the Conservative candidates (1223 and 1155 votes). 

The by-election was called after the sad death of Cllr John Beanse and the resignation due to ill health of Cllr Noel Penstone.

The Lib Dems were protecting a lead of less than 4% over the Conservatives in a ward represented by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith.  The Lib Dems are still the only party with councillors in all three of the borough’s parliamentary constituencies.

Speaking at the count, new Hale End and Highams Park councillor Nick Bason said:

“We would like to thank all those residents from all sides of the political spectrum who gave us their support today on the basis of the hard work put into the ward by the Liberal Democrat FOCUS team over a long period of time.”

Jane Morgan added:

“We campaigned on our record of action and accountability to residents.  It is these principles that we will continue to stand by as the new council team for the ward.

“Local people know they can trust the Lib Dem team to produce action and not just words.”

Local Liberal Democrat leader Cllr John Macklin hailed the result as “absolutely fantastic”.

He continued:

“This victory over the Tories is made all the more special when taking into consideration the high-profile slur campaign run against the Lib Dems in the ward and the negative campaigning tactics which we were the victim of.

“The result just goes to show that our commitment to year round hard work and accountability is ultimately rewarded and appreciated by the electorate.        

“It is simply not good enough to just turn up when there is an election on and sling mud at the other parties.  Voters are not fooled by these tactics.”
          
The Liberal Democrats have won four of the five Waltham Forest by-elections called during 2008, increasing their representation on the Council to 20 seats.

FULL RESULT

JANE MORGAN (LIB DEM)  1298
NICK BASON (LIB DEM)  1295
Conservatives   1223
Conservatives   1155
Labour    264
Labour    241
Green     142

Have Your Say…

The Liberal Democrat Group on Waltham Forest Council want to hear from you!

Liberal Democrats councillors are encouraging local residents and community groups to get in contact and share any concerns or ideas they may have regarding our borough.

Cllr John Macklin, the Leader of the Lib Dem Group in Waltham Forest, said:

“I encourage any local residents or groups to get in touch and let us know what they would like to see from their local Council. 

“Liberal Democrats pride themselves on inclusive, community-based politics that reaches far beyond the confines of the Town Hall.  We led the way in the introduction of Community Councils in Waltham Forest and Lib Dem Councils across the country have worked hard to introduce groundbreaking ways in which we can engage with residents.

“Our Scrutiny chairs have also been successful in introducing new ways for residents to feed into their Committees and influence what councillors discuss”.

If there is any issue which you or your group would like to discuss with the local Liberal Democrats, please contact us in the Town Hall by phoning 020 8496 4313 or by emailing ben.wright@walthamforest.gov.uk

We will do our best to meet you at a time and venue that best suits your availability.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Lib Dems Warn Residents Over Rise in Burglaries

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats are warning local residents and business owners to ensure that they take steps to secure their property after police figures revealed a big rise in the number of burglaries in the borough.

The crime statistics, published on the Metropolitan Police website, show a 10.6% rise in burglaries in the last 12 months, with nearly 2,000 local reports of domestic burglary in the 12 months up to September 2008.

The increase comes despite a 3.1% fall in burglaries across London.

Ward-by-ward data available on the Met website reveals that, in some areas of Waltham Forest, instances of burglary have risen in the past year by almost 50%.

However there is good news elsewhere for Waltham Forest residents as police figures show that overall crime was down by nearly 7%.  Significant reductions in car crime and violent robbery significantly contribute to this fall.

Now Waltham Forest Lib Dems are encouraging local residents to make sure they take basic procedures both to secure their house and to combat opportunistic burglaries.

Local Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr John Macklin said:

“The rise in burglaries at both domestic and non-domestic properties is obviously a real concern. 

“Burglaries from commercial properties in Waltham Forest have risen by a massive 12.8% in the last year.

“Residents and business owners can help protect their properties from instances of burglary or attempted theft by following some of the simple security measures suggested by the police.”

The Metropolitan Police Website offers a range of crime prevention measures that encourage property owners to reduce their risk of opportunistic criminals — particularly when buildings are unoccupied.

