Chingford and Woodford Green Liberal Democrats

WELCOME TO THE BLOG-SPOT !

2008-09-30T20:00:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrats working in Chingford & Woodford Green

AND THERE IS MORE ---! There is much more to read if you click on the Archive files (under the Profile in the left column)! POST A COMMENT ! You can post a comment by clicking on ---comments under any item. You can also read others' comments in this way. LINKS: for national policy and information, click on www.libdems.org.uk/. For local news, see - as well as this blogspot - our website: www.cwglibdems.org.uk. For Redbridge information, click on www.redbridgelibdems.co.uk/ .
To find info.on a particular issue, use search box top left; type in a subject - e.g. NHS; public transport, etc - then click on SEARCH BLOG alongside. If you scroll down to our mini-screen (bottom left) you can view the latest Lib Dem short VIDEO-CLIP.
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Nick Clegg's speech to Conference

2008-09-30T11:12:00.000+01:00

LEADER’S SPEECH: “LIBERAL DEMOCRATS THE ONLY PARTY FOR A FAIRER BRITAIN”
In his keynote conference speech, Nick Clegg presented the Liberal Democrats as the party to deliver social justice and fairness for Britain. Nick’s speech focused on the current economic difficulties, which he described as 'a firestorm', "raging through our financial system, ignited by reckless bankers and fuelled by complacent politicians.” He set out the party’s Fairer Future economic recovery plan (see economy section of this round-up for more).

Nick also:
· Said he wanted to make Britain the first truly green economy in the world
· Spoke of the importance of achieving energy independence within the EU
· Set out his aim of making government ‘people shaped’, with benefits shaped around the needs of people and families, not bureaucrats
· Repeated his commitment to the ‘pupil premium’ to target extra cash at deprived children
· Made clear he is ambitious for the party, repeating his target of doubling the party’s number of MPs
[News article on speech] [Full speech] [Watch speech]

Good news for Waltham Forest !

2008-09-09T07:46:00.002+01:00

A FOUR STAR COUNCIL
The Audit Commission has just announced that Waltham Forest Council has been awarded four stars in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment.
Four stars is the highest rating possible and shows the hard work the Council has done to go from a zero star rated council in 2002 to four stars in 2008.
Waltham Forest is the only council in the country to have gone from zero stars to four stars in six years.
This achievement clearly shows that increasing Lib Dem influence on the Council has been a force for improvement.

2008-09-04T09:24:00.002+01:00

Chingford and Wooodford Green Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate GEOFF SEEFF makes regular comments on local and national issues on our website.

Click on http://www.cwglibdems.org.uk from time to time for regular updates.

Chingford Day

2008-08-14T08:55:00.001+01:00

The Mayor of Waltham Forest, Lib Dem Cllr. Sheila Smith-Pryor (Hale End & Highams Park ward) clearly enjoying her time at this year's Chingford Day (August, 2008) !

New websites !

2008-07-24T08:37:00.002+01:00

The 3 Liberal Democrat councillors in Hale End & Highams Park ward, Waltham Forest have now set up special websites.

These share the same format, articles and information, apart from different personal details.
To visit one of the websites, click below where appropriate:
www.johnbeanse.mycouncillor.org.uk
www.noelpenstone.mycouncillor.org.uk
www.sheilasmithpryor.mycouncillor.org.uk

Highams Park Day

2008-07-20T11:43:00.003+01:00

Cllr. Sheila Smith-Pryor, Mayor of Waltham Forest, opening the very first "Highams Park Day" on Sat.19th.July, held in her own ward.

This new venture was organised by the Highams Park Society and was held on the green opposite the Vincent Road flats. It is hoped it will become an annual event.

Congratulations to all involved!

Tesco - YES or NO ?!

2008-07-17T12:55:00.004+01:00

A Tesco store at Highams Park could look like this (picture supplied by Tesco).

We are interested to hear your views. You can click on comments below or write to us (see above).

Also see report under July, 2008 Archives.

New document for discussion

2008-07-17T10:37:00.001+01:00

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today launched the party’s "Make it Happen" document, which is a statement of the party’s vision and values.
‘Make it Happen’ sets out in clear language the party’s position on important issues such as the economy, taxation and the health service.
It highlights how -
We will cut taxes for ordinary families
If your local hospital can't see you on time, we'll pay for treatment elsewhere
We'll switch taxes from people to pollution - so it pays to go green
To improve standards in education, we'll fund extra help for those who need it most
We'll put Britain at the heart of Europe to make us a force for good in the world
We'll stop ID cards so we can keep control of our privacy
We'll change the voting system so everyone's voice counts
We'll bring communities together with local people in charge
We'll give communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes
The document will be debated at the party's autumn conference in Bournemouth.

Your good health!

2008-07-14T08:51:00.004+01:00

ALL CHANGE (AGAIN) WITH OUR LOCAL HEALTH SERVICES ??
Some years ago we had one large Health Authority and a smaller Trust (Forest Healthcare) - based at Whipps Cross - delivering our services.
Then it was decided by Government to "end the purchaser/provider split".
So (about 10 years ago) the new pattern locally gradually evolved into:
a Primary Care Trust, delivering and commissioning services; a separate hospital Trust specifically for the delivery of services at Whipps Cross; a Mental Health Trust for delivering Mental Health services across 4 boroughs.
Now it has been decided to separate the delivery and commissioning of services again!
The Primary Care Trust will take on a commissioning role, and all services, other than at Whipps Cross and Mental Health, will be delivered by an "Arms Length Management Organisation" (yet to be decided upon and set up) which might work across 4 or more boroughs.
So instead of the former LARGE Health Authority years ago commissioning, and a smaller Trust delivering, we shall end up with a LARGE organisation delivering and a smaller Trust commissioning ! (Whipps Cross and the Mental Health Trust (becoming a Foundation Trust) will continue with their present functions).
Cllr. John Beanse, Vice-Chair of Waltham Forest Health Scrutiny, said:
"Will there ever be any end to reorganisation and restructuring in the Health Service - and will there ever be a proper focus on the experience and VOICE of the patient?"

"Highams Green"?

2008-07-05T11:53:00.004+01:00

TESCO for Highams Park?
Tesco have drawn up fresh proposals for a big store in Highams Park (off Larkshall Road). The suggested development is to be known as "Highams Green".
(Photo: Tesco near Charlie Brown's roundabout, Woodford).
Included in the plans:
* a supermarket (same size as in the last application) with 350 covered parking spaces under the store [which would be on the first storey]
* 50 terraced houses
* 260 new homes in 4-storey blocks of flats
* Highams Green - new public green space
* 7 independent shops
* community space - e.g. a hall?
* office space
* business starter units and workshops
We now need to see whether these proposals receive general approval or opposition.
All views welcome. See top of page for how to contact us!

Hanging baskets for Highams Park

2008-06-30T10:17:00.003+01:00

Local residents have expressed their approval of the hanging baskets which now brighten the Highams Park shopping centre.
This was a project of the Highams Park Residents' Association which was voted for by the South.Chingford and Highams Park Community Council to receive funding.

Chingford Festival on the Green

2008-06-28T20:16:00.004+01:00

Mayor of Waltham Forest, Cllr.Sheila Smith-Pryor (Lib Dem, Hale End & Highams Park ward) visits her Liberal Democrat colleagues working on the Lib Dem stall at the Chingford Festival !

