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.
Bob Sullivan says: If you want to click here to sign the petition. You may also see the team in the High Street collecting more signatures.
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.
Bob Sullivan with copies of Labour-run Council propaganda
The Council continues to spend thousands on propaganda. The Government has said that 26 editions per year of the Council’s propaganda paper WFN, costing Waltham Forest taxpayers at least £500,000, should be reduced to no more than 4 editions. Labour has ignored this, using propaganda to cover up the Council’s failures. To top it all, they have gone on to produce a further 80 page glossy magazine costing over a £100,000.
Bob Sullivan says: The Council’s campaign ‘We Need to Talk’ is asking residents what they should do in order to make savings. Should Council Tax be used for propaganda?
Leytonstone’s Fire Station
The Fire Station in Leytonstone High Road has been closed, and the FOCUS Team understands that demolition is due to commence in December, with the new station scheduled for completion by the end of 2015.
The Fire Engine and crews are stationed temporarily at Leyton Fire Station.
Facade of the planned new building
370-372 Grove Green Road
A planning application has been lodged to demolish the existing buildings on the corner of Scarborough Road, and erect a three storey building with commercial use on the ground floor and 8 residential units (2 x 2 bed live/work flats, 4 x 1 bed flats and 2 x 2 bed flats) plus car and cycle parking.
Comments on this application should be sent to:
Grove Green FOCUS 264 featuring the petition
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 Council’s 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.
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.
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.’
620 High Road
In the face of strong opposition from local residents the Gambling Act Sub-Committee approved the gaming licence for the planning Paddy Power branch at 620 High Road Leytonstone.
As previously reported the Planning Officers, under new legislation, have already refused an planning application for change of use to a betting shop.
Residents have raised the strongest possible opposition to the continued, apparently, avaricious advance of betting offices across Waltham Forest.
The last ditch in this fight will be decided in Whitehall if Paddy Power, as suspected, appeals the decision of the Planning Officers.
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620 High Road Leytonstone – site of planned Paddy Power betting shop
This week the council’s Planning Officers, under new regulations, refused the Paddy Power application for change oof use to class A2 (betting Office) for the premises at 620 High Road Leytonstone.
The reasons for refusal included:
- The proposal would result in the clustering of betting shop uses within a limited section of Leytonstone High Road, which would detract from the retail appeal of the area and fail to contribute to the Council’s regeneration objectives for the area thus adversely impacting upon the retail vitality and viability of this are contrary to Policy CS14 of the adopted Waltham Forest Local Plan Core Strategy (2012) and Policy DM25 of the adopted Waltham Forest Development Management Policies (2013).
- The proposed change of use would result in a cluster of betting shops which may lead to anti-social behaviour issues and increased incidents of street crime within the locality which could effect the health and well-being of local residents, contrary to Policies CS13 and CS16 of the Local Care Plan Core Strategy and Policy DM25 of the Development Management Policies.
The FOCUS Team queried the approval of the subsidiary applications for a new shop front, air conditioing and aerials. It appears that planning law does not allow officers to link applications, each has to be treated as individual requests, and there were no reassons for refusal.
It now remains to be seen whether Paddy Power decide to appeal this ruling.
The Liberal Democrats will keep you informed of any developments.