CLICK HERE to read more about the Liberal Democrats ‘We Can cut Crime!’ campaign, including our ‘5 Steps to a Safer Britain’

Future of Walthamstow Greyhound Track

The Racing Post report on the Lib Dems meeting with SOSThe Waltham Forest Guardian is this week reporting the latest developments in the efforts of the Save Our Stow (SOS) campaign group to keep a greyhound racing and leisure facility on the site of ‘The Stow’.

The Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats met with SOS to hear their plans and offer any support to their campaign.

Local Lib Dem leader Cllr John Macklin said:

“We are, of course, fully in support of their efforts to keep the Stadium as both a greyhound racing track and a sport and leisure venue.

“The success of our leisure venues is an integral part of building a sustainable community in Waltham Forest and ensuring that we are attractive to both our residents and visitors. There is no long-term sustainability in forcing residents out of the borough to spend their leisure time.”

To read the Group statement on the campaign to save the track, which was published in the Racing Post (‘Local Councillors in Support of SOS Bid’, 26/9/2008), follow the link to ‘The Stow’ in the left hand panel of the screen.

Cllr O’Rourke Highlights High St ‘Booze Ban’

Cllr O'Rourke backs the ban in this week's Yellow AdvertiserCllr James O’Rourke of High St ward appears in this week’s media to highlight the local Alchohol Restriction Zone (ARZ), which has been implemented in the ward to try and tackle anti-social behaviour.

The ARZ has been set up after complaints from residents about drink-related crime and behaviour in the High St area.  Police will now be able to order drinkers to throw away their cans, fine them £50, or in the most serious cases use powers of arrest.

Cllr James O’Rourke told this week’s Yellow Advertiser:

“The zone will help us reclaim Walthamstow Town Centre”

“Children and families will be more inclined to use local facilities, such as the town centre park and open space and it will undoubtedly improve the image of one of the gateways to Waltham Forest”.

“We must, though, monitor the situation to and ensure that the problem is not just dispersed to a nearby area”.

Waltham Forest Crime Figures Available Online

Crime stats are now onlineDid you know that the Metropolitan Police provide a website where you can check the latest crime levels thorughout the borough.

The site even breaks down offences by crime, so you can see that, whilst total crimes in he borough are down – along with a major fall in motorvehicle crime – instances of burglary have been on the rise.

Go and check out the figures for yourself at the Metropolitan Police Website.

PS: We will provide a permanent link to the Met Crime Mapping site in the sidebar on the left of the screen, so you can continue to monitor the statistics.

Lib Dems Publish Plans to Tackle Local Knife Crime

Lib Dems launch knife crime proposalsThe Liberal Democrats have published plans to tackle the growing problem of knife crime in London and Waltham Forest.

The document highlights several key proposals for reducing knife crime, including:

  • Putting 10,000 extra police on the streets, around 2,000 of which would be in London, paid for by scrapping ID cards
  • Ensuring each Safer Neighbourhood Team includes a trained, dedicated community support officer to identify and work with the young people who are most at risk through schools, youth groups and outreach work
  • Creating a Greater London Youth Volunteer Force to make it easier for young disadvantaged people to volunteer. Activities would be relevant to young people but also teach them important skills

High St councillor James O’Rourke recently chaired a Council Scrutiny event in order to take evidence on how knife crime was being tackled in our borough.

Sixty people attended representing a myriad of internal and external key partners involved in tackling knife crime in Waltham Forest. A number of interested residents also attended.

Evidence was taken from a wide range of witnesses including the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Job Centre Plus, schools & colleges and trading standards. Vital evidence was supplied by three representatives of the Youth Independent Advisory Group who gave Councillors of the committees and other attendees an enthralling account from young people’s perspective.

Cllr O’Rourke said:

“We managed to start the debate on how to eradicate this serious problem.

“The issue of knife/youth crime cannot be allowed to disappear into the ether to await another tragedy.”

For a full copy of the Lib Dems proposals, please visit the Liberal Democrat Website.