Long-serving former councillor Bob Sullivan welcomed the election of Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Tim Farron said that under his leadership, the party would oppose the cuts to tax credits and other benefits in the Conservative’s budget and push for greater spending on infrastructure such as transport and broadband.

At his first speech as leader, Tim said,

If you care about human rights join us. If you think you shouldn’t have your emails snooped on join us. ‎If you think everyone deserves a decent home join us.

You can watch Tim’s inspirational speech here.

Bob Sullivan said,

These principles are at the heart of what drives the Liberal Democrats, our members and activists. More than ever Britain needs a party that will stand up for what we believe in, so we’re continuing our fightback and I’m asking local residents to be part of it.

There has never been a more important time to join the party.

Across the Country since the General Election 20,000 people have joined the party. Locally we have been joined by dozens of new activists and members this year, including a large number since it was announced that Tim Farron was elected. The Liberal Democrats have also seen stunning election victories at local council by-elections across the UK, beating both Labour and the Conservatives.

If you would like to join please go to www.libdems.org.uk and join the FOCUS Teams’ fightback.

Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson at the London Assembly, has forwarded this reminder from Transport for London (TfL)

Passengers reminded to plan ahead for major work that will improve Victoria line services

Improvements are a key part of enabling 36 trains per hour to run on the full length of the line next year

• Three-week closure for work between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow Central from Saturday 8 August to Sunday 30 August
• Services between Seven Sisters and Brixton will run but at a lower frequency
• Customers advised to plan ahead and allow more time for their journey

Passengers are being reminded to plan ahead for improvement work on the Victoria line next month, which will lead to the operation of 36 trains per hour next year. This will provide a train every 100 seconds during peak hours, making the Victoria line the UK’s highest frequency railway and comparable with the very best in the world. All peak-time trains will run the full length of the line from Walthamstow Central to Brixton, giving a 40 per cent capacity boost for customers northeast of Seven Sisters.

The Victoria line now carries more than 200 million passengers each year and as on the rest of the Tube network demand keeps rising.

At present only 24 trains per hour can be run beyond Seven Sisters due to the layout of the points at Walthamstow Central crossover, which transfers northbound trains to the southbound line for their return journey. Renewal of the crossover is essential to achieve 36 trains per hour.

From Saturday 8 August to Sunday 30 August LU will rebuild the crossover, replacing the concrete track-bed and the rails and point work. During this period all northbound Victoria line trains will only go as far as Seven Sisters. The nature and scale of the work means it is not possible to do it during the very limited engineering hours available at nights and weekends.

David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director at LU, said:

To meet increasing customer demand for the Victoria line we are making the service the most frequent in the UK, with 36 trains per hour in 2016. We will also run all peak time trains to Walthamstow Central from Brixton, a capacity increase of more than 40 per cent for customers north of Seven Sisters.

During the work we won’t be able to run Victoria line trains between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow Central. Our engineers will be working around the clock to keep the closure period as short as possible.”

During the closure there will be rail replacement buses for passengers. Services between Seven Sisters and Brixton will run at a lower frequency. The three-week closure means that other stations on the Victoria line will be busier, as will parts of the Central Line and London Overground. Customers are advised to plan ahead and allow more time for their journey. LU will publicise information about the work and how to avoid delays, with customer emails, online information including via the @victorialine Twitter account, posters and announcements in stations.

Rail replacement buses will run from Walthamstow Central to Seven Sisters station as well as from Walthamstow Central to Stratford and Stratford International stations. In addition, a temporary local bus route 558 will run between Chingford Mount and Seven Sisters, calling at Blackhorse Road and Tottenham Hale. Other options for passengers include the London Overground service from Walthamstow Central to Liverpool Street. LU tickets will also be accepted by other train operating companies on a number of routes.