In the first photo, Sheila is buying raffle tickets from Jean Russell with Exec.members Kath Mudie and Claire Hunt at the back, looking on and Joan Carder to the left, serving another customer..

Pictured in the second photo with Sheila is Chingford & Woodford Green Lib Dems' Secretary Joan Carder.

The Festival attracted crowds of people to Chingford Green on a warm sunny day (Saturday, 28th.June).

There were 10 raffle prizes. For the record: the winning numbers were 205; 82; 108; 45; 111; 106; 212; 102; 48; 25.

A Disgrace !

2008-06-24T09:18:00.007+01:00

Local Liberal Democrats are pressing for action to deal with the eyesore of this accumulation of rubbish on a grassed area at the end of Hale End Road, E17 near the Forest Road junction.

There can be no excuse for piles of rubbish disfiguring our borough.

Update - (25th.June)

***GOOD NEWS*** !

After Cllr.John Beanse contacted the Director of Ascham Homes (responsible for the site), the rubbish was quickly shifted. Many thanks to Ascham Homes for their speedy response !

Lib Dems win Forest ward by-election

2008-06-13T09:52:00.002+01:00

The result of the by-election held in Forest ward, Waltham Forest on Thursday, June 12th. was as follows:
Turnout 32.33 per cent, 2,661 votes cast
SAMINA SAFDAR (LIB DEM) 977
Jawade Liaqat (Labour) 927
Edwin Northover (Conservative) 507
Mark Dawes (Green) 184
Makola Mayambika (Left List) 56
This result brings the numbers of councillors back to
Labour 25; Lib Dems 20; Con.15

Green action

2008-06-06T08:02:00.003+01:00

FIRST OF MANY
Pictured Lib Dem councillor Bob Belam with a member of National Express staff at Chingford Station.
This is the first paper recycling facility to be opened at a transport hub in the borough.
National Express and the council are looking at ways of installing these facilities at main line stations across the borough.
The council is talking to LU with a view to having recycling at all Underground stations by the end of the year.
GREEN policies in action for Waltham Forest from the Lib Dems.

Trust(s) in the NHS

2008-06-05T08:25:00.000+01:00

Commenting on Government plans for private firms to be drafted in to run struggling NHS hospitals and primary care trusts in England, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said:
"This begs the question: why are so many hospitals are failing in the first place?
"With superbugs at high levels in many failing hospitals, poor performance can literally be a matter of life and death for patients, and sorting this out should be our top priority.
"Changing the management of hospitals is not necessarily the right solution, yet the Government persists in rushing headlong down this route.
"What is absolutely scandalous about this proposal is the option for private companies to be in charge of primary care trusts. These trusts take vital decisions on hospital treatment and access to drugs. Subcontracting these to private companies is not acceptable.
"The Liberal Democrats would ensure that these decisions were made by an elected local body."

The Mayor's Charities

2008-05-30T09:17:00.002+01:00

New Mayor of Waltham Forest, Cllr. Sheila Smith-Pryor has announced that she is hoping to raise lots of money during her year of office to support two local good causes:
1. Branches is a day centre and night shelter for homeless people. It is situated in Forest Rd E17. The night shelter offers a hot evening meal a bed and breakfast . The day centre provides a midday meal. There are showers clothing and laundry facilities. Branches also assists people to move back into proper homes.
2. MSAction is based in Billet Rd E17. It offers high pressure oxygen therapy to people with M.S. It does not receive any funding from the NHS and charges £10 for an hours therapy.It is not a cure but can help to keep the disease at bay and improve the quality of life.There are only 4 such units in the country and we are fortunate to have one in our borough. It is also unique in that it is the only unit that treats children with Cerebral Palsy. Again it is not a cure but can improve the quality of their lives, which has a knock-on effect on the whole family.
Anyone wishing to donate can send a cheque [payable to The Mayor's Charity] to the Mayor's Parlour, Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, E17 4JF.

Sheila Smith-Pryor becomes Mayor of Waltham Forest

2008-05-23T07:58:00.007+01:00

At the Annual Meeting of Waltham Forest Council, held on Thursday, 22nd.May at Walthamstow Assembly Hall, Lib Dem Cllr.SHEILA SMITH-PRYOR was chosen to be Mayor of Waltham Forest for the Municipal Year 2008/9.

Sheila is a Councillor in Hale End & Highams Park ward and had been the Deputy Mayor for the past year.

She becomes the first female Mayor ever from the Liberal Democrats in this borough. Her appointment was nominated by fellow ward Cllr.John Beanse and seconded by Cllr.John Macklin, Leader of the Lib Dem group on the Council.

Sheila is pictured on the steps of the Assembly Hall after the ceremony.

New Mayor of Waltham Forest !

2008-05-23T07:50:00.002+01:00

More photos (from the ceremony at Walthamstow Assembly Hall) of the new Mayor of Waltham Forest, Cllr.Sheila Smith-Pryor.

Sheila is pictured below with fellow ward councillor John Beanse.

[Thanks to Lib Dem Cllr.Bob Belam for these photos].

Post offices to close

2008-05-07T13:46:00.004+01:00

LATEST NEWS ON POST OFFICES

It has been announced that THREE Walham Forest post offices are to close, despite all the local protests. There will be a further review on three others - and a decision will be made later.

TO BE CLOSED:

the branches in Grove Green Road, Leytonstone, Leyton High Road and Hall Lane, Chingford.
TO BE REVIEWED: three branches in Walthamstow, in Chingford Road, Forest Road and Orford Road.

In the Redbridge part of Chingford & Woodford Green, Liberal Democrats fought to try to save the threatened post office in Woodford High Road. Again, despite all the representations, it has been decided to close this branch too.

Cllr.John Beanse, who organised a petition to try to save the Chingford post office in Hall Lane (pictured) along with local FOCUS Editor, Afzal Malik, said:

"Once again, as with the earlier closures in Sewardstone Road and Chingford Mount Road, the consultation process has not heeded local concerns.

For people living near the Hall Lane branch, a trek to Costcutter in S.Chingford will now be required and the queues there are likely to grow. This is not at all convenient, particularly for older and disabled people.

It has to be stressed that Post Office Ltd. is carrying out the will of the Labour government and there is a lack of appreciation of the important role of post offices in our society. They perform a public service and need support."

For more news on post office closures in Waltham Forest click on
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/display.var.2253071.0.waltham_forest_three_post_offices_axed.php

Election round-up

2008-05-01T08:57:00.004+01:00

The local elections in England and Wales brought some disappointments for the Liberal Democrats, but there were also notable successes:
* the Lib Dems came SECOND in the overall vote, with 25%, ahead of Labour which was on 24%.

LIB DEM COUNCILS:
The Liberal Democrats retained control of:
Ø Cambridge, Eastleigh, Liverpool[1], Rochdale, Stockport, Newcastle, Watford, Three Rivers, South Lakeland
The Liberal Democrats gained control of:
Ø Sheffield, St Albans, Hull, Burnley
[The Liberal Democrats lost control of Pendle & West Lindsey]
Following these elections Liberal Democrats are just one seat short of overall control in: Oldham (4 gains), Warrington (1 gain) and Cheltenham (3 gains).
Liberal Democrats will continue to be the largest party in Cardiff (2 gains), Sefton (1 gain), North East Lincolnshire (1 gain) and are now also the largest party in Derby (5 gains), Exeter (1 gain) and Wrexham (3 gains).
LIB DEM COUNCILLORS ELECTED
Liberal Democrats made 137 gains in these elections four years ago and have now added to those gains. We have over 4,200 council seats (more than 21% of the total in Great Britain).
With results in from all 159 councils, the net figures are:
Conservative +256; Liberal Democrats + 34; Labour -331

Local Lib Dems in harmony !

