PRESS RELEASE: 75% OF COUNCIL WORKERS EARN LESS THAN BENEFITS CAP!

75% of council workers earn less than the benefits cap – Councillor Farooq Qureshi

Following the debate on the coalition welfare reforms at last Thursday’s council meeting, it has emerged that 75% of council staff earn less than the £26,000 benefits cap.

The figures, which exclude those working for schools in the Borough, show that only 25% of council workers earn more than the £35,000 that someone would need to earn to take home £26,000.

At the meeting Labour claimed the cap was a ‘London living tax’ and was unfairly penalising London residents.

Lib Dem Deputy Group Leader Councillor Farooq Qureshi said:

“The welfare reforms are extremely difficult for some people in our Borough and as councillors we are on the front line of trying to help them.

“But Labour’s claim that this is a “London living tax” just aren’t credible when the majority of council workers take home less in their pay packets.”

“The Labour Party are quick to campaign against the welfare reforms but refuse to put forward any alternatives. Ed Miliband supports capping welfare spending, so where will Labour’s cuts come from?”

PRESS RELEASE: NEW COMMITTEES SHOULD NOT MEAN ANOTHER £12,000 IN COUNCILLOR ALLOWANCES

New committees should not mean another £12,000 in allowances for councillors – Cllr Bob Sullivan

 

On Thursday the Liberal Democrat group voted against proposals that would mean more special responsibility allowances for councillors.

Lib Dems criticised the Labour group for using scrutiny politically to avoid any real scrutiny of council policies, whilst at the same time awarding  themselves more money.

The Labour council are splitting the health and adults committee into two new committees that will focus separately on public health and adults services.

They are creating two additional paid positions for their members who will take the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee, who will get an extra £8,000 and £4,000 respectively on top of the £10,000 a year they earn as councillors.

Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said:

 

“Labour are just creating more paid positions to reward their members. The current proposal could mean £12,000 in extra costs to Waltham Forest council tax payers.”

“There are a lot of ways Labour could ensure this doesn’t cost more money: Either by cutting these allowances across the council or by sharing the existing allowances for the old committee across the two new ones.

“Labour councillors should stop trying to hide their failures by stuffing committees full of their own members.

“They should be taking responsibility over their failures over jobs in this Borough and cutting their ‘special responsibility allowances’ rather than giving themselves more allowances.”

PRESS RELEASE: COUNCIL PHONE BILLS SOAR UNDER LABOUR

COUNCIL PHONE BILLS SOAR UNDER LABOUR

Over the last few years council phone bills have soared. According to figures released by the council mobile phone costs soared by over £110,000 last year costing taxpayers a total of £314,000 in one year alone, whilst landline costs also rose by £80,000.

Council tax payers are now forking out £860,000 every year for phone bills alone.

Cllr Bob Sullivan said:

“Labour need to get a grip on these soaring phone bills. Other council services are being cut whilst phone bills are going up and up.

“The council are putting more and more services online but clearly aren’t making any savings by doing it.

“This £190,000 could be helping us build a fairer society by investing in social services, it could help build a stronger local economy by investing in jobs or it could even protect local services like keeping open a library.

“Instead, Labour is proving time and time again that they can’t be trusted with our money.”

Save St. Joseph’s Hall from developers

St. Joseph’s Hall at the junction of Vicarage Road and Primrose Road

St Joseph’s Hall, on the corner of Vicarage Road and Primrose Road, has been boarded up for many years. The diocese is planning on selling the site to developers.

Mother Maria of the Marian Mission in Colchester Road, who deals with vulnerable children and families, is fighting to get the diocese to back her plans to refurbish the building and to continue to use it for children and families and to make it available to the local community.

Leyton Ward Councillor Bob Sullivan and Mother Maria pleaded her case to representatives of the diocesan board.

Currently Barclays Bank agree a mortgage in principle to cover the buying cost.

Fundraising has raised many thousand’s, but many more donations are needed.

If you would like to support the project to bring this building into community use and stop the developers, then please send your donations to:

Marian Mission for the Poor,

1 Colchester Road, Leyton, E10 6HA

Barking – Gospel Oak Line – electrification update

Caroline Pigeon, the Liberal Democrat Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, is continuing to lead the campaign for electrification of the Barking – Gospel Oak Line which has seen passenger numbers increase dramatically since the introduction of the new diesel units.

Caroline Pigeon says:

“We were disappointed when confirmation of funding for the Gospel Oak-Barking line electrification failed to materialise in the Budget, but are hopeful that the Government will choose to sanction these line improvements as a priority when it reviews the plans in June.  Electrification will deliver huge benefits to both the local area and London as a whole, including improvements to the rail network connectivity, and a reduced environmental impact.

