PRESS RELEASE: LOCAL PARTY SELECTS GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATE

Carl Qulliam pictured outside Leyton Youth Centre (former County Cicket Ground) with former Lib Dem Council Group Leader Bob Sullivan

Former Lib Dem Advisor returns to fight parliamentary seat

Carl Quilliam, the former Head of Office for the Lib Dems on Waltham Forest council, has this week been selected to stand in the Leyton and Wanstead constituency by the local Lib Dem party.

Carl is a former civil servant who worked in regeneration under the last Labour government. He supported the Liberal Democrat council group as their Head of Office from October 2011 until October 2013 and now works for a large London-based housing association.

On being selected Carl said:

It’s exciting to be selected to stand here in Leyton and Wanstead. The Lib Dems have been the main opposition to Ed Miliband’s Labour here for over 20 years. And locally we’ve been at the forefront of campaigns on housing, children’s services, school places and protecting our environment.

It’s great to finally see local schools expanding thanks to coalition funding and without another of Labour’s expensive PFI deals but we still need more places to meet the growing demand.  

And we all know that we desperately need more affordable homes for local people, as well as more jobs and apprenticeships our young people.That’s why I will use this campaign to stand up for more local school places, more and better housing and tackling youth unemployment in the area.

Local Lib Dem activist Bob Sullivan said:

It is great to have Carl as our candidate, as the leader of the Lib Dem Group on the Council I spent two years working closely with him.  He knows the people, knows the problems and knows the area. There is no doubt he will be the best person to represent our residents as an MP.

CITY AIRPORT WANTS MORE FLIGHTS – MORE NOISE?

London City Airport

Waltham Forest E Guardian – 28 January 2015

An airport has refused to attend a public meeting as it plans to go ahead with flight path changes which campaigners claim will cause a “noise ghetto” for those living under it.

London City Airport is planning to implement new technology to enable a much narrower and concentrated corridor over Wanstead, Leytonstone and Leyton.

Campaign group HACAN East believes this will increase the noise level for people living in these areas and wants the plan scrapped.

The airport will submit its proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority by the end of February, and if the plan is passed, it could be implemented in early 2016.

In a letter to the airport from deputy leader of Waltham Forest council, Cllr Clyde Loakes, he requested a further public meeting on March 2.

He said:

“I remain concerned that a significant proportion of residents are still unaware of the introduction of the RNAV technology and the impact that this will have on the quality of life of those living under the flight paths.

“I think it would therefore be useful if residents were able to hear from you directly about the next steps that will be taken and how the technology will be rolled out.”

But in reply, Jeremy Probart of London City Airport, ruled out attending a public meeting in the near future.

He said:

“There is very little that we can add to this currently, and feel that a public meeting, such as the one you suggest, would actually be counter-productive.

“We know that some people are opposed to the proposals (and the objections received have been incorporated in the report to the CAA) and a meeting in March would not be able to offer anything in the way of further information, which may simply serve to inflame, rather than to assuage.

“Therefore we will respectfully decline the opportunity you have outlined. If such a meeting were to take place, it would make sense to hold it after the CAA’s decision on the proposals and slightly before the replicated flight paths take effect.”

To sign the petiton:

https://www.change.org/p/city-airport-stop-the-current-proposal-to-concentrate-departures-from-city-airport-over-a-narrow-corridor-of-south-london-catford-dulwich-brixton-stockwell-and-vauxhall-east-london-bow-hackney-wick-leyton-leytonstone-wanstead-barkingside-colliers-row?recruiter=9107754&utm_campaign=twitter_link_action_box&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share_petition

POLICE CONTACT POINTS

The recently closed Police Station in Kirkdale Road

With the closure of Leytonstone Police Station there is now no police station in the south of the borough.

Following the closure the Police are providing a contact point at Tescos in Gainsborough Road. Officers are present every Wednesday and Thursday from 6 – 8pm. and on Saturday from 2 – 4pm.

The only other local contact point is The Police Base, 593 Lea Bridge Road, E10 6AF. It is open every Wednesday and Thursday from 7 – 8pm, and on Saturday from 2 – 3pm.

The Forest Neighbourhood Policing Team telephone number is (020) 8721 2645.

For non-emergency calls the Police ask you to dial 101. However, for emergencies call 999.

PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN – update

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.

The FOCUS Team says: If you want to click here to sign the petition. You may also see the team in the High Street collecting more signatures.

INFLATION BUSTING 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%.

Your money down the drain

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

NEWS UPDATE – 620 High Road Leytonstone

PADDY POWER GRANTED GAMING LICENCE

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.