2008-04-30T08:26:00.000+01:00

Chingford & Woodford Green Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary candidate Geoff Seeff, performing at a Musical Evening at the Vestry Hall, N.Chingford earlier in the year. The successful evening was put on by local Liberal Democrats as a fundraising event. Geoff says he's looking to attract the "swing voters" !
Accompanying him at the piano, Cllr.John Beanse - local Lberal Democrats clearly in harmony !

Views from Geoff Seeff

2008-04-20T09:33:00.004+01:00

As already reported (see item earlier in April), Chingford and Woodford Green Lib Dems have selected Dr Geoff Seeff as their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the next general election The election is due in May 2010 at the latest.

Geoff was the founder convener of the SDP in Redbridge, and has been active on local political scene for over 27 years. He was the candidate for this constituency in 1997.

Geoff is a chartered accountant practising as a management consultant and specialises in the economics of Urban Regeneration. He has advised on major projects all around the UK and in many other parts of the world. He is married to Deanna, a schools counsellor, and they have two adult daughters.
Geoff believes that Labour’s 11 years in office probably ranks as one of the worst, and certainly, given the high expectations of 1997, the most disappointing, periods of government in living memory. Messrs Blair and Brown have, amongst other things, squandered the opportunity of a strong economy to bring about a fairer distribution of wealth and a greener environment, they have progressively eroded our civil liberties, mismanaged what proved to be an unnecessary and costly involvement in Iraq, failed to reform our constitution and eliminate the archaic, wasteful, partisan and often corrupt practices that bring politics into disrepute, failed to ensure effective regulation of the banking system until we had the first run on a UK bank for 150 years, shown contempt for due legal process by curtailing at the behest of a foreign power the SFO investigation into alleged corruption connected to arms sales to Saudi Arabia, displayed gross incompetence on agreeing GP and Police pay and flouted disgracefully their own laws on party funding. They have done more than enough damage and their time is up!
Needless to say Geoff is no more impressed with Her Majesty’s Official Opposition, who can hardly be said to have emerged with any credit on matters such as the Northern Rock debacle, loans for peerages and the abuse of parliamentary allowances.
Over the coming months as issues arise affecting residents of this constituency, through these columns Geoff will be providing comment on the state of the economy and health, education and crime. However, relevant stories and more detailed comment are carried on our website - click on www.cwglibdems.org.uk . The site allows you to post your own comments or questions, which we welcome.

Geoff Seeff selected

2008-04-12T08:12:00.004+01:00

Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats have selected GEOFF SEEFF to be their Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC).

The selection was made at a special meeting of local Lib Dem members on Friday 11th. April at North Chingford Methodist Church. Geoff stood here in 1997 and was the candidate in Romford at the last General Election. He is pictured here speaking to members after the result had been officially declared.

The poor lose out

2008-04-09T16:39:00.000+01:00

CLEGG ACCUSES BROWN OF HITTING THE POOR WITH TAX CHANGES
Gordon Brown’s decision to abolish the 10p rate of income tax is “an outrageous political stunt at the cost of the poorest”, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said.
Nick said the tax change was a “defining moment” which left the Labour Government with no right to talk about fairness in British society anymore. The Treasury select committee, which has a majority of Labour MPs, today attacked the changes too, highlighting that the combined effect of cutting of the basic rate of income tax from 22p to 20p in the pound, and the raising of the lower 10p band to 20p, would be that childless single people earning less than £18,500 would lose up to £232 a year. LINKS - click on: [BBC] [BBC – Clegg interview] [BBC - Video]
Nick Clegg said: "I think it’s a defining moment in British politics. I don’t think the Labour government now has any right to talk about fairness in British society anymore. They are abandoning over five million of the poorest people. Why? For a cheap political stunt by Gordon Brown himself. By removing the 10% tax band, soldiers serving in Afghanistan, nurses working hard in the NHS, low income pensioners - over 5 million of the poorest people, it’s estimated, with incomes between £5,000 and £18,000 - are suddenly finding that starting rate of tax is doubling. Why? So that Gordon Brown could offer a 2p cut in the rate of 22p to 20p for the following day’s headlines. I think that is an outrageous political stunt at the cost of the poorest in British society."

Campaigning for London

2008-04-07T08:44:00.003+01:00

Pictured on the campaign to save London's post offices under threat:
Liberal Democrats Cllr. MERAL ECE,
Greater London Assembly candidate for London North East (which includes Waltham Forest) and BRIAN PADDICK, candidate for Mayor of London.

GLA elections

2008-04-05T09:21:00.000+01:00

Farrukh Islam has been selected by local Liberal Democrats as the candidate to fight Havering and Redbridge for the GLA in May. He took 86% of the votes cast.

Larkshall Road car-park

2008-04-02T08:27:00.000+01:00

Inaccurate press report

The report published in a recent Waltham Forest Guardian about the car-park off Larkshall Road, Highams Park, E4 was WRONG.
There is no proposal to dispose of the whole car-park for housing and there has certainly been no decision.
What is being sought - in discussions with councillors and others, and the discussions go on - is a properly laid-out, marked out, surfaced, more secure car-park, preferably with some CCTV, and a more favourable pricing policy for Waltham Forest residents.There is a proposal to maximise the use of the land and bring in the areas of scrub which currently attract fly-tipping. The car-park would be smaller and on the Budgen's side [on the right as you go in] (and maybe even link up with Budgen's car-park). The northern side [on the left] would be possibly family homes - which are desperately needed in Highams Park - and the development used to finance the upgraded car-park. There are to be further discussions. Highams Park could benefit considerably if a satisfactory way forward can be agreed.

Waltham Forest Council meeting

2008-03-21T08:36:00.002Z

SAVE OUR POST OFFICES
At the full Council meeting on Thursday, 20th. March, the Council gave unanimous backing (with one addition) to a Liberal Democrat motion backing the campaign to save Waltham Forest post offices.
Speaking in the debate, Cllr. John Beanse (Hale End & Highams Park ward) spoke of the absurd nature of the so-called consultation process, giving examples relating to the Sewardstone Road closure in 2003 and also the current proposed Hall Lane closure in 2008. He said it was worse than the trial in Alice in Wonderland, because it was a case of "sentence first, verdict afterwards" - and then we'll have a bit of "consultation". He stressed the need for all to stand together on this issue.
THE HALL FARM CURVE
Earlier, John had raised again the issue of the Hall Farm Curve, stressing concern because the Greater Anglia "Route Utilisation Strategy" published by Network Rail in December, 2007, speaks of "running of Chingford services to Liverpool Street via Stratford" - not SOME services. The advantages of having a service to Stratford via a relaid Hall Farm Curve are clear, but it is important that this should be an extra, ALTERNATIVE service, and that the existing service, via Hackney Downs, should be retained.

Signs of the times?

