http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Leyton and Wanstead Liberal Democrats en-GB Leyton and Wanstead Liberal Democrats http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2010 Leyton and Wanstead Liberal Democrats 2010-03-12T05:31+00:00 United Kingdom http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000146/cathall_road_skills_centre__news_update.html Work has now started on the building of this centre at the same time as a new skills centre, for apprentices was opened on the Olympic site itself in November 2009. The main reason for the Skills Centre at Cathall was to give local people the chance to gain training, development of skills and potential for employment. Why did the Olympic Development Agency decide to build a centre on the Olympic site? Was it because there was too much delay with the Cathall centre being built on land that had been vacant for two years? 2010-03-11T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000145/can_you_trust_labour_on_crime.html In a surprise vote, Labour MPs opposed Lib Dem plans to make Britain safer. Ten years after Labour came to power, Britain is stuck with high levels of crime. Only one crime in a hundred ends up being punished in court Cllr. Farooq Qureshi, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate said, "People just don't believe Labour's and Tory's tough talk on crime any more. Lib Dem plans will put more police on the street and will tackle sentencing. The Tories couldn't even decide on how to vote on the five-step plan and abstained." 2010-03-09T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000144/white_house_estate_redevelopment__news_update.html Redevelopment of the White House Estate is well on the way. Most of the tenants have been moved and the remainder will go shortly to make way for the building works to start. Meanwhile, some of the residents of Cheltenham Road and Epsom Road are unhappy at the news that the developers have made changes to the original plans. The Forest ward Focus Team has contacted the local planning department to find out the details of the changes to see if they can help. 2010-03-08T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000143/better_stations_campaign__disabled_people_overlooked.html After inquiries made by Leyton and Wanstead Liberal Democrats,we have been told that Leyton and Leytonstone Underground, as well as the two local Overground stations, will NOT be made accessible to disabled residents. As an Olympic Borough some of our disabled residents might like to see some of what will happen in 2012 but how will they get to the venues? Lib Dems have contacted the Olympic Delivery Authority but so far they have yet to respond. We say " Disabled people have just as much right to travel without having to face enormous flights of stairs. Please let us know your views on this matter." The Lib Dems are carrying out a campaign to improve stations across London. Leytonstone FOCUS Team member Tony Ashworth gave out petition forms to commuters on the Barking - Gospel Oak Line at both Leyton and Leytonstone stations. If you would like to add your support you can sign up on-line at: http://ourcampaign.org.uk/betterstations Thank you. 2010-03-01T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000142/good_news_argos_is_coming_to_leytonstone.html Leytonstone FOCUS Team member Mahmood Faiz welcomed the news that Argos, the catalogue store, is to open in the former Woolworth Store on High Road Leytonstone. Mahmood says:" This is a good vote of confidence in our Shopping Centre that has been blighted for far too long. It is up to the Town Centre manager and the council to ensure that nothing is done to deter shoppers, coming into Leytonstone. For example, there should be no reduction in public parking facilities." 2010-02-21T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000141/newsflash__disgraced_mp_harry_cohen_to_pocket_even_more_money.html Having fiddled thousands of pounds of expenses by renting out his home in Colchester while claiming a second home in Wanstead, MP Harry Cohen is set to pocket a further £100,000 from the sale of the Wanstead house that taxpayers helped to pay for in mortgage interest payments and expensive improvements. Although MP Cohen's retirement grant of £65,000 has been taken away from him because of the fiddling, he could still bank the cash from the sale of the house. Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, said that gains from rises in the value of second homes "should not be retained" by MPs. 2010-02-14T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000140/barking_gospel_oak_line.html Leytonstone Focus team member Tony Ashworth reports that engineering work is taking place throughout the year to enable the line to carry four passenger and four freight trains an hour. The work will be carried out at weekends, and there will be a reduced service most weekends. Replacement bus services will call at all stations. Tony advises all travellers to check before they travel. 2010-01-24T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000139/housing_development_on_nissan_dealer_site.html The Nissan car dealers in Ruckholt Road between Oliver Road and Dunedin Road are planning to close and the plans are to build 98 flats and 9 houses. The Lib Dem Focus Team for Leyton has been speaking to the developers and the Council planners about the height of the blocks of flats and the lack of parking spaces. The area is already very over-parked and more flats and houses will cause parking chaos unless adequate parking spaces are put in the plans. The Team are arranging a further meeting with the developers before their plans are submitted. We will keep you informed of progress. 