The Somerfield shop in Leyton High Road, near Coronation Gardens is to be taken over by Sainsbury’s.
Older residents will remember that this is only a few doors away from their original premises.
Local residents will now have a Sainsbury, two Tesco, a Marks and Spencer and ASDA all in the High Road.
Many residents’ rubbish and recycling has remained uncollected for weeks.The Council says it is caused by teething troubles experienced by their new waste contractor – Kier. Residents have been complaining to Focus that they have had to wait three or four weeks to get their bins emptied, but even when the rubbish bins have been emptied the recycling has been left. Many residents say that they have phoned the Council but have been fobbed off with excuses.
Leyton Orient FC backed by Waltham Forest Council approached The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) who own the Eton Manor site which is in Leyton and in Waltham Forest, with a bid to take over the planned hockey stadium and turn it into a football and rugby stadium after the Olympics. The Orient bid would in the words of Barry Hearn, make the post Olympic Eton Manor area more sustainable and enable the football club to remain in Leyton and in Waltham Forest. He said that if he could not move to Eton Manor then the club was likely to move out of the area or fade away. A detailed financial appraisal was presented to LVRP executive committee in November. The executive referred its decision to a Special Authority meeting on the 15th December.The LVRP authority meeting on the 15th considered a report from the LVRP Chief Executive outlining the reasons why it could not agree to Leyton Orient’s plans and to refuse Orient’s request. As the Waltham Forest member on the LVRP Authority Councillor Bob Sullivan enthused the sustainability of the Orient’s bid and said that he and Waltham Forest residents would not like to see the football club move from Waltham Forest. Unfortunately, apart from Bob Sullivan, all other members voted against Orient’s proposals.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Bob Sullivan said he is not sure what Barry Hearn and Leyton Orient FC will now do, but hopes that their forecast of the future can be resolved and the club can stay at Brisbane Road.
Following a recent consultation on a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) in Leyton, west of the High Road, residents of many roads, including Ruckholt, Adelaide, Dunedin and Lyttleton Roads voted in favour of a CPZA in their roads.
This will now put added parking pressure on roads east of the High Road, namely St Georges, Leyton Park, Huxley, Murchison and Sedgwick Roads, that voted against having a CPZ. Residents who said ‘no’ to a CPZ may now fear that their roads will become heavily parked as the4y are the only roads where commuters using Leyton Tube will be able to park.
We now hear that there will be an Olympic CPZ from June to September next year, which will cover the whole of Leyton and Leytonstone, running from Lea Bridge Road down to the Olympic Park.
There will be no charge to residents and businesses and those roads that already have a CPZ will get a one month free extension to their permits when they renew.
The Council has said that after the Games there will be a consultation in those roads currently not in a Controlled Parking Zone to determine whether residents want the CPZ restrictions to remain in force. The Liberal Democrat Focus Team urges everyone to state their preference when the consultation is held. It is important that the Council receives the maximum response.
The original planning application for the Walbrook Works and factory, as reported on this website, has been withdrawn.
A fresh application has been lodged (ref: 2011/1253) covering the demolition of the factory and the erection of 14 mews houses, comprising 8 x 3 bedroom, 6 x 4 bedroom, and 5 x 2 bedroom live and work units.
The Franklin building, which fronts Norlington Road would be converted into 2 light industry/office units.
An access road from Norlington Road will be provided with 22 car parking spaces and cycle parking.
Full details can be accessed on the council website using the above reference number.
Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that Waltham Forest Council have failed to meet their own targets for paying local businesses within 10 days for 7 out of the last 8 months. And they have only once met their targets for paying small businesses on time since last April 2011.
According to the Federation of Small Businesses the Government estimates that in 2008, 4,000 businesses failed as a direct result of late payment and it costs UK businesses £180 million in debt interest charges. The problem of late payment is not just a commercial one, but it is also ethically wrong. When large businesses or the public sector pay late, it can put small firms out of business.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Finance Spokesperson, Councillor Bob Sullivan said:
“This is a tough time for small businesses and these targets were set to try and help cash flow for local businesses in Waltham Forest.
“For some small businesses, being paid promptly can mean the difference between growing or standing still; between creating jobs or cutting them; between keeping the doors open or closing them for good.”
“It is unacceptable that the council is failing local businesses in this way. Officers and Cabinet members should use the new year to turn over a new leaf and pay local businesses on time in 2012.”
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.”
Local campaigners fought hard to save Harrow Green Library as it is, with paid staff and current opening hours. Regrettably the council refused to change their plans.
The residents therefore intend to run it themselves. A lot of volunteers will be needed.
Would you like to help? Even a couple of hours a week would be invaluable. You don’t need experience. Training will be arranged.
If you would like to volunteer, please write to: 15 Matcham Road, E11 3LE. You can also contact the group at helpharrowgreen@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 07930 634210. Please give the following details:
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.