2008-03-19T10:32:00.008Z

Cllr.John Beanse succeeded in getting a question asked of the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone after contacting the Lib Dem group on the London Assembly.
John Beanse specifically wanted to know about the cost of the signage for the "Low Emission Zone". This was the exchange at City Hall:
LEZ Costs
Question No: 603 / 2008
Mike Tuffrey
What has been the total cost of the signage, including the costs for erection, for the London Emission Zone?
The total costs for the installation of LEZ signs on Highways Agency, borough and Transport for London Road Network roads was £3m.
John Beanse comments: "Obviously the "Low Emission Zone" has potential benefits but the cost of bringing it in has been enormous - £35 million in all, it is believed.
The plethora of signs is a particular issue.

Even dead end roads on the complicated boundary that has been drawn up have signs, although lorries are hardly likely to go down there!"

The photo shows the start of QUEEN'S GROVE ROAD, North Chingford. There are no roads off and there is no way through - a complete dead end.

Real votes in real ballot boxes

2008-03-19T10:09:00.002Z

The votes in Council by-elections in London over the last 6 months are startling:
LABOUR 6251 = 23%
CONSERVATIVES 8873 = 33%
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS 9797 = 36%

IRAQ

2008-03-19T10:03:00.001Z

MPs will vote next week on whether there should be a full-scale inquiry into the Iraq war to ensure that lessons are learnt from the mistakes made. This will be done in an attempt to force Gordon Brown to honour his pledge to hold an investigation. The Prime Minister committed himself to calling an inquiry in a letter to the Fabian Society. But he insisted the time is not yet right because the situation in Iraq remains "fragile". [Independent]
As Lib Dem MP Ed Davey has pointed out - "Anything that gets the Government to hold a full inquiry into the Iraq War as soon as possible will have the support of the Liberal Democrats. It is good to see that the Tories are following our lead in calling for an inquiry. Perhaps next week’s debate will also give David Cameron and his colleagues the chance to explain why they voted for this catastrophic war in the first place".

London Lib Dem Conference

2008-03-19T08:49:00.002Z

2 members of the Executive of Chingford & Woodfoord Green Liberal Democrats travelled up to London yesterday for the party's London Spring Conference. They were President Maureen Hoskins (formerly a councillor in Church End ward, Redbridge) and Chairman Cllr. John Beanse (Hale End & Highams Park ward, Waltham Forest).
There were speeches from London Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick and party leader Nick Clegg MP.
In the ensuing debates on London issues, Maurreen Hoskins spoke of the positive impact of Safer Neighbourhood Teams and urged that they should be strengthened.
John Beanse spoke of inadequate rail and bus services locally and described this constituency as a "forgotten corner of London" as far as public transport improvements are concerned.

Response to report by Lord Darzi - Healthcare for London

2008-03-16T09:07:00.000Z

A response to the Healthcare for London consultation ("Consulting the Capital"), based on the "Darzi report", has been submitted by Waltham Forest Lib Dem Councillor John Beanse, who is Vice-Chair of Waltham Forest's Overview and Scrutiny sub-committee on Health, Adults and Older People. This can be read by clicking on the Archive file for January, 2008 (left hand column below).

Fighting for local post offices

2008-03-15T12:36:00.005Z

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS' POST OFFICE CAMPAIGN

On the left: the post office at 299, Hall Lane, Chingford, E4 which is at risk. In the Redbridge part of Chingford & Woodford Green, Lib Dem Cllrs. Richard Hoskins, Hugh Cleaver and Nicola Sinclair are fighting hard to try to save the threatened post office in High Road, S.Woodford. More news via the Redbridge link above (see list in first item on blogspot). Similarly, there has been a local petition, organised by Lib Dems, and a special FOCUS in Valley ward, Waltham Forest, defending the Hall Lane branch.
Meanwhile, Waltham Forest Council as a whole has mounted a cross-party campaign to defend the 6 post offices in the borough which are threatened with closure. There is a special on-line petition which you can sign.Click here on http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/LBWFPostOffice

Back from Liverpool

2008-03-14T09:00:00.000Z

Two members of the Executive of Chingford and Woodford Green Liberal Democrats have returned from Liverpool, after taking part in the party's successful Spring Conference last weekend. They were Anne Crook, Monkhams ward rep., and Chairman Cllr.John Beanse (Hale End & Highams Park ward, Waltham Forest). Anne Crook's reflections and report on Conference can be read by scrolling down in the Archive file for March, 2008..

IMPORTANT NEWS re THE HALL FARM CURVE

2008-03-11T09:08:00.000Z

Cllr.John Beanse (Lib Dem), Hale End & Highams Park ward, Waltham Forest has obtained information that shows the rail authorities ARE now - at last - actively considering re-laying and re-opening the Hall Farm Curve.
Good news of course. However, this appears to be more as a solution to a problem than the immediate improvement in service that local campaigners are seeking.
Cllr. John Beanse explains:
"A couple of documents - "Delivering for you" (p.8) from Network Rail and Rail magazine for Jan/Feb, 2008 (p.38) refer to re-opening the Hall Farm curve - but not quite as we want it or are campaigning for!
Because of development of the Stanstead corridor, the Lea Valley Line would need greater capacity. To free up capacity into Liverpool St. via Clapton, Hackney Downs, etc, they are now actually thinking seriously of re-routing Chingford trains via Lea Bridge and Stratford - by reconstructing the Hall Farm Curve - and then from there on into Liverpool St. There would be more scope for capacity by then on the lines via Stratford and Bethnal Green, because Crossrail trains from Shenfield would disappear down the planned tunnel.
This all sounds plausible - but if this plan went ahead, how would Waltham Forest passengers get to Clapton or Hackney Downs?? - only by going into Liverpool Street and back?!
What we really need is more trains on the Chingford line AND an ALTERNATIVE service via the Hall Farm curve. Thus, for instance, there might be a choice of service and trains every 10 min. instead of 15 at most times on the Chingford - St.James St. section. As it is, it is often standing room only for many commuters, particularly in the mornings.
I regret to say that the documents I have seen do not even seem to be considering this.
So still campaigning and action are required."

Saving our NHS

2008-03-11T08:34:00.000Z

CONFERENCE BACKS RADICAL PLANS FOR THE HEALTH SERVICE
Conference backed plans to radically transform the NHS into a ‘people’s health service’ through empowering individuals and decentralising control to local communities. Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb called the result “a very significant vote” for the party. Two amendments were passed to the original motion. One means that local Health Boards (which would replace primary care trusts) would comprise two-thirds directly elected members, and one-third local authority councillors (from social care authorities). The other set criteria for the use of PFI and other private sector procurement by the NHS. [BBC] [Motion and Release] [Policy Paper]
Plans contained in the health policy paper include
· Guaranteeing every citizen access to a high standard of core healthcare entitlements within maximum waiting times in a ‘Patient’s Contract’. To make sure that the NHS delivers, patients would have the right to receive private treatment, paid for by the NHS, if the waiting time was not met.
· Introducing a ‘Care Guarantee’ by spending £2 billion on personal care payments for all elderly people requiring care, based on need and not their ability to pay.
· Directly electing the majority of members of local Health Boards instead of unaccountable Primary Care Trusts, putting people in charge of decisions about their local health services.
· Rolling out the use of direct payments and individual budgets for people with chronic, long-term conditions and mental health services.

