FROM CLLR F QURESHI

I would like to thank all our members, helpers and activists for their hard work, help and support during recent election campaign.

Above all, I extend my sincere gratitude to the residents of Leyton & Wanstead for their enormous support. I received over 11000 votes, for which I am grateful to everyone who has voted for me in the general election.

While we, the Lib Dems, suffered great loses across the Borough, I was returned to office to serve as a councillor for Forest Ward. For this, I would like thank the residents of Forest Ward.

As your local councillor, I’ll continue to hold my advice surgery, every Saturday morning, from 10am to 12noon, at

W F D Office

High Road Leyton E10

If you need any help or advice, please come and see me. You don’t need an appointment. 

• I have lived in Leyton for the past 40 years.
• I was elected as a councillor for Forest Ward in 2003, re-elected in 2006 and have had the privilege of serving as the Mayor of Waltham Forest for 2006/7.
• I am campaigning against the increase of air-traffic noise pollution over Leyton & Wanstead and for better facilities at Leyton and Leytonstone underground stations. I am also fighting against the early closure of ticket offices at the underground stations in our Borough.
• I am a part of the Lib-Dem team, fighting for more Police officers on our streets, to keep our streets clean and to eliminate anti social behaviour.
• Majour targets of our campaign are gang culture, gun and knife crime.
• In this current economic crisis, another priority must be to put more money in the hands of those on middle and low incomes; only the Lib Dems have plans, well-costed by Vince Cable and his team, to achieve this.

I understand why many people are disillusioned with politics and politicians. I strongly believe in Liberal Democrat plans to change politics for good. If elected to serve as your MP, I have pledged NOT TO CLAIM ANY ALLOWANCE FOR A SECOND HOME OR RE-REFURBISHMENT OF MY EXISTING HOME, AND NOT TO CLAIM FOR ANY TRAVEL EXPENSES, TO AND FROM PARLIAMENT. 

My contract with residents of Leyton and Wanstead

If elected as your MP

I will be there to help, listen to your concerns and stand up for our community.

I will make sure that your voice is heard, locally and at Westminster.

 I will hold weekly advice surgeries across the constituency.

I will back plans to cut taxes for low and middle incomes.

I will be open and honest about all expenses incurred in representing you.

I will be accessible at all times.

I am a part of this community and shall remain a part of it.

I will keep you informed of my activities through regular news-letters.

Liberal Democrat transport campaigner Farooq Qureshi has stepped up his campaign against Boris Johnson’s ticket office closures following confirmation that all four tube stations in the borough will be affected - including Leyton and Leytonstone.

Sign his petition at www.ourcampaign.org.uk/ticketoffices.

In total Waltham Forest will lose nearly 60 hours of cover a week. The Mayor’s plan will hit late evening cover especially hard.

• Leyton ticket office will shut at 9.30 pm instead of 10.30 pm on weekdays
• Leytonstone will close at 8.45 pm instead of 11 pm on Sundays.
• Walthamstow Central will close at 9.30pm instead of 11.30pm on weekdays
• Blackhorse Road ticket office will shut at 6pm instead of 10pm on Saturdays

Cllr Qureshi, who is parliamentary candidate for Leyton and Wanstead, said:

“Waltham Forest has been hit hard by the Conservative Mayor’s broken promise. He said he would keep ticket offices open - but now travellers will face deserted ticket offices in the evenings just when demand for security is greatest. That’s why I’ve launched a petition and am asking for people’s experiences. I want as many people s possible to show their concern.”

Farooq Qureshi, Farid Ahmed and the Liberal Democrat team have launched a petition against the closures. Passengers can sign online at www.ourcampaign.org.uk/ticketoffices or call 020 8556 8335 for a petition form.

Full details of the proposed changes are:

LEYTON

• Weekdays - will open from 0600-2130 instead of 0530-2300
• Saturdays - will open from 0645-2200 instead of 0530-2230
• Sundays - will open from 0715-2100 instead of 0700-2300

This is 13 hours 30 mins a week less than currently.

LEYTONSTONE

• Weekdays - will open from 0545-2015 instead of 0530-2200
• Saturdays - will open from 0645-2045 instead of 0600-2200
• Sundays - will open from 0730-2045 instead of 0700-2300

This is 11 hours 15 mins a week less than currently.

BLACKHORSE ROAD

• Weekdays - will open from 0600-1945 instead of 0530-2100
• Saturdays - will open from 0645-1800 instead of 0630-2200
• Sundays - will open from 0945-1645 instead of 0800-2000

This means the ticket office will be closed for 18 hours a week less than currently.