“Full funding must be confirmed this year or, due to the impact of Crossrail’s construction, costs will rise far beyond the current estimates. Confirmation this year will mean this significant milestone for Britain’s rail infrastructure can go ahead without further delay or spiralling costs.”

PRESS RELEASE: LOCAL LIB DEMS RENEW CALLS FOR OLYMPIC TRADERS’ COMPENSATION

LOCAL LIB DEMS RENEW CALLS FOR OLYMPIC TRADERS’ COMPENSATION

Local Lib Dems have renewed calls for council action over the Leyton Olympic traders mess last year. The council has so far failed to take any responsibility for the mess despite heavily promoting the market before the Olympics, whilst it was clear the planned routes for Olympic visitors were outside the area.

Local Lib Dems believe this is an issue of trust and the council should be clear about its responsibility. If compensation is due from North London Business and not the council then Waltham Forest councillors should refuse to sit on their board if no action is forthcoming.

Leyton Councillor Bob Sullivan said:

“The Chief Executive of North London Business resigned over this debacle last year, so traders are right to expect some compensation.”

 “I’ve repeatedly asked the council whether they will be giving out compensation to the traders and they have so far refused, putting the blame squarely with North London Business and Skateco UK Ltd.”

 “Yet councillors and Cabinet members have consistently failed to put pressure on North London Business and Skateco UK Ltd to reimburse the traders, who were sold promises of customers that never arrived.

“No action has been forthcoming from North London Business since last year so it is long since time for Waltham Forest councillors at the very least to refuse to sit on their board or, better yet, take some responsibility themselves.”

Church Lane and Dyers Hall Road Footbridge Refurbishment

Church Lane footbridge

The Liberal Democrats were pleased to hear that the end of their long-running campaign is in sight.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that the works are scheduled to start on Monday 1 July and will last approximately 20 weeks, or until the work is completed. The Council has agreed that the working hours will be from 9.30 pm until 5 am (first 6 weeks and last week of work) and 8 am until 4 pm (remaining weeks), Monday – Friday.

The main objective of these works on the Church Lane Footbridge is to improve safety through the provision of new lighting, with a new enclosure to improve visibility and reduce antisocial behaviour.

TfL has said that the aim is to balance possible disruption to residents with disruption to traffic. Some works will take place at night, as this provides the best chance to complete these works safely and as quickly as possible with as little disruption as possible.

Every effort will be made to ensure that noisy operations are completed before midnight. although TfL explains that vehicle reversing warning bleepers are essential safety devices to protect operatives.

Pedestrian diversions will be signposted during footbridge closure times.

Transport for London is firmly committed to minimise disruption, and offer apologies for any inconvenience that may be caused by these essential works. Should you require further information or an update during the delivery of these works please contact TfL’s Streets Customer Services department on 0845 305 1234 or via the web at www.tfl.gov.uk/contact.

Dyers Hall Road footbridge, which was refurbished earlier, will have external painting completed.

Grove Green Ward FOCUS Newsletter 259

The latest issue of the FOCUS Newsletter is currently being delivered across Grove Green ward by our volunteers.

The FOCUS Team would like to hear from you if you would like to help deliver FOCUS near your home. It is usually published about every six weeks and each round takes about half an hour.

You can contact the FOCUS Team of 8556 8335 if you would like to help. We look forward to hearing from you.

An advance copy of the FOCUS can be accessed here: Grove Green 259

 

PRESS RELEASE: Lib Dems support Christian Kitchen

The Christian Kitchen based in the Mission Grove Car Park

LOCAL LIB DEMS FIGHT TO SAVE CHRISTIAN KITCHEN FROM HEARTLESS LABOUR COUNCIL

Waltham Forest Council is demanding that the Christian Kitchen cease using the Mission Grove car park in E17 as the location for their daily soup kitchen.

The soup kitchen has rejected the allegations that their service contributes to local street drinking and anti-social behaviour and local Lib Dems and residents are supporting them.

Proximity to the Town Centre is important to a soup kitchen and Waltham Forest is taking this action without proper consultation.

The local Lib Dem Focus Team has been surveying residents about the issue and so far local residents are overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the soup kitchen where it is.

Waltham Forest Liberal Democrat Leader Cllr Bob Sullivan said:

“It is crazy that this Labour council appear to be scapegoating this long established soup kitchen and demonising their service users.

“The Christian Kitchen has been a part of the local area for many years and is there to help the most vulnerable in our society. The soup kitchen has even offered compromises to the council but they have been rejected.

“This is a heartless act by this Labour council that is clearly not supported by local people.

“It seems ‘One Nation Labour’ has not yet made the journey to Waltham Forest from Ed Miliband’s Westminster bubble.”