Conference speech

2008-03-11T08:28:00.000Z

LEADER’S SPEECH: NICK CLEGG PROMISES "A NEW TYPE OF POLITICS"
In his first conference speech as leader, Nick Clegg demanded a shake-up of the whole political system. A running theme of the speech was the need for a new kind of politics. Key points from Nick’s speech include:
· "Let’s clean up politics … I want a Derek Conway Clause. So if an MP is suspended for serious misconduct there is an automatic recall ballot so people can call for a by-election.”
· "Let’s give people the say they deserve. I hold town hall meetings up and down the country every couple of weeks… Today I'm writing to invite [Brown and Cameron] to join me at any one of the town hall meetings coming up. Not as a media stunt, but a direct conversation with people“.
· "Let’s design a new political system for the 21st century. … I want a citizens’ jury of 100 people to sit in a Constitutional Convention with all the political parties, churches, civil society groups and more - to look across the board, and redesign the way Britain is governed.”
· "If we don’t act, Britain will end up like America, where political influence is all about cash. That's why I want a universal £25,000 cap on donations. A real cap on spending. And yes, an end to big union donations, and an end to offshore finance from Belize."
· Nick said he would do whatever it takes to get change in Britain: "If it means walking out of Parliament when the big parties collude against us, I say: fine. If it means boycotting banquets that celebrate our relationship with dodgy regimes, like Vince Cable did, or speaking up to expose corruption like Chris Davies did, I say: so be it. If it means risking court, and refusing to sign up for an Identity Card, I say: bring it on. And you can expect more - much more - of that from me."
· “Will I ever join a Conservative government? No. Will I ever join a Labour government? No. I will never allow the Liberal Democrats to be a mere annex to another party's agenda. But am I interested in building a new type of government? Yes. Based on pluralism instead of one party rule? Yes. A new system, that empowers people not parties? Yes. We want a new, more liberal Britain. And the Liberal Democrats will be the gathering point for everyone who wants that liberal Britain too – no matter their background, no matter their party.”

NO ENTRY!

2008-03-10T16:39:00.000Z

Recently, Cllr. John Beanse contacted a Housing Association responsible for some flats in Highams Park. He reported that the Trades entry button had not been working for months.
After a check on the computer system, he was informed:
"Yes, this has been reported - and we did send someone round - - -
but he couldn't get in !"

Waste not - - -

2008-03-10T08:47:00.000Z

Local Liberal Democrats have responded to the current consultation on North London's waste. Among the points stressed are the following:
* We need to do more to minimise waste.
* Opposition to incineration - a key local concern with the proximity of the Edmonton incinerator right on the Waltham Forest border.
* Alternative technologies must be explored and introduced.
* There needs to be much greater use of rail and waterways to transport waste - to get lorries off the roads.
* There is an over-concentration of waste sites in the Lea Valley area.
* Recycling rates need to be boosted still further.
* Above all, we need to reduce, re-use and recycle.

2008-03-10T08:26:00.000Z

SPRING CONFERENCE 08 – Anne Crook
Liverpool, European City of Culture 2008, proved to be an excellent venue for the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference. Liverpool has more listed buildings than any city outside London and as I walked from my hotel to the new Arena on Friday evening I was struck by the grandeur of the architecture: The Liver Building, the Cunard Building, the beautifully preserved Albert Dock, home to Tate Liverpool and the Maritime Museum and in the distance Liverpool Cathedral the largest Cathedral in the UK with the world’s highest Gothic arches and the modern distinctive shape of the Roman Catholic Cathedral before finally arriving at the impressive and newly opened Arena.

The Conference agenda was packed with important debates on Health, Affordable Housing, Support for Children with Special Educational Needs and Ballistic Missile Defence and enticing fringe meetings, making it hard to choose where to go.

The health debate was well attended and Conference backed plans to transform the NHS into a ‘people’s health service’ free from central government control and answerable to people through locally elected health boards. A ‘Patients Contract’ would guarantee every citizen access to a high standard of core healthcare entitlements within maximum waiting times, giving patients the right to receive private treatment, paid for by the NHS, if waiting times were not met. A Care Guarantee would provide £2billion for personal care payments for all elderly people based on need and not on the ability to pay.

Conference backed plans to build 1.3 million new social homes over the next ten years aiming to reduce the waiting list for social housing which has grown from 1 million in 1997 to 1.6 million today.

As a Special Educational Needs teacher I was glad to see Conference backing measures to improve the support for children with special educational needs. The plans include the inclusion in teacher training courses of training in all types of special educational needs and the intention to work towards achieving and then reducing the six month target for assessment of special educational needs. It is salutary to note that 87% of primary school children and 60% of children who are excluded from secondary school have autism, behavioural, emotional or other special educational needs.

It is encouraging to see the Liberal Democrats bringing important subjects to public debate which the other parties choose to ignore. Conference called for the Government to deny America the use of British bases for a unilateral ballistic missile defence system and condemned the way the Government’s decision, to allow the US to use RAF Menwith Hill for the system, was announced on the last day of the parliamentary session in an attempt to avoid public attention.

Vince Cable in his speech listed Gordon Brown’s failings: Northern Rock, lost data on 15 million families, mismanaged reforms to Capital Gains Tax and non –dom taxation, Metronet and the London Underground PPP, tax credit overpayments - the list went on and on and I almost began to feel sorry for Gordon, well almost.

Vince Cable said that he had warned Gordon Brown almost 5 years ago that there was a growing problem of personal debt and criticised banks for their ‘binge lending’ which led to the house price boon. He warned of the aftermath of ‘unsustainably cheap credit’ namely, debt arrears, repossession orders and negative equity. He said that the lenders must accept some responsibility for the plight now facing borrowers and that no one should face repossession until there has been independent financial advice and that the bank must be required to offer a range of alternative properly regulated options including shared ownership.

Nick Clegg in his first major conference speech as party leader made it clear that the price for co-operation with either of the two main parties would be significant constitutional reform. He asked, ‘Will I ever join a Conservative government? No. Will I ever join a Labour government? No. I will never allow the Liberal Democrats to be a mere annex to another party’s agenda’. He said that he wanted a new system that empowers people not parties. He argued for fairer, greener and in a new departure for the Liberal Democrats, if possible, lower taxation. He called for a £25,000 limit on donations to political parties and argued that voters should have the right to sack MPs who were suspended for serious misconduct. He pledged to continue to take a stand on matters of principle.

Liverpool provided delegates with a warm welcome. The action packed Conference left little time to explore the city so a return visit will be necessary. All that was missing was some Beatles’ music. We could have started the Conference with a rendition of the Beatles’ ‘Revolution’ and ended with John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, maybe next time.

JOINED UP THINKING ??

2008-02-24T10:15:00.002Z

After a recent meeting in London, which involved travelling to Old Street, Cllr.John Beanse writes:
At a time when there is growing awareness of the need to promote public transport, it seems extraordinary that one valuable link for Waltham Forest passengers travelling into London still remains totally absent from most Underground maps.
I refer to the very convenient interchange – no stairs, escalators or passages – at Highbury and Islington. Just by getting off the Victoria line and walking across to the opposite platform, one can easily access trains to Essex Road, Old Street and Moorgate. This line (once appearing on the maps as part of the Northern line, then as “British Rail”) is no longer shown. The trains are First Capital from Hertfordshire.
When speaking to a representative of London Underground recently and stressing the merits of again showing this link, I had an absurd conversation when I was told this is “not an Underground line” and I was countering “It certainly is an under ground line!” - and I emphasised that it is also a very easy connection.
There seems to be a complete absence of joined up thinking here and a lack of vision to boost what should be a totally integrated transport system.