WALTHAMSTOW

• Weekdays - will open from 0545-2130 instead of 0530-2330
• Saturdays - will open from 0645-2145 instead of 0600-0000
• Sundays - will open from 0900-1900 instead of 0900-1100 and 12.30-23.00

This means the ticket office will be closed for 17 hours 45 mins a week less than currently.

In total Waltham Forest is losing nearly 60 hours of ticket office cover.

A Welcome Motion

A motion requesting the Mayor of London to review the decision by Newham Council to support a 50% increase in flights at London City Airport was unanimously supported by a cross party majority at the GLA. The motion raised concerns that flight path changes across many East London Boroughs would worsen the quality of lives of 100,ooo’s of residents, many of which already suffer considerably as a result of aircraft noise and air pollution.

Liberal Democrats Parliamentary candidate for leyton and Wanstead, Cllr Farooq Qureshi has welcomed the success of the motion in GLA.

Cllr Qureshi said: We have been working with FTF to oppose the expansion of London City Airport and its detrimental impacts on the residents of the neighbouring Boroughs. We hope that the Mayor of London will put pressure on City Airport and Newham Council to review the expansion and the changes in flight path.

FORA has been awarded a £5000 grant such that Leytonstone School’s Computers may be used on a Saturday morning by local residents. Tuition will be supplied through the School and will be of the user-friendly kind whereby individuals will be able to work at their own pace learning how to access the internet, send emails and generally use a computer for all those activities which save money and enable individuals to communicate and follow their interests. No previous experience or knowledge is required and the format will be of the walk-in type for the duration of three school terms. The only qualification is that of living in Forest Ward.      

Litter bins are placed in our ward to keep it clean,                                  

They are there for us to put our hand rubbish in as we walk past

Rather then having to hold it all the way home.

So why do the streets of Forest ward end up like this,

This is not walking by hand rubbish, this is disgusting.

Our ward does not have to look like this these bins have not been placed to attract all sorts of house hold rubbish, due to several complaints we may lose these litter bins spotted around our ward so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be more considerate.

Leytonstone Business and Enterprise Specialist School is now moving into the detailed design and planning phase for their exciting school refurbishment project.  The school will work closely with the architects and the building contractors to design and plan their new school block and refurbishment work.

The Council’s Cabinet have now approved the planning brief for the Leytonstone School project.

This means the school is now able to start more detailed work to plan and design its school improvements, through the proposed part new build and part refurbishment.                            

Project information

The number of pupils able to attend Leytonstone School will be increased from its current number of 900 by an additional 150 places, from September 2011.

In addition, the school will also be able to provide 40 places for ‘post-16’ education from September 2010, meaning pupils can stay on after their GCSE examinations and gain further qualifications at the same school.

The school’s construction project will be part new build and part refurbishment, and this work is proposed to start in 2010.

As Leytonstone School is a locally listed building, the original design of the main school building will mainly remain untouched

Following evidence provided by the Cllr Qureshi and myself the Council has

Following guidance from the Health Protection Agency, Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust has remained closed from most activity to enable the norovirus to clear, but will now begin the process of reopening parts of the hospital.

The A&E department reopened to ambulances on Friday 30 January 2010 and 10 wards are now back working normally.

The Maternity, Paediatrics and the Outpatients departments continue to operate as usual, as does the Emergency and Urgent Care Centre.

Elective surgery, where patients would require an in-patient stay after a procedure, remains closed at this stage.  

There continues to be no visitor access to any of the wards at Whipps Cross due to heightened infection control precautions and these will remain until further notice.

For the Maternity Department only, one birth partner will be permitted onto a ward during this time – no children will be allowed.

For Children’s services only one parent per child will be allowed.

Individual patient’s needs can be discussed with the ward Sister, who can grant permission to access in exceptional circumstances.

Security are present at entrances and their role is to question the need for access to the site.

Strict infection control safety measures remain in place and have been taken in closing the shops, restaurant and Jobs Junctions to the general public.                        

Norovirus is a common winter ailment, which can be highly contagious and causes symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea.

London & Quadrant are in the process of refurbishing some of the flats at the top of Dyson Road in Forest Ward. Some of the residents contacted Cllr Farooq Qureshi to complain about the standard of work being carried out and the behaviour of the work force.

Lib Dem councillors of Forest Ward arranged a meeting with the officers of London & Quadrant to discuss the concerns raised by the leaseholders/tenants of these properties.

It was a very constructive meeting leting all the leaseholders and tenants raise their concerns with the officers to take back and try and rectify.

That should be interesting lets see what we get as results, because Lib Dems like results!!!!