CRICKET GROUND – entrance shambles

Leyton Cricket Ground – new entrance

Thousands of pounds were spent on making a new entrance to the cricket ground off Leyton High Road well before the Olympics.

The Council made a big fuss about the improvements in the High Road, but three years on and the entrance has never been opened.

Lib Dems say: It is a scandal that having spent thousands in relocating the post-box, taking away the wall and spending thousands on a new smart entrance, it remains locked. The Lib Dems are determined to get it opened.

LEYTON WARD FOCUS NEWSLETTER – 354

The latest edition of the Leyton FOCUS Newsletter has just gone to press.

It will be delivered to every household across the ward by our team of volunteers.

Please contact Bob Sullivan on 8556 8335 if you would like to help deliver the FOCUS near your home. It is usually published about every six weeks and a round should take about 45 minutes. Thank you.

You can access a copy of the FOCUS here: Leyton 354

RESIDENTS WIN THE DAY

Grove Green FOCUS 264 featuring the petition

The Council is staging a full public consultation

Following parking petitions and concerns raised by local residents the Lib Dem Grove Green Focus Team carried out a series of street surveys to find out the views of all households in Grove Green Ward.

The responses revealed a dramatic increase in on-street parking in the roads near to the roads that had a Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ). Previously residents of these roads had voted against a CPZ in their road. But the increased parking problem in their road has forced them to rethink their decision.

The results of these surveys including a petition were collated and presented to the Councils traffic engineers. Following these meetings the Lib Dem Focus Team and residents were pleased to learn that the Council has started a full public consultation with residents of the roads they feel are most affected. This is a large group of roads bordered by Leyton High Road to Francis Road and Hainault Road to St Georges Road.

The full consultation letter has been delivered to every address in this area. This should be completed and returned in the enclosed freepost envelope before the deadline on Monday 1st December.

The Focus Team urges everyone not to miss this opportunity of making your views known.

PLANNING NEWS: GRAYLAW HOUSE

Coronation House – formerly Graylaw House

The owners of Graylaw House last year were refused planning permission by the Council to convert it into a hotel.

The Focus Team has noticed it is now called Coronation House.

From the team’s investigation it looks as if it has been turned into a bed and breakfast place.  A revised planning application has not been received by the Council.

The Team has asked the Council’s Planning Enforcement officer to investigate.

Focus will keep you informed of the outcome.

LIB DEMS ASK: WHY IS LION AND KEY TO BECOME A HOTEL?

former Lion and Key

A few years ago the owners of the Lion and Key pub got permission to turn it into a mental health drop in centre.  The Council was pleased as the façade of the pub was kept and a useful health facility was built.  Local residents were pleased as they were not now woken up with disturbances from the pub.

Well, can you believe it, the Council has now agreed that the building can be turned into a hotel and has recently agreed a further floor can be built on the top.  Focus is not aware of any consultation on this with local residents.

It is more bizarre as only last year they refused a planning application to turn the old Graylaw House site, which is only a stone’s throw from the Lion and Key, into a hotel.

What is the Council up to! 

Focus will be investigating and will report back.

NEWS UPDATE: BROOKS FARM

Skeltons Lane Park is also home to Brooks Farm, a city farm that has been run by the Council for many years.  The farm has recently been taken over by the YMCA who have acquired funding to renovate it.  The farm looks very smart and even has a café.

Focus Team member Bob Sullivan who has been associated with the farm for over 30 years says;

“It is more a venue that has animals than a real city farm, but it is well worth a visit”

Parents protest outside the Farm

Residents protest at YMCA changes

Unfortunately the children who had, over the years, worked at Brooks Farm as volunteers have been told that they are not wanted.  The YMCA has said that there will be events which children can participate on the farm but they will need to pay for the privilege. The children’s parents have been protesting about this and have launched a petition.  They believe the previous Farm Family is being broken up.

Bob Sullivan is currently trying to organise a meeting between the parents and the YMCA to try to get an agreeable solution.

Focus will keep you informed of the outcome.

WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN

Council decides to limit child abuse checks

Waltham Forest Councillors will no longer be the subject of checks to protect our vulnerable children and adults unless they meet them once a week or more than 3 days per month or between the hours of 2am and 6am.

All councillors are Corporate Parents to all of the children in Council care, so they should actively safeguard and protect those who are looked after. Abuse of children has now been shown to have taken place for many years in and out of Council homes across the country. It is important therefore that residents are confident that all of our all Councillors should have a criminal records check even if they never work with children or only do so rarely.

Councillors are people who can be trusted with our children.

Former Liberal Democrat Group Leader Bob Sullivan says, ‘All councillors therefore should be checked.’

PETITION: click here to sign the petition.

LEYTON WARD FOCUS NEWSLETTER 352

The latest edition of the Leyton FOCUS Newsletter has just gone to press.

It will be delivered to every household across the ward by our team of volunteers.

Please contact Bob Sullivan on 8556 8335 if you would like to help deliver the FOCUS near your home. It is usually published about every six weeks and a round should take about 45 minutes. Thank you.

You can access a copy of the FOCUS here: Leyton 352

PROPOSED CHANGES TO TICKET OFFICES

Don’t forget to have your say on Transport for London’s proposed changes to ticket offices by 28 September

Transport for London has recently outlined its vision for the future of the tube which, amongst other things, proposes changes to ticket offices.

As the statutory consumer body representing the interests of passengers in and around London, London Travel Watch wants to ensure that any changes to the way that London Underground operates are in the best overall interests of consumers.

To ensure that this happens, they have been running a six-week consultation on their website  to give passengers the opportunity to review TfL’s planned ticket office changes so that they can tell us what tickets they buy, any difficulties they foresee and the mitigation measures they would like to see implemented at their local stations.

London Travel Watch will then feed back the survey results to TfL to give them a chance to make any amendments before the changes are introduced.

The consultation will end on 28 September 2014 at:

www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/tubeconsultation.

INFLATION BUSTING PAY RISE!

CHIEF EXECUTIVE AWARDED A £15,000 PAY RISE

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%.

The Liberal Democrats will keep on reporting the arrogant and wasteful ways that this Council spends your money.

Your Money Down The Drain