Musical treat

2008-02-23T10:09:00.001Z

###Musical evening###

Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats would like to thank all those who came to very successful Musical Evening on Friday, 22nd February, 2008 at the Vestry Hall, nr.Chingford Green. Thanks also to all the performers and to those who organised and catered so well !

Threat to post offices

2008-02-20T11:14:00.004Z

LIB DEMS CONDEMN PLAN TO SHUT ONE IN FIVE LONDON POST OFFICES
A fifth of post offices in London are facing closure as part of a wider move to shut 2,500 branches nationwide. The Post Office has begun a six-week consultation on plans to close 169 of the capital's 850 post offices. It said about 90% of Londoners would see no change to their nearest branch under the proposals. Also today the Liberal Democrats have revealed figures that highlight that London already has twice as many people for each post office as the rest of the country does. Lib Dem Mayoral Candidate Brian Paddick has condemned the closure plans, accusing the Post Office of a complete disregard for the needs of the local population. [BBC]
On the Woodford side of the constituency, the post office at no.213, High Road is under threat; in Chingford, the post office in Hall Lane (number 299, nr. the N.Circular) is also on the list of those set to close.
In both cases the Lib Dems are mounting campaigns to try to Save Our Post Offices.
Local Lib Dems say "This announcement is a kick in the teeth for Londoners. Post offices perform a vital role in our communities and far too many have closed already."

Lib Dems romp home in Leyton ward, Waltham Forest

2008-02-15T10:00:00.005Z

WINNIE SMITH recaptured the third Leyton Ward council seat from Labour in a spectacular Valentine’s Day victory. The Lib Dems won an absolute majority over all other candidates.
The full result is:
Khevyn LIMBAJEE------Labour-----------------------665
William MEASURE-------Green------------------------90
Edwin NORTHOVER-----Conservative---------------108
Winnie SMITH-----------Liberal Democrat----------1360
Carole VINCENT---------Independent/Respect-----170

This brings the Lib Dems up to TWENTY councillors in Waltham Forest (the highest number ever) - WHAT A SCORE! Labour now have 25 and the Conservatives 15.

Success! Extra pillar box for Chingford Mount

2008-02-15T09:12:00.001Z

Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats have written to the Royal Mail ("Leyton Collection Hub") to thank them for providing a requested extra pillar box for Chingford Mount - sited recently on the left hand side of Chingford Mount Road as you go northwards in the Old Church direction.
The issue was first raised by Waltham Forest Lib Dem Councillor Patrick Smith who had concerns about the way the small box in the wall by Chingford cemetery (further up on the opposite side of the road) was sometimes full and where mail could even be removed.
The matter was then taken up by the Valley ward Lib Dem Focus Team and was featured in a Valley Focus newsletter towards the end of last year, which reported the good news of the promise of an extra pillar box.
There was a delay in getting the new box installed because of the utility works that have been going on recently (for Thames Water).
Valley Focus Editor Afzal Malik (Vice-Chair of Chingford & Woofdford Green Liberal Democrats) - who formerly seved the local community working in Chingford Mount, Walthamstow High St. and S.Chingford post offices - said:
"It is good news that Royal Mail have responded to our request and provided more capacity for local residents' mail with this much needed extra pillar box."

Photo shows AFZAL MALIK posting a letter of thanks to Royal Mail in the recently sited extra pillar box.

Mental health matters

2008-02-11T08:29:00.000Z

CLEGG: NO ONE SHOULD WAIT LONGER THAN 13 WEEKS FOR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has unveiled plans to guarantee everyone suffering from mental health problems a first appointment for treatment within 13 weeks of referral. Mr Clegg launched the plans in a speech at the Guardian Public Services Summit, as the party revealed new figures showing that the average time for those waiting longest for mental health treatment is over seven months, with some people waiting over three years for treatment such as psychotherapy and counselling. A survey of Mental Health Trusts in England by the Liberal Democrats shows that waiting times vary enormously according to region and type of treatment. [Full speech]

New feature !

2008-02-09T10:37:00.000Z

See the latest Lib Dem short film - scroll right down - the new feature is on the bottom left. Just click on the screen below to watch !

The Darzi Report - submission

2008-01-31T21:02:00.000Z

The following submission was sent in to the Healthcare for London consultation ("Consulting the Capital") by Lib Dem Cllr.John Beanse, who is Vice-Chair of Health Scrutiny in Waltham Forest:
Firstly, I do not find the questionnaire very helpful and cannot believe the results of answers to many questions will do much more than provide some statistics. I cannot believe that they are going to affect or alter current thinking.
- e.g.1a; 2, etc and other questions where agreement is sought.
What I find more relevant is to make the following points:
* More care in the community is a current driver for change - which coincidentally and sometimes too conveniently coincides with the need to cut deficits and save money.
Of course in many cases this may be desirable - BUT there has to be much improvement in community care. People must not be sent out of hospital early to cope on their own with inadequate help or to place an impossible burden on carers - which sometimes leads to them becoming ill themselves.
These matters receive inadequate attention in the report- there is little reference to carers.
Also, local authorities are going to need more funding for Social services - this needs to be urgently addressed.
* There is a tendency to drive down activity at local hospitals by our PCT - through day operations, more care in the community, etc, saving money. Again, sometimes, but not always, there are good clinical reasons for this approach. This can lead to ward closures, staff reductions, etc - not always so desirable. Above all, hospitals must maintain adequate capacity which can be brought into use if there is for instance an epidemic involving more admissions or a major accident, etc.
* Sending people out of hospital earlier is not always "successful". Figures I have obtained show that on average 1 in 10 of patients leaving my local hospital - for whatever reason - are likely to back in hospital within 2 months.
* The section on mental health is inadequate. There does not seem to have been sufficient input from service users, carers, or practitioners.
Also, it is not - sadly - the case that all patients with mental health problems will "recover" - the emphasis has to be on recovery (where feasible) and/or well-being.
There is insufficient awareness of the growing problems of more and more people suffering different degrees of dementia - and the implications. Home-assisted living can become impossible after a time.
We have to retain sufficient capacity in suitable homes.
* I have concerns about the suggested move to polyclinics. In a way we seem to be coming full circle. Years ago, many popular smaller hospitals - incl. "cottage hospitals" - were closed in the name of so-called "efficiency" - usually to much unheeded local protest. Are we now recreating them in a diiferent form?
* It has to be recognised that there are many patients who prefer to be with ONE GP and value that personal service. Is this recognised?
* Moving services out of district general hospitals - either to polyclinics or to specialist centres could bring unwanted consequences. There may be good reasons for having some specialist centres - but having established some, there could be moves to have more. This could downgrade hospitals by stealth.
* Let it be clear. People expect to have a fully funded, fully functioning local hospital. In many cases they are less concerned about CHOICE. Their choice is to have a local hospital - convenient for out-patient appointments and convenient for friends & family to visit in-patients. Is this being fully considered??
* I have serious reservations about the TRANSPORT implications where patients have to be taken on congested roads into central London. Why not have centres on the periphery of London?
* There is insufficient regard of the funding implications in all this.
* Both nationally and locally, proper attention has to be paid to increasing population levels. I am not convinced this is being done adequately.

