The Council has set up a new department – ‘Residents First‘.

It’s first move was to axe all the local Community Councils. They replaced them with Ward Forums, which appear to be merely an extension of councillor surgeries.

Now they are considering closing the Waltham Forest Direct (WFD) shops  across the borough. The WFD shops, popular with local residents, are where they can get information, advice, visitor parking permits, and get their housing and council tax benefits sorted out without going to Walthamstow.

Maybe they should have called the department ‘Residents Last’!