Published January 18th, 2012
Fire Brigade 999 service for sale!
Residents in Waltham Forest will be put at risk if the Mayor’s plans to privatise Fire Brigade 999 call handling go ahead, warn the borough’s Liberal Democrat Councillors.
Conservatives on the London Fire Authority backed by Mayor Boris Johnson propose to contract out the Fire Brigade Control Room that handles over 200,000 emergency 999 calls a year. They intend to push their controversial plan through before voters get a say in next May’s Mayoral and London Assembly elections, when controversial Conservative LFEPA boss Cllr Brian Coleman risks being ousted.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Farooq Qureshi said:
“I was shocked to hear of this plan. It makes no sense to separate the people answering 999 calls from the rest of the Fire Brigade. There are no private companies with a decent track record in this highly specialised fire safety work. It will just end up costing more money as the Fire Brigade will need an army of staff to check the private call handlers are getting it right. This is all about Conservative dogma rather than what is best for local residents’ safety.”
The Fire Brigade’s Union is also strongly opposed to the privatisation plan.
Commenting on the sell off Liberal Democrat Candidate for Mayor of London, Brian Paddick said:
“As a former police chief I recognise that control rooms are an essential part of the emergency response. Privatising the fire brigade control room runs the risk of providing a second class service at a higher cost to the public.”
Published October 27th, 2011
Labour Council ignores residents and closes Harrow Green Library
Last Thursday the Labour Council voted to close down Harrow Green Library. Residents had raised a petition of over 5,000 signatures and local Lib Dems had also raised a petition of over 1,1000 signatures to save the library.
Despite these petitions, fierce local residents’ opposition to the proposal and impassioned speeches, Labour Councillors voted to close the Library. The Tories abstained and the Liberal Democrats were the only party to vote against the closure. Even local Labour Councillors, whose residents had campaigned to stop the closure, voted to shut down Harrow Green Library.
Local Lib Dem Cann Hall Ward Councillor Liz Phillips, who has been leading the campaign in the council said:
“Local residents worked hard on this issue and took time out of their day to come and speak in the debate in good faith, only to find that the Labour Party had stitched up the result in advance.
“I’m not surprised that some residents walked out in disgust. Labour has refused to listen to local residents all along and this council meeting was no different.
“The Labour councillors can’t use a cut in the budget to hide the fact that it is them who are closing down our local library.”
The closure was based on the widely criticised libraries’ review and despite the consultation process, two petitions and recommendations from the council’s own scrutiny panel that no libraries needed to close, the Labour leadership refused to change course.
Lib Dem Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan said:
“The Libraries’ Review has been widely criticised and appears to have been a foregone conclusion from the start.
“The questions asked in the consultation were clearly misleading. For example, residents were asked if they would like their library to start opening on Sundays, but weren’t asked if they minded other libraries closing for this to be achieved.
“Of course residents suggest improved services, but if they knew that the council were robbing Harrow Green to pay for those services I believe they would think again.
Published September 16th, 2011
Save Harrow Green Library
The Liberal Democrat petition to ‘Save Harrow Green Library’ of over 1000 signatures, has been handed to the Council. Along with another residents petition, the total signatures comes to over 4000.
These petitions indicate the overwhelming support by residents that they want to keep the Library open.
The Council’s consultation on the review of libraries has come to an end and will be reported to the Cabinet on the 11th of October.
Lib Dem councillors Liz Phillips and Bob Sullivan were members of a Scrutiny Panel that scrutinised the original Cabinet report.
The Panel noted that the Cabinet report left many questions unanswered and while it contained a great deal of information, it was not always the right information. They felt the report did not do a complete job.
The Panel identified 19 recomendations which will be given to the Cabinet in October. If implemented would support the expansive Library and Information Service, whilst negating the closure of any library.
Among the 19 panel recommendations to enable libraries to afford keeping open were:
- Shelving Sunday opening and all libraries should be closed on Mondays.
- Opening hours should be reviewed.
- The charges for the use of libraries to be reviewed.
- Consider locating staff from rental premises to space currently available in Harrow Green Library.
- Review salaries and grading of staff and review library contracts e.g. cleaning services.
There were many other recommendations, which hopefully, will give the Cabinet reasons to save the libraries from closure.
Published August 28th, 2011
Flats for the Olympics?
A planning application lasting only for three years, has been submitted to the Council. It is a temporary conversion of the Technical Institute, part of the old Leyton Town Hall, entrance in Adelaide Road.
The plan is to convert the inside of the building into 32 residential units:
15 studio flats, 11 x 1 bed flats, 2 x 2 bed flats and 4 x 3 bed flats.
There is obviously going to be a demand for accommodation in Leyton that is near the Olympic Park. I would not be surprised if these flats were not snapped up soon after they are built. This is probably what the developers are also thinking.
What they are going to turn them into after three years is anyones guess? But one thing whatever they do, there is no parking provision. Local residents already have a major problem in parking in the road and more flats without parking spaces, will only add to the problem.
Published August 28th, 2011
Could you be a ‘SNOW ANGEL’?
Waltham Forest, like many other Councils is planning for the coming winter and want residents to play a vital role in making sure that the borough can cope in the event of severe weather conditions.
Suitable precautions to deal with snow and ice are being put into place, but the Council is hoping that residents will agree to become “Snow Angels” and help clear their vulnerable neighbours’ drives and pathways of snow and ice.The Snow Angel scheme was piloted last year amongst Council staff who live in the borough and who volunteered to grit and shovel snow from drives, pathways and pavements to keep the borough moving. This proved to be a huge success so now the Council has decided to roll the scheme out to the residents of Waltham Forest.Volunteers will be provided with the following free equipment:
1 x 20kg bag of grit
Hi-visibility jacket
Protective gloves
Snow scoop and shovel
If you are interested in becoming a “Snow Angel” please contact Amanda Karrinton on 0208 496 1296 or email on amanda.karrinton@walthamforest.gov.uk by 31st August 2011 and you will be provided with further information.
Published June 3rd, 2011
Abbotts Park – Consultation
The Council has commissioned Kinnear Landscape Architects to develop improvements for Abbotts Park.
There is to be a public consultation in the park on Saturday 25th June between 2 and 5pm.
Council officers and the design team will be there to hear your views on the proposals, which as usual are subject to planning consent and funding.
If you cannot make this meeting, the plans will also be on display in Leyton Library, Leyton High Road, corner of Ruckholt Road on Monday 27th June. A representative from the designers will be present between 4 and 6pm.
This is your opportunity to express your views on this scheme.
Published May 11th, 2011
Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) consultation
Knotts Green Road, Belmont Park Road, William Street and St. Heliers Road
After years of campaigning by residents and your local Liberal Democrat Focus Team about the problems of parking in these roads, the Council has finally got down to consult with residents about a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in these roads.
The following link directs you to a copy of the plan showing the full area of the CPZ: http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/shernhall_baker_plan.pdf
All residents should have received the consultation document, and sent in their views by now.
If you have not filled it in and returned it you only have until Monday 16th May to send it in.
It is important that you make your views known.
If you have any queries or questions please do not hesitate to contact your Liberal Democrat Ward Councillor Farooq Qureshi, tel 07956 290240. You can also contact him via this website.
Published January 24th, 2011
MORE FLIGHTS MORE AIR POLLUTION
Local people and green campaigners reacted with disappointment after a High Court judge refused to overturn Newham Council’s decision to expand London City Airport.
Residents, represented by Friends of Earth’s Justice Centre, took the council to court in November last year after it decided to allow a 50 percent increase in flights. The community Representatives argued that Newham Council failed to consider changes to Government’s policy on climate changes and did not properly consult boroughs and residents in the surrounding areas.
Reacting to the decision, Chair of local campaign group”Fight the Flights” Anne-Marie Griffin said:
“We are desperately disappointed by this judgement. London City Airport already causes major disturbance and pollution for people living locally. The disappointment we feel at this outcome will be shared by thousands of residents across East London who are severely affected by London City Airport’s operations but were not consulted about the expansion.
Speaking about the decision Cllr F Qureshi said: Many people in east and south east London are already facing serious problems with noise and disturbance from air flights. Airport expansion will have a terrible impact on local people’s quality of life, as well as increase air pollution breaches and undermine efforts to tackle climate change.
Published November 9th, 2010
Knotts Green Road – one way
Following residents’ calls for a one-way system and a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) for Knotts Green Road, Liberal Democrat councillor Farooq Qureshi and the Focus Team carried out a number of surveys which they sent to the Council, showing residents support for a one-way system and a CPZ.
Focus is pleased to see that work has started on the one-way system. This will mean that traffic will enter Knotts Green Road from Lea Bridge Road and exit onto Leyton Green Road.
The Focus Team has been promised that the Council will carry out a consultation on a CPZ by the end of the year.
Published November 9th, 2010
Livingstone Road/Poplars Road
Owing to residents’ concerns about the parking in their roads during the weekends, Councillor Farooq Qureshi has asked the Council to include Livingstone Road and Poplars Road, who already form part of a CPZ, into the consultation that the Council will be doing in neighbouring roads.
Residents of Livingstone and Poplars Road want to extend the parking control times to include weekends.