I hope that all representations will be given due consideration and that the direction for the future will indeed lead to a better NHS for us all. At present I have some serious misgivings.

Getting greener in Waltham Forest

2008-01-30T08:37:00.000Z

Good news on the environment in Waltham Forest:
* the Council's vital Environmental and Regeneration department has improved recycling levels to over 30% and is driving on towards a 50% target over the next years
* the department has recorded Chartermark and Green Flag success
* performance indicators show the department is the 7th most improved of its type in the country
* Lib Dem plans to put climate change awareness at the heart of the Borough's agenda were backed at the last full Council meeting
* During the 2 Christmas weeks, borough residents recycled waste weighing the same as 179 double decker buses
The re-use, reduce, recycle message is having effect and we must keep striving to do even more.

Single sex wards - backtracking by Government

2008-01-30T08:29:00.000Z

Labour has admitted it had abandoned its historic commitment to eliminate mixed-sex wards from NHS hospitals. Health minister Lord Darzi of Denham told the House of Lords that the key manifesto pledge repeated in 1997 and 2001 was "an aspiration that cannot be met".
This is an issue that Cllr.John Beanse, Waltham Forest's Vice-Chair of Health Scrutiny, (Hale End & Highams Park ward) has raised repeatedly, including at Board meetings of Whipps Cross Hospital. He said: "Now the talk is of single sex bays within mixed sex wards. This has to be a minimum requirement. It is certainly not what we were originally led to believe was the policy." [Telegraph]

Long awaited review on voting systems

2008-01-25T15:18:00.000Z

The Government has today published its much delayed review of voting systems which examines the experiences of the different forms of elections introduced over the last ten years in the UK.
The 1997 Labour Party manifesto committed the party to holding a referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons. They have broken this promise.
The Government have come up with excuse after excuse for their delays. The latest one, set out in a written ministerial statement by Justice Minister Michael Wills today, is: "At this point, it would be premature to seek to reform the electoral system for the Commons while the voting system for a reformed and substantially or fully elected House of Lords is still to be determined."
So the Government’s excuse for delaying action on electoral reform is their continuing delay of Lords reform. As Nick Clegg says, “It takes a peculiar kind of genius for ministers to spend a decade deciding what to do with our voting system before reaching the conclusion that we should wait a bit longer.”
The government press release and ministerial statement (and, consequently, most media coverage) on the review give a misleading picture of the actual contents of the 197 page review. Despite being a government report, prepared by civil servants and issued by ministers, the truth is that the review is reasonably balanced. Its conclusions back up many of the arguments used by pro-fair votes campaigners and undermine much of the case made by those who are against reform.

So is anything ever "hypothetical"?!

2008-01-24T08:57:00.000Z

Cllr. John Beanse writes: "I have just been listening to an interview on BBC Radio 4’s "Today Programme". The Home Secretary was seeking to justify the supposed need to be able to extend the possible detention period without trial for terrorist suspects to 42 days.
She dismissed any idea that the need for such a measure was based on a hypothetical case with the memorable words:
“It won’t be hypothetical if and when it occurs”!
In the end, I suppose you can’t argue with that!"

A rail scandal

2008-01-23T08:09:00.000Z

LIB DEM RESEARCH REVEALS BRITAIN HAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE RAIL FARES IN EUROPE
Rail travel in Britain is more expensive than anywhere else in Europe, according to research by the Liberal Democrats. The figures show that, on average, £10 will buy a ticket for 27 miles travel by train in Britain, compared with nearly 50 miles in France and 383 miles in Latvia. Six years ago, British train passengers could travel 55 miles for £10. The figures, based on a comparison of European fares published in this year's Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable, show it costs nearly £40 to travel an average of 100 miles in Britain. [Telegraph]
The Lib Dems have regularly pointed out that our rail fares are the most expensive in Europe and have continued to rise in real terms, while the cost of motoring is falling. Massive fare rises, like the ones we saw earlier this month, are pricing travellers off the railways. Labour ministers regard spending on the roads as investment but spending on the railways as subsidy, just as their Tory counterparts did.

The London campaign

2008-01-15T08:48:00.000Z

Cllr.Meral Ece, Lib Dem London Assembly candidate for London North East (which includes Waltham Forest) is pictured here on the left at a dinner, alongside W.Forest councillor Liz Phillips (Portfolio holder for Health, Adults and Older People). Meral is pleased to announce a special liink for the London Mayor and GLA campaigns (voting takes place on May 1st): click on http://www.brianpaddick.org/in-your-area/waltham-forest

London Lib Dem Conference

2008-01-12T20:52:00.000Z

Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats were represented today at an important London Lib Dem Conference at the London School of Economics by 2 members of their Executive Committee: Monkhams ward rep. Anne Crook, and Chairman Cllr.John Beanse.
The day began with a keynote speech by the new party leader, NICK CLEGG MP.
There then followed discussions on many aspects of party policy.
Speaking in one of the discussions in the main hall, Cllr.John Beanse drew attention to some of the shortcomings of local government in England – in particular:
* Too many Government directives
* Too much power exercised by Council officers, rather than elected representatives
* The Cabinet system, which leaves “backbenchers” with inadequate say and influence
* The voting system by which our councils are elected, which distorts the will of the people (Cllr.Beanse quoted the disturbing example of the London Borough of Newham between 1998 and 2002 when there were 60 Labour councillors and NO OPPOSITION).
* The democratic deficit in the Health service where councillors are able to scrutinise and recommend – but may well be ignored
* The inadequate proportion of money spent by councils which can be raised locally – weakening local democracy
Cllr.Beanse stressed the need for the Liberal Democrats to "change the system" to get a better deal for people.

GOVERNMENT REVEALS NUCLEAR POWER STATION PLANS

2008-01-11T09:57:00.000Z

A new generation of nuclear power stations was today given the go-ahead by the government. LINKS: [BBC] [Guardian]
The Lib Dems say: "The Government should abandon these expensive white elephants and focus on increasing energy efficiency and the use of genuinely renewable technologies. This has effectively locked us into nuclear power for the best part of a century. By the time they are up and running in the 2020s nuclear power plants may be obsolete given the progress in renewable technologies. Energy conservation and investment in renewables should be our top priorities."

Nick Clegg off to a good start

2008-01-11T09:55:00.000Z

The media gave a big thumbs up to Nick Clegg’s performance in his first performance as leader of the Liberal Democrats at Prime Minister’s Questions, in which he questioned the Prime Minister on increasing energy bills and fuel poverty. Sky described Nick’s performance as “confident” and “assured”. A full range of comments can be found at Lib Dem Voice. Links: [EPolitix] [Lib dem voice]

2007-12-31T15:06:00.000Z

llllllllll

eee Happy New Year ! eee

llllllllll

- best wishes for 2008 to all our readers.