2010-01-14T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000138/leyton_and_wanstead_liberal_democrats__protecting_our_green_spaces.html Leyton and Wanstead Liberal Democrats and Focus Teams across the Borough have found that residents are worried that their open spaces, leisure and sports facilities are under threat and feel that the Council is not listening to their concerns. The Lib Dem Councillors therefore presented a motion to the December Council meeting calling for protection for our playing fields, green spaces and sports facilities. Lib Dem councillor, Bob Sullivan, pointed out that many green spaces have already been built on - like the green spaces on Leyton Grange, allotments built on the marshes and the possibility of Drapers Field being turned into a car park for the Olympics.Labour's attempt to alter the motion to say that there was no 'threat' to our green spaces was rejected and the Lib Dem motion was agreed. 2010-01-07T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000136/residents_snubbed__no_extra_police_for_waltham_forest.html Residents feel angry and let down after the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) has said that they are not changing their policy which allocates Waltham Forest 199 fewer police than neighbours Hackney. They have completely ignored the 6,500 residents who signed the petition for more police for Waltham Forest. Anyone who lives in Leyton and Leytonstone will know that recent shootings, violent crime and anti-social behaviour have highlighted the need for more police. Their plea to be better protected has fallen on deaf ears. Focus says: This will be a big disappointment to all the people who signed the petition. We are now working on the next steps to get the Mayor and the Police Authority to think again on this issue and will report back. In a surprise vote, Labour MPs opposed Lib Dem plans to make Britain safer. Ten years after Labour came to power, Britain is stuck with high levels of crime. Only one crime in a hundred ends up being punished in court. Cllr. Farooq Qureshi, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate said, "People just don't believe Labour's and Tory's tough talk on crime any more. Lib Dem plans will put more police on the street and will tackle sentencing. The Tories couldn't even decide on how to vote on the five-step plan and abstained." 2010-01-05T09:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000137/no_new_school_on_county_ground__george_mitchell_governors_reject_trust.html George Mitchell school will not be re-built on the cricket ground. This will be good news to the many residents living near the cricket ground, who have been campaigning against building on the ground. At the full Council meeting in December the Leader of the Council read a statement saying that the George Mitchell Governors had rejected forming a trust with Norlington school and that the decision had been accepted by the Council. He went on to say that there will be no development of a secondary school on the Leyton Cricket Ground and Norlington will remain a boys' school. The Lib Dem Focus Team say: Future plans for George Mitchell, Norlington and Beaumont primary school will no doubt be revealed soon. Your Focus teams and Letyon and Wanstead Liberal democrats will report any developments. 2010-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000135/more_police_needed_in_waltham_forest.html Recent shootings and anti-social behaviour on our street have highlighted the need for more police in our area. As Waltham Forest is an outer London borough we have 199 fewer police officers than an inner London borough like Hackney. We are asking for your support by signing the petition for more police officers in Waltham Forest. 2009-11-07T22:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000133/cathall_cpz__consultation_results.html Many, many thanks to those of you that replied to the CPZ consultation in the Thatched House/Crownfield Road area. 3654 letters were sent out with some 583 completed and returned. The results are listed below. 2009-11-07T19:00+00:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000134/labour_is_reckless_with_your_money.html Labour councillors have forced through a proposal to build a swimming pool and leisure centre on the Walthamstow Arcade site by borrowing £35 million and selling off the Pool and Track site in Walthamstow. Labour councillors ignored the recommendation from the all party Scrutiny committee which said that, before any decisions were made, the Council should obtain a financial appraisal to see if the proposal was affordable and a study as to whether the High Street was the right place for a swimming pool. Lib Dem Cllr Bob Sullivan, who was at the meeting as the chair of the Scrutiny committee, was amazed that anyone could make a decision costing residents millions without any financial appraisal. He said that anyone doing this was "Damn reckless" with ratepayers' money. 2009-10-20T09:00+01:00 http://www.leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk/news/000132/cathall_missing_bus_stop__update.html Lib Dem Focus Grove Green Team member, Paul Olford has been informed by the Council and London Buses that they have found a site to replace the bus stop on Cathall Bridge. The preferred site is just outside Cathall Leisure Centre but there is a substantial amount of earth works to be done to facilitate the bus stop. It is hoped that the new bus stop will be up and running by the end of March 2010. 2009-09-19T09:00+01:00