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.”

PRESS RELEASE: Local Lib Dems to criticise budgeting, waste and misleading statements by Labour

Last Thursday’s council meeting was rightly used to bring the Borough together after the awful attacks in Woolwich on Wednesday.

However, cancelling the speeches of the three party leaders also meant that the time usually devoted to scrutinising the council’s priorities for the next year and to review the last year was lost.

The speech prepared by Lib Dem Leader Councillor Bob Sullivan, before the attack took place, contained criticism of the council’s budgeting process, attacks on money wasted on unnecessary events and exposed the misleading statements being made by Labour over the £160 million they claim to be investing in the Borough in 2013-14.

Councillor Sullivan was to say:

On budgeting

“The councils’ recent finance report show that almost all council departments were reporting under spends.

“In accountancy terms an under spend is just as bad as an over spend because it means that there is something wrong with the budgeting process.  It also means that our services are not being carried out as planned and our residents are losing out.

“So what is going wrong with our processes? And how are we building this into our planning? The council can’t continue to plead poverty simply because it is over-estimating what’s needed in the budget.”

On the £160 million

“As for investment, Labour cabinet members seem to be sending confused messages about the £160 million that they’re touting around to residents through Waltham Forest News and the various announcements and videos that they’re making.

“Many residents have read the big figures plastered over their copy of WFN and have been asking me if the council could spend some of this money on local projects.

“Unfortunately the explanation is, that most of this investment is not council money and all of it is already earmarked and being spent on other things.

“The confusion isn’t helped when Cabinet members give confusing written answers at full council meetings. Such as when Cllr Rusling declared ‘We are investing £160 million in the borough…’ in a written answer in March.”

On events

“…under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal has only spent £9 million net on players over the last ten years.

“That’s less per year than this council are spending on events!

Although these events are said to be free, they are not really, as the council tax payers are funding them.

“It seems like every day this council feels more and more like a booking agent or a live music promoter, with over a million pounds planned for events this year.”

Council Chooses Free Fireworks Over Library Funding

At the Council’s budget meeting Liberal Democrat councillors highlighted the Council’s spending of £130,000 on fireworks in January. This money could have kept the Library at Harrow Green open for a year.

At the meeting it was said funding of Harrow Green library is a waste of money. Labour councillors also said that they liked the fireworks. This is astonishing given that Harrow Green library is situated in one of the most deprived areas of Waltham Forest.Children and families in this area now see that their Council prefers half hour of fireworks rather than keeping open their library.What do you think – should the Council spend money on fireworks or open Harrow Green Library?

Focus says: This is not all. The Council is planning to spend another million of tax payers money on fireworks and other events this year. Given the current financial situation is this the right priority?

Labour Council continues to spend your money?

Following on from spending  £650,000 on a new entrance hall at the Town Hall, Liberal Democrat councillors have now heard that another £18,000 of ratepayers money has been forked out on new committee room tables!

The Liberal Democrats say, “When we have some of the poorest primary school results in the country, is council money being spent on the right things?”

Police Surgery at Leyton Library

From  1st. May until 26th June a Police Officer will hold an informal drop-in surgery twice a week:

Wednesday from 5pm until 7pm

Saturday from 2pm until 4pm

Local people will be able to:

  • Report a crime
  • Report lost property or hand in found property
  • Make an appointment to speak to a local officer
  • Hand in self-reporting forms for a road traffic accident
  • Obtain crime prevention advice
  • Discuss community problems
  • Make an appointment to give a statement if you don’t want the police to come to your house or place of work
  • Make an appointment to speak to an officer  about a complaint against the police

For further information see the Leyton Safer Neighbourhood’s Team webpage at: http://content.met.police.uk/Team/WalthamForest/LeytonTeam

or the Leyton Library webpage: http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/pages/servicechild/leyton-library.aspx

Grove Green FOCUS 257

The latest issue of the popular Grove Green FOCUS Newsletter number 257 has just gone to press.

It will be delivered across the ward free by our volunteer delivery team.

Please contact the FOCUS Team if you would like to help deliver FOCUS near your home.

You can access an advance copy here: Grove Green 257

Leyton Consevation Area

The Council is proposing to designate part of Leyton Town Centre as a Conservation Area. The area stretches from Buckingham Road (Coronation Gardens) along the High Road as far as Leyton Underground Station

What is a Conservation Area?

It is an area of special architectural or historic interest. The special character can include buildings, parks and open spaces, trees and landscaping, paving and street furniture etc.

This part of Leyton is of particular historical interest and includes two grade 2 statutorily listed buildings (Leyton Library and the old Leyton Torn Hall), the locally listed building at 267 High Road (formerly Barclays Bank) and the Victorian Coronation Gardens.

Extra Planning Protection

Conservation area designation gives broad protection to an area, and all features within the area are recognised as part of its character. The Council, as the local planning authority, would have extra powers to control works to protect, or improve, the character or appearance of the area.

Exhibition at Leyton Library

There will be a public exhibition in the foyer of Leyton Library from 18 February until 18 March. Council officers will be present on the following days to answer any questions:

Tuesday 19 February – between 4 and 7pm

Wednesday 28 February – between 11am and 2pm

Comments

Any comments should be received by Friday 15 March, and should be sent to:

MAIL: Jacinta Fisher, Conservation Officer, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Room GO8, Sycamore House, Town Hall, Walthamstow, E17 4JF

E-MAIL: urbandesign@walthamforest.gov.uk

TELEPHONE: for any questions call Jacinta Fisher on 020 8496 6737