New Year's message from Lib Dem Leader

2007-12-31T08:03:00.000Z

Below are some extracts from Nick Clegg's New Year Message for 2008:
"2008 will be a momentous year for the Liberal Democrats.
We have before us an unparalleled opportunity. We must reach beyond the stale two-party system to the millions of people who share our liberal values, and change Britain for the better. Putting British families back in control of their everyday lives will be at the heart of everything we stand for. Giving power and responsibility to families – of every shape and size, of every background – is the only way to make sure everyone has a fair chance in life.
I will not tolerate a country in which the poorest people die 13 years sooner than the richest, lone parent families are twice as likely to get attacked or burgled, and the poorest pupils are twice as likely to fail their GCSEs.
I believe no-one should be condemned by the circumstances of their birth. And I am certain that is what the British people believe, too. We are a nation with a strong sense of fair play, and natural justice.
The challenge for our party is to persuade those people that their home is with the Liberal Democrats.
-- we should campaign tirelessly to stop the expensive, invasive and unnecessary Identity Cards scheme in its tracks.
I urge you to join with me to make this happen: so we can truly give British families control over their own lives this year.
Together, we can make Britain the liberal country the British people want it to be."
Nick Clegg, Leader, Liberal Democrats
P.S. You can also watch and comment on my new year message on YouTube.

NICK CLEGG, the new leader of the Liberal Democrats

2007-12-19T08:41:00.000Z

Lib Dem members have elected Nick Clegg MP to be the new leader of the party.
Nick Clegg factfile:
* MP for Sheffield Hallam, first elected in 2005
* Born in 1967, married to Miriam, with two young children
* Used to work managing aid projects overseas and as a trade negotiator for the EU
* Leading the campaign to scrap the Government’s ineffective ID cards plan and spend the money on more police instead
* His top three priorities are giving children the best start in life, taking real action to cut crime and leading the fight to protect vital local health services.
After his election, he said:
"Labour and the Conservatives have failed Britain's families. I will lead my party to change politics, and change Britain, for the better. Only the Liberal Democrats are committed to giving the people a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives, by shifting power away from Westminster and back to local communities. I will fight for a fair deal for Britain’s families, campaign tirelessly to cut crime, and improve our NHS so it delivers the care people need.
Gordon Brown’s Government is blundering from one disaster to another. But the Conservatives’ policy-lite PR agenda has failed to catch people’s imagination. People are ready to hear what the Liberal Democrats have to offer."
Film link - click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzO5G4zb6zo

CONSERVATIVES PROGRESSIVE? NO WAY, SAYS CABLE

2007-12-18T08:27:00.000Z

The Liberal Democrats have dismissed a cynical call by David Cameron for the two parties to forge a "progressive alliance" against Labour. The Conservative leader had called on the Lib Dems and the Green Party to join forces in promoting a "decentralisation agenda". Both acting Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable and former leader Charles Kennedy criticised the proposals yesterday, with Kennedy saying that he did not “see a great consensus between the leaders of the Tories and Liberal Democrats" on issues such as Europe.” [EPolitix] [Observer]
Vince Cable said: "The Liberal Democrats will continue to work with other parties on issues where we have common ground and can work together in the national interest. However, this is not a serious proposal and David Cameron clearly lives in cloud-cuckoo land. A Conservative party that wants to cut funding on public services and talks the talk on green issues but fails to deliver any meaningful policies has little to offer today's Britain. Only recently the Tories have revealed their true colours on environmental issues by supporting nuclear power and backing the expansion of major airports. The Liberal Democrats are the only party who consistently offer a clear and progressive agenda for a fairer, greener and liberal Britain."

Fighting for a fair democracy in Britain

2007-12-18T08:17:00.000Z

A CATALOGUE OF GOVERNMENT FAILURE

Speaking of the barrage of attacks on the Labour government in the media, Lib Dem Cllr.John Beanse said: “The media have turned the spotlight of late on several failings of the Labour government.
However, there is one vital issue that has received little or no attention – our inadequate democracy. The government’s record is a sorry catalogue of unfulfilled promises:
Ø In 1996, Tony Blair said: there should be “the chance for the people to decide after the election by which system they elect the government of the future”.
Ø In 1997, the Labour party election manifesto said: “We are committed to a referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons.” An Independent Commission under Lord Jenkins was set up, but its recommendations were ignored.
Ø In 2001, the Labour manifesto said: “We will review the experience of the new systems and the Jenkins Report to assess whether changes might be made to the electoral system for the House of Commons” - and again promised a referendum. Still no referendum.
Ø In 2005, the same commitment was repeated.
Ø This year (2007), the "Governance of Britain Green Paper" stated: “In line with the government’s manifesto, it is carrying out a review of the experience of the new voting systems established since 1997 - - -” This review was supposed to be completed by the end of 2007.
Here we are at the end of the year and still we have nothing. The Liberal Democrats will continue to hold the Government to account on this vital issue.”
Cllr. John Beanse added: “ We desperately need to bring our democracy into the 21st century. We need a fair voting system where all votes count equally and the balance of public opinion is reflected accurately in the Commons. The reality is that, counting in those who did not vote at all in the last General Election, the present government had the support of only about 22% of the British people in 2005. This is a mockery of the word “democracy.” ”

FOCUS number 100

2007-12-09T16:41:00.000Z

Liberal Democrats in Hale End & Highams Park ward have recently celebrated the launch of Focus number 100. The special edition is in full colour front & back and, as a lead story, features Ken Livingstone's refusal to back the Waltham Forest campaign to re-open the Hall Farm curve [to provide an extra rail service from Chingford and Walthamstow to STRATFORD]. Also on page 1 is a short report, with photo, of the work of Waltham Forest's Deputy Mayor Cllr.Sheila Smith-Pryor.

Who's who in the Lib Dems?!

2007-12-09T16:38:00.000Z

A recently published photo (in a Lib Dem newspaper reporting on Conferences) of part of the audience at this year's Brighton Conference.

The 2 people featured here are of course former leader Charles Kennedy MP - and Cllr.John Beanse (Hale End & Highams Park ward, Waltham Forest) !

FALL IN GREEN TAXES CRITICISED BY LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

2007-12-05T08:20:00.000Z

New figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that the share of government revenue generated by green taxes fell last year to the lowest level for at least 13 years. The amount raised by so-called green taxes, which includes air passenger duty and fuel taxes, dropped from 7.7% of total revenue to 7.3% in 2006. The figures show green taxes have now dropped for four successive years. [Telegraph]
Chris Huhne MP said: "Gordon Brown has run scared of any tough decisions on the environment. How will these disappointing figures be looked upon at the Climate Change conference in Bali this week? Sadly, all the evidence is that Mr Brown is not green and does not understand the key threat posed by climate chaos. Polluters must pay, we must shift tax from people and on to pollution."

100th Focus celebration

2007-12-04T15:30:00.000Z

Focus Editor Cllr.John Beanse with knife poised on cake !

Hale End & Highams Park Focus no.100 party
A special event was held on Sat. Dec.1st. to mark the 100th. edition of Hale End & Highams Park FOCUS. Many helpers and supporters came along for the party, which also served as a way of thanking all volunteers for their invaluable contribution to the work of FOCUS over so many years. It is expected that the special 4-page FOCUS no.100 - which has colour pages front and back - will be delivered throughout the ward over the next 2 weeks.

Later in the evening the party enjoyed a seasonal

Christmas sing-along (Jane Morgan at the piano).

Lib Dem Leadership contenders speak out

2007-12-01T14:13:00.000Z

Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne speak out on our inadequate democracy

Nick Clegg says