Hale End Library threatened with demolition and more flats in its place
Issue number 133 of the FOCUS Newsletter leads with the news that Hale End Library is threatened with destruction by Waltham Forest’s Labour-controlled Council.
You can sign the residents’ online petition.
The latest edition of the Liberal Democrat Hale End & Highams Park FOCUS Newsletter has just gone to press. It will be delivered across the ward.
If you would like to help deliver some copies near your home, please contact Sheila on 020 8504 3839 or email her at: [email protected].
Access an advance copy here: Hale End 133
The latest edition of the Liberal Democrat Hale End & Highams Park Newsletter has just gone to press. It will be delivbered by our volunteers to every house in the ward.
If you would like to help deliver some copies near your home, please contact Sheila on 0210 8504 3839 or email her at: [email protected].
Access an advance copy here: Hale End 131
Residents gathered outside the Town Hall to protest about road closures in the ‘Mini Holland’ scheme
The recent protest by over 1,200 residents against the road closures in Walthamstow and Leyton showed that the Council’s Mini Holland plans, including closing local roads, does not have the support of all residents despite the Council saying that they had.
Protesters not against the scheme or cyclists, but against road closures
The protesters went out of their way to say that they were not against the scheme or cyclists, but against the road closures. The Council’s plans have succeeded in causing division and anger across the Borough. The closing of roads has forced vehicles onto the already congested main roads like Lea Bridge, Hoe Street, and Leyton High Road and has resulted in a massive slow down of traffic, increased congestion and increased pollution.
Congestion and pollution bad for all
All of this is detrimental to residents, cyclists, pedestrians and bus users. Focus Team member Bob Sullivan, who was in the Town Hall listening to the Mini Holland debate, was appalled by the Labour Council restricting residents from hearing the debate, as they only allowed 12 protesters in, although the chamber can hold over a hundred. He was shocked by the arrogant, illiberal attitude with which Labour Councillors treated residents’ concerns. They were not prepared to review the Mini Holland plans despite residents’ requests and their own Labour MP’s request.
Council continues to ignore residents
They are, in fact, going to ignore residents and continue to put in similar divisive plans across Leyton, Leytonstone and Chingford!
Liberal Democrats are taking the fight to the Tories and Labour across Waltham Forest. The Liberal Democrat candidates in the General Election are below. If you would like to help the Lib Dems in the General Election then please contact any of the candidates.
mobile: 079847 771 487 – email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
mobile: 07872 427 778 – email: [email protected]
web: www.stevencheung.co.uk – twitter: twitter@stevencheung
8:18am Wednesday 11th March 2015 – Waltham Forest E Guardian
Plans for new £23million sports facilities in Walthamstow were controversially approved last night after thousands called for further public consultation.
Campaigners packed into council chamber last night heard as the planning committee heard impassioned speeches pleading for further dialogue over plans for the Pool and Track site in Chingford Road.
The proposal from council contractor Greenwich Leisure Limited would see the loss of a 5m diving board, a dedicated diving pool and other facilities for athletes, prompting a campaign backed by coaches, parents and young people.
Veteran diver Jonathon Fox, who travels to the borough from Stansted every week, said the plans have been put forward on a “like it or lump it” basis.
Many of us hoped this council would enter into a meaningful dialogue with the users of the Pool and Track,” he said.
Instead, it’s like going into a restaurant, being given a menu and being told you will have something completely different.
Diver and coach Michael Allen questioned the council’s commitment to the Olympic legacy.
He said:
Last year, I had to console young divers who have had to give up the sport because of lack of transport and additional costs for their parents.
I find it amazing that anybody could argue this is not a loss of amenity.
Mr Allen told the committee a lack of a dedicated diving area would mean swimmers and divers could not train at the same time, which would restrict hours.
Manager of the Waltham Forest Disability Resource Centre, Peri Stanley, said no disability groups were contacted over the project and said the plans undermined access.
She said:
Sport England says portable steps can be used, but this isn’t an existing pool, it is a brand new development and I can see no reason for such a makeshift compromise.
People have to wait and ask for steps is an unnecessary barrier to inclusion.
At the very least disabled users should have been consulted.
Head coach of the Orion Harriers Juniors athletics team, Jane Farrier, who carried the Olympic torch into the borough, said athletes would lose a “vital” stretch room under the plans.
She said:
For months council officers claimed no such stretch room existed. We have pictures of it being used by (Olympic gold medallist) Sally Gunnell.
I urge this committee to reject these plans so that proper and full consultation and designs can be accommodated.
Alistair Gibb, a BMX enthusiast, spoke in favour of the plans.
Chris Simons from Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) told the committee an extra 400,000 people are expected to use the new facility, but drew criticism when he dismissed the 5m diving board as ‘unnecessary’ when a 3m board would be in place.
He said:
This is about creating a five star facility for an affordable price.
We are trying to make this the best facility in London.
I don’t believe the 5m board is an issue.
Having had a 5m diving platform previously hasn’t actually produced any 5m divers at competition standard.
Chapel End ward councillor Steve Terry said it is with a “heavy heart” that he and his colleagues approved the plans, through fear of losing funding.
The plans were voted through by three to one.
