Liberal Democrat candidate for next Mayor of London
Harrow Green Library – latest news
Can you help this community project?
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:
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Your name
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Postal address, including postcode
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Email (if any)
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Land-line phone (if any)
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Mobile phone (if any)
Labour Council ignores residents and closes Harrow Green Library
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.
The Monster awakens!
Many of you will have noticed the building in the picture gradually being built. It dominates the High Road like some monster overlooking the road. Some of you may know it as the ‘Outlook’ building – the estate agents ‘Outlook’ were the previous users. Some of you would know of it as ‘Stuffs’ – the material shop used it for many years.
This monster of steel and glass is to become a large block of mainly 1 bed flats. It is totally out of character with the area and has no parking spaces for its residents, apart from a couple of spaces for people with disabilities. The original plans were thrown out by the Council but was agreed later on appeal.
Councillor Bob Sullivan said:
“If we are to regenerate our area, this is not the way to go. There is a crying need for family houses, not 1 or 2 bed flats. Long term residents of Leyton have seen family houses continually turned into flats. This has caused overcrowding, lack of maintenance of front gardens a disregard for the local environment and along with the lack of parking spaces and the increase of traffic, it has changed the area dramatically.”
Save Harrow Green Library petition – update!
The Liberal Democrat petition to ‘Save Harrow Green Library’ of over 1000 signatures, has been handed to the Council. Along with another residents petition, the total signatures comes to over 4000.
These petitions indicate the overwhelming support by residents that they want to keep the Library open.
The Council’s consultation on the review of libraries has come to an end and will be reported to the Cabinet on the 11th of October.
Lib Dem councillors Liz Phillips and Bob Sullivan were members of a Scrutiny Panel that scrutinised the original Cabinet report.
The Panel noted that the Cabinet report left many questions unanswered and while it contained a great deal of information, it was not always the right information. They felt the report did not do a complete job.
The Panel identified 19 recomendations which will be given to the Cabinet in October. If implemented would support the expansive Library and Information Service, whilst negating the closure of any library.
Among the 19 panel recommendations to enable libraries to afford keeping open were:
- Shelving Sunday opening and all libraries should be closed on Mondays.
- Opening hours should be reviewed.
- The charges for the use of libraries to be reviewed.
- Consider locating staff from rental premises to space currently available in Harrow Green Library.
- Review salaries and grading of staff and review library contracts e.g. cleaning services.
There were many other recommendations, which hopefully, will give the Cabinet reasons to save the libraries from closure.
Could you be a ‘SNOW ANGEL’?
Waltham Forest, like many other Councils is planning for the coming winter and want residents to play a vital role in making sure that the borough can cope in the event of severe weather conditions.
Suitable precautions to deal with snow and ice are being put into place, but the Council is hoping that residents will agree to become “Snow Angels” and help clear their vulnerable neighbours’ drives and pathways of snow and ice.
The Snow Angel scheme was piloted last year amongst Council staff who live in the borough and who volunteered to grit and shovel snow from drives, pathways and pavements to keep the borough moving. This proved to be a huge success so now the Council has decided to roll the scheme out to the residents of Waltham Forest.
Volunteers will be provided with the following free equipment:
1 x 20kg bag of grit
Hi-visibility jacket
Protective gloves
Snow scoop and shovel
If you are interested in becoming a “Snow Angel” please contact Amanda Karrinton on 0208 496 1296 or email on amanda.karrinton@walthamforest.gov.uk by 31st August 2011 and you will be provided with further information.
Flats for the Olympics?
A planning application lasting only for three years, has been submitted to the Council. It is a temporary conversion of the Technical Institute, part of the old Leyton Town Hall, entrance in Adelaide Road.
The plan is to convert the inside of the building into 32 residential units:
15 studio flats, 11 x 1 bed flats, 2 x 2 bed flats and 4 x 3 bed flats.
There is obviously going to be a demand for accommodation in Leyton that is near the Olympic Park. Councillor Bob Sullivan said that he would not be surprised if these flats were not snapped up soon after they are built. This is probably what the developers are also thinking.
What they are going to turn them into after three years is anyones guess?
But one thing whatever they do, there is no parking provision. Local residents already have a major problem in parking in the road and more flats without parking spaces, will only add to the problem.
Lib Dem councillors reaction to violence following Town Hall briefing
Liberal Democrat councillors this afternoon attended a briefing by the police and council officers at Waltham Forest Town Hall about the recent disturbances.Speaking after the briefing at Waltham Forest Town Hall –
Liberal Democrat councillor for High Street ward Mahmood Hussain said:
“I have spent much of the last two days talking to local shopkeepers and residents affected by the violence. Over 50 businesses have been affected in central Walthamstow. It is shocking to see so many people’s hard work destroyed. I have been impressed with how people are working together to put things right.”
Cllr Winnie Smith (Leyton ward) has also been talking to and visiting businesses and residents in Leyton.
Cllr Farooq Qureshi (Forest ward) added:
“These people don’t have a political message. Looting a Lidl and smashing restaurant windows is not going to sort out any of the problems that residents face. At the end of the day it is local people who will lose jobs and income as a result of this criminal behaviour.”
Cllr Liz Phillips (Cann Hall) said:
“The police have assured us that there will be more officers on duty tonight. The council has been working to remove debris and potential weapons from the street. It is important that parents know where their children are and that everyone take responsibility for calming the situation.”
Drapers Field – The Decision!
At the Planning Committee meeting this week approval was granted to the ODA to use Drapers Field for 16 months from this September. In January 2013 Drapers Field will return to the Council.
The application included compensation which will be used under a Section 106 agreement to re-provide an upgraded full-size all weather pitch, plus a turfed junior football pitch. There will also be improvements to the Sport England pavilion.
Since the Council has decided to carry out the restoration of Drapers Field themselves, it is reported that the Field should be reopened by September 2013.
CHURCH LANE CAR PARK
A Section 111 agreement covers off-site improvements at Marsh Lane and Abbotts Park. Also, at the last minute, the multi-utility games area (MUGA) in the Church Lane car park was included. The Liberal Democrats believe that this facility should not be unsupervised in the middle of the Shopping Centre, and would be better situated on the field next to the Pastures Centre in Davies Lane, which is a much more central location for residents in 3 wards, Cann Hall, Cathall and Leytonstone.
What do you think?
We would like to hear from you.
Planning Application – Norlington Road
An application (reference number 2011/0926) has been received by the Council for the redevelopment of land at the Walbrook Works, 66 Norlington Road.
It covers the demolition of the former factory, and the erection of 19 mews houses (5 x 2 bed, 8 x 3 bed and 6 x 4bed). It also includes the conversion of the Franklin Building fronting Norlington Road into 1 x 1 bed flat, studio on the first floor and a B1 grade business unit on the ground floor. The FOCUS Team understands that the proposal provides 21 parking spaces, including a loading bay. The plans have not, as yet, been uploaded on the Council’s website.
Any views on this application should be addressed to:
The Development Manager, Sycamore House, Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 4JF