For the most up to date information, including alternative travel options, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/victoria-line-closure

Notes:

• During the closure, two rail replacement bus services and one temporary additional bus route will be introduced, as follows:
• Replacement bus service A: Walthamstow Central – Blackhorse Road – Tottenham Hale – Seven Sisters
• Replacement bus service B: Walthamstow Central – St James Street – Stratford International – Stratford City Bus Station for Stratford station (Monday-Friday only)
• Temporary local bus route 558: Chingford Mount – Chingford Mount Road – South Chingford – Chingford Road – Walthamstow Crooked Billet – Billet Road – Higham Hill – Blackhorse Lane – Blackhorse Road station – then non-stop to – Tottenham Hale station – then non-stop to – Seven Sisters station (Monday–Friday only)

• The London Overground service between Walthamstow Central and Liverpool Street will provide an alternative rail route, and LU has also agreed ticket acceptance with other train operating companies on the following routes:

• Abellio Greater Anglia: Liverpool Street – Tottenham Hale –Liverpool Street – Stratford, and Stratford – Tottenham Hale
• Great Northern: Finsbury Park – Moorgate via Drayton Park, Highbury & Islington, Essex Road, Old Street
• Southeastern: Brixton – Victoria
• South West Trains: Vauxhall – Waterloo

• Improvements are underway across the Victoria line, including the redevelopment of Victoria and Vauxhall stations to increase capacity and make them step-free. A step-free access scheme is also planned at Finsbury Park station. This year, staff are moving from behind ticket windows to ticket halls, gate lines and platforms to offer assistance to customers where it is needed most. As part of these station improvements, Visitor Centres will open on the Victoria line at King’s Cross St Pancras and Victoria. The 24-hour Night Tube service will run on the full length of the line on Friday and Saturday nights from 12 September 2015.

We need to stop denying our young people their rights

Local Lib Dem Focus Team campaigner Bob Sullivan says:

I regularly meet lots of the young people in Waltham Forest. They’re passionate about such a wide range of issues – from the cost of local buses and their education, to climate change and international affairs.

The time has now come to give 16 and 17-year-olds a say on the issues that affect their lives.

We often hear people say they don’t understand politics. But this can’t be said of the younger generation, who are the first to receive a proper education in citizenship and democracy.

They understand what’s at stake. We’re teaching them how to be a full and active citizen but not letting them take part.

Most of us are quite happy to allow a 16 year old to serve us in a shop or to help protect us in the Army. We allow them to get married, have sex, pay taxes and drive cars.

Yet we are stopping them from having a say in how their taxes are spent or what direction our country goes in. Imagine how frustrated and angry you’d be if you were denied the same rights.

In the next two years we are going to decide whether Britain stays or leaves in the EU. This decision matters – it matters to our jobs and prosperity, and its impact will be felt for decades.

It would be so wrong to prevent the 6,021 young people in Waltham Forest whose future we are talking about from having a say in this decision.

Last year, 16 and 17 year olds were allowed for the first time to vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum. Three-quarters of them did.

This proves young people can and will engage when given the opportunity. That’s why I am pleased Liberal Democrat MPs voted to amend the bill on the EU referendum to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote.

Liberal Democrats have actively supported changing the law on this issue for over ten years. Now there is growing support throughout Parliament and the Conservative Government must listen to us and stop denying young people a voice. 

You can show your support by signing the online petition at: http://change.libdems.org.uk/votes-for-16-year-olds

Transport for London (TfL) has just announced that the Night Tube will operate all night on Fridays and Saturdays, following the launch of the service in the early hours of Saturday 12 September.

There will be a train about every ten minutes and standard off-peak fares will be charged.

Lines served:

Central Line: Ealing Broadway to/from Loughton/Hainault via Newbury Park

Jubilee Line: Entire line

Northern Line: Morden to/from Edgware /High Barnet both via Charing Cross

Piccadilly Line: Cockfosters to/from Heathrow Terminal 5

Victoria Line: Entire line

To see a copy of the Night Tube map,

click here: https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/images/nighttube-map.jpg