While local labour group are claiming to support a reduction in carbon emissions, their Government is sailing in opposite direction.

Last Wednesday, Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes MP secured a debate in the Parliament on climate change. The purpose of the debate was to call on the Government to sign up to 10-10 campaign and commit to a 10% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of 2010.

AND GUESS WHAT?                           

The Government defeated the motion by 297  to 226 votes.

Harry Cohan MP voted against the motion.

Neil Gerrard MP voted for it.

SO MUCH FOR LABOUR SUPPORTING THE CLIMATE CHANGE

Leyton and Wanstead Parliamentary candidate, Cllr Farooq Qureshi presented a motion to the full council against the increase in aircraft noise pollution over Leyton and Wanstead, which was accepted unanimously.

After the proposed amendments, the contents of the motion are:

This Council recognises residents concerns over the expansion of London City and Heathrow Airports, and believes that the increased number of flights using these airports and the associated noise nuisance and environmental impact is detrimental to Waltham Forest residents. This council welcomes steps already taken by the Leader of the council requesting:

• That the officers respond to the current BAA Heathrow consultation programme Noise Action Plan.
• The Noise Level Assessment Team investigate whether any residents are entitled to the London City Airport(LCA) sound insulation grant scheme.
• That Waltham Forest Council be able to join the LCA consultation committee which at the moment is only open to Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets.
• An all party working group be set up so that all parties can come together to tackle this issue.

 Therefore this council requests that the Chief Executive:

Carries out an immediate investigation into the consultation process undertaken in respect of the expansion of London City airport and the flight path changes by the Civil Aviation Authority, the London Borough of Newham or any other party. This investigation will include consideration of:

• Whether or not Waltham Forest council was consulted and if it was, what response was provided by Waltham Forest council and, if no response was provided, why not.

Upon the completion of this investigation, this council requests that the Chief Executive takes appropriate action which should include:

• Writing to the Mayor of Newham, condemning the decision to allow further expansion of London City airport and stressing the negative impact this decision has had on residents of Waltham forest.
• Writing to Mayor of London, condemning plans for a new four runway airport in the Thames Estuary and asking why he supported the expansion of London City airport and what consideration was given to the detrimental impact of the expansion on residents of Waltham forest.
• Writing to the Civil Aviation Authority and NATS to ask what action they took to consult residents of Waltham Faorest on the changes to flight paths and London City expansion.
• Seeking an investigation by the EU commissioner into the expansion of London City Airport and the impact it has had on residents of Waltham Forest and East London.
• Considering the merits of legal action in relation to the expansion of LCA and/or flight path changes.
• Signing up to the 10:10 campaign which aims to tackle climate change by cutting carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. 

This council requests that the Chief Executive reports his findings back to councillors at the earliest opportunity.”

Cllr F Qureshi said: We accepted the Labour amendments because we welcome the cross party consensus on this very important issue. We need to unite and fight against this attack on the environment and the quality of life of our residents.

Cllr Farooq Qureshi, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Leyton and wanstead is fighting to make Leyton underground station disabled friendly and ease congestion during peak hours.

Please visit:                 www.walthamstow.today.co.uk 

Leyton & Wanstead Liberal Democrats Focus Teams have started a series of street advice surgeries across the constituency.

First street advice surgery was held last Saturday, outside WFD on High Road Leyton. Residents signed our petition, calling for more Police officers on our streets.

Next advice surgery will be held out the parade of shops on Francis Road in Leyton, between 2PM to 4PM. If you have any issues you need to discuss or any problem that you need help with, then please come and visit us.

For further dates and venues, please watch this space.  

At the meeting with Transport For London (TFL) Liberal Democrats Parliamentary candidate for Leyton & Wanstead, Cllr Farooq Qureshi and Cllr Keith Rayner discussed the peak time congestion at Leyton tube station. Similar concerns were raised by the residents in Leyton & Whipps Cross community council meeting.

Our inquiries in the matter have revealed that:

In November 2008, The Transport Liaison group of London Borough of Waltham Forest visited Leyton underground station. This visit was arranged by London underground’s (LU) Liaison Manager. The visit looked at crowding issues at the station and the possibility of opening the secondary staircase on the east bound platform. It also considered the role of the station during 2012 Olympics. The London underground’s response was:

The staircase is opened only when LU anticipate large numbers exiting the station, such as during certain football games, and again only when there is supervision by additional staff (very often by British Transport Police Officers). On these occasions, the large volumes of passengers (sometimes up-to 5000 in an hour) justifies the need to open an additional entrance and extra resources to manage it.

However, the occasional need to use this staircase is not sufficient to warrant bringing it into daily operation. The staircase is open to the elements and substantial work would be required to enable it for everyday use. This would include overhead protection, CCTV, lighting, public address system and other customer safety provisions. There are also no oyster readers installed at this secondary staircase. This would mean that customers with oyster pay as you go cards would not be able to complete their journeys and could be charged an exes fare.

While LU recognise that there has been an increase in customers using Leyton over the past several years, station management is confident that there are no safety issues with the current customer flow conditions. The available capacity allows the safe movement of the current volume of customers through the platforms and station. There have been no accidents reported at Leyton, related to over crowding.

The role of Leyton station during Olympics was also discussed. As part of the ODA’s transport strategy for the Olympic park, three stations have been identified as ’Olympic Park Gateway Stations’. They are: Stratford Regional station, Stratford International station and West Ham station. Leyton station was reviewed as part of the transport plan, however these other stations were preferred because of a verity of strategic reasons.

The Liberal Democrats Parliamentary candidate for Leyton & Wanstead, Cllr Farooq Qureshi says:

I have my reservations about this response. Lu and the ODA need to re-think their strategy and consider the possibility of including Leyton tube station in their list of ‘Olympic Park Gateway Stations’. I also call upon the LU to improve the access for disabled passengers which is non existent at Leyton underground station.

Liberal Democrat councillor and Parliamentary candidate for Leyton & Wanstead Farooq Qureshi accompanied by Cllr Keith Rayner held a meeting with representatives from Transport for London (TFL) to discuss how they are working with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to secure transport improvements for the area in the build up to the 2012 Olympic games.

A number of issues regarding transport infrastructure were discussed. The Lib Dem councillors were positive about the meeting and the awareness from TFL of customer concerns.

Historically at the top of the local transport agenda, The Hall Farm Curve rail link was discussed. Despite the confirmation that the restoration of the service was not part of the immediate plans, TFL representatives said that, as a service partner for the Olympics, it would be prepared to work with the ODA if the 2012 body wanted to investigate the Hall Farm Curve as part of the Olympic infrastructure. But, for this to materialise,the local council has to make a convincing case.

Other issues discussed included:

• Easing of “exit” congestion at Leyton and Leytonstone underground stations by opening up additional exits in peak periods.
• Improved accessibility for disabled passengers at Leyton Tube Station.
• The need for better and more frequent bus routes for both Leyton and Leytonstone High Roads, including improved connections with the rest of the borough and improved services to and from Stratford.
• The refurbishment of Leyton Midland and Leytonstone High Road Stations on the Barking and Gospel Oak lines, including better lighting and platform information systems.

After the meeting Cllr Qureshi said:  “I am very pleased that TFL were prepared to listen to residents concerns about our local transport infrastructure and what benefits 2012 could provide for local transport links. Good and easily accessible transport is vital for a sustainable economy in Leyton and Wanstead. It will play an enormous part in efforts to bring much needed economic prosperity to our area.”

Representatives of TFL promised to arrange further meetings between TFL and ODA which will include ward councillors and special interest groups so that they can have an input into priority transport improvement in the area.

“The  Big Tidy Up” is a part of an initiative  of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign, in which, Community groups throughout the UK tidy and spruce up their neighbourhoods.

As a part of this campaign, Forest Residents Association(FORA) organised their Autumn Litter Pick Event at the bottom of Forest Glade, behind St.Andrew’s Church. The target areas were the Forest Glade section of the Leytonstone Conservation area and adjacent areas of Epping Forest around Whipps Cross.

This was a really fun way to catch some fresh air, exercise, make new friends and help build a sense of community and neighbourhood. Pickers and latex gloves were supplied by the courtesy of “Open Spaces, City of London” who own and manage the 6000 acres of varied habitats and recreational spaces that make up Epping Forest.

Cafe’ Refresh in the adjacent St.Andrew’s Church was open to serve yummy and reasonably priced food and beverages.

Cllrs Samina Safdar and Farooq Qureshi of the Focus Team say: A big thank you to FORA and Open Spaces.     Keep up the good work.

Cllrs Samina Safdar and Farooq Qureshi inspected the alley way with the Head of Public Realm of the council. As reported by the Focus Team previously, this alley way has become a problem spot. 

The Head of Public Realm informed the councillors that due to the fact that this alleyway is a private land and not owned by the Borough, the council is unable to take responsibility. However, if the residents whose gardens back on to the alleyway are willing to share the cost of erecting a security gate, the council will meet the cost and have the Alley Way cleaned and cleared up.

Cllrs Samina Safdar and Farooq Qureshi are in process of calling a meeting of the concerned residents to discuss the issue.

For future developments, watch this space.

Liberal Democrats Parliamentary candidate for Leyton & wanstead Cllr Farooq Qureshi, alongside other members of Finance Overview and Scrutiny sub committee went on a tour of the Olympic park, led by a guide from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the organisation responsible for building the Olympic park.

It was fascinating to see the once run down area of the east end of London being transformed into a high quality sports arena, which will be the focus of attention for the whole world.

The visiting group was told that the building program is progressing according to schedule and is on course to complete by 2011 for the rehearsals to begin. Special attention is being focused on all the small details. The ODA have made sure to include even the praying facilities in the Olympic village.

Following the tour of the park, there was an informal reception hosted by ODA in one of their specially built flats that over looks the Olympic park.

Speaking about the post-games plans, Cllr Qureshi said: “I know that a lengthy and thorough assessment was carried out about what legacy the Olympic games will leave behind. I hope that the residents of Leyton & Wanstead will receive their fair share of the benefits by way of a legacy“.

Earlier this year, in partnership with Streetcar, the council launched a network of car clubs across the Borough for the benefit of residents and businesses. The scheme has proved poplar, and to meet the growing demand the council now is working to expand the coverage. It is proposed that two new car club bays will be introduced in Forest Ward.

Waltham Forest council has sent out consultations on proposed car club bays in Forest Ward. The council is seeking your views on the proposals to provide car club parking spaces on St.Andrew’s Road, close to the junction with Poppleton Road and on Fletcher Lane near the junction with High Road Leyton.

For further information on car clubs please visit these websites: www.walthamforest.gov.uk/car-club

www.carclub.org.uk

If you would like to comment on this proposal or if you have any questions, please contact

Billy Parr on 0208 496 6785 or

billy.parr@walthamforest.gov.uk