Chingford councillor Alan Siggers ensured conditions were imposed to give the Harriers use of a room for stretching and ensure the re-location of toilets to eliminate safeguarding concerns.
12:33pm Wednesday 4th March 2015 – Waltham Forest E-Guardian
Re-submitted plans for a multi-million pound investment in new sporting facilities will be a ‘wasted’ opportunity, according to campaigners.
Athletes, parents, children, teachers and councillors gathered last night to urge the council to reconsider a proposal for Walthamstow Pool and Track.
The authority and contractors Greenwich Leisure Limited were criticised for deciding not to replace a 5m diving board as part of the £25million scheme in Chingford Road.
In September plans to knock down the existing building and replace it were rejected by the council’s planning committee due to loss of amenity as the diving board, which is said to be vital for training youngsters, would be replaced by a spa and an ‘extreme sports’ arena.
But an application for the same proposal has been made, with the diving board not included.
Campaigners and other clubs say young athletes will also be disadvantaged if the proposal is approved.
A petition calling for further public consultation has been signed by 2,500 people.
Speaking at the Pool & Track last night, Orion Harriers club manager, Jane Farrier, said the planned facility would kill athletics.
A ‘well-used’ strength and conditioning room will be taken away under the new plans.
We were not consulted from day one
They are not integrating this track with the new centre and there are a number of big concerns with the new proposals.
For a start we will now have a safeguarding issue with children having to go right out of our sight to use the toilets and changing rooms.
There will be no track-side first aid.
We have no trust in them whatsoever.
We do not dispute the centre needed to be developed, but the emphasis has been placed on making money not improving what we already have.
We have 400 junior and 350 senior members. None of them were asked.
Is consultation asking people what they want or telling them what they are getting?
Lesley Pearce, the teacher in charge of PE at Parkside School in Chingford, said
There is a desperate need for a large sporting venue for pupils to use.
If the council had consulted primary schools they would know we spend a huge amount of money transporting children to facilities in other boroughs.
With this amount of money they are spending – they have the chance build a major sporting hub and meet the needs of thousands of children.
These plans are not suitable.
Walthamstow resident Amanda Connolly criticised the lack of consultation.
There is no transparency in this project. It should be about investing in the future.
Nobody has a problem with development or enterprise, but we haven’t even been asked what we need.
Green Party candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, Rebecca Tully, said the council should not expect children to travel to other boroughs for facilities.
There are children having to travel to outside boroughs and are getting home at ten o’clock on a school night. That is not what we want.
Many members of the community in Waltham Forest feel as though they have been ignored.
Jack Byrne, 11, is a member of the diving club. He said:
It’s not just about divers, it’s about swimmers too.
With these plans we can’t use the pool at the same time.
Before I learned to dive I would try the 5m board and it was such a thrill.
I just wanted to do more. If they take it away other children won’t get to experience that.
We don’t need a spa here.
A dedicated planning meeting will be held at Walthamstow Town Hall on Tuesday (March 10).
GLL has not responded to repeated requests for interview from The Guardian.
View the petition here.
Multi-million pound plans to demolish and re-build a ‘state of the art’ sports centre have been axed from the council’s agenda for next week.
Campaigners, parents and budding sports stars had been preparing to protest at the town hall in Walthamstow, on Tuesday, as plans for the Chingford Road Pool and Track were to be debated for a second time.
A petition which has been signed by over 1,500 people was started two weeks ago, calling on the council to consult local people.
The plans, the second ones to reach the planning committee, have been slammed as the new centre will not include a 5m diving board, dive pit and will alter facilities for disabled people.
Waltham Forest council’s contractor, GLL Ltd, said the board is too expensive but are putting spa facilities and a BMX area in the plans.
In September the first plans were rejected over the proposed loss of amenity for local residents.
Today, it was revealed that the meeting has been deferred until March, where the will be a dedicated meeting over the facility.
In a letter to campaigner Ian Capes, a council officer wrote:
Due to the amount of interest in the plans it is important that we can accommodate as many members of the public as possible who wish to attend the meeting and play their part in the decision making process.
The decision comes on the same day the chairman of the planning committee was suspended from the Labour group over a Facebook rant over the words of the Prophet Mohammed.
The petition can be seen here:
Focus has had a massive response to our petition to get all our elected councillors to have a CRB check (now called a Disclosure and Barring Service – DBS).
Councillors are Corporate Parents to all our children in care and DBS checks should be for all not just a few.
The FOCUS Team says: If you want to click here to sign the petition. You may also see the team in the High Street collecting more signatures.
Waltham Forest’s Labour run Council has voted to give the Chief Executive of the Council a whopping inflation busting pay rise of £15,000 – an 8% increase.
This makes his salary £195,000! Even the Prime Minister only gets £142,000. Labour councillors said it was reward for overseeing council cuts.
Given that the cuts were a loss of 1,000 jobs plus salary cuts to the rest of the council staff should this have been rewarded?
On top of that, Labour councillors voted to give the redundant deputy chief executive a massive £140,000 pay off.
You can be assured that the staff who lost their jobs did not receive any golden pay offs.
Can you believe the way this Labour Council spends your money. Last year they increased the Deputy leader’s pay by 25%.
Your money down the drain
Focus will keep on reporting the arrogant and wasteful ways that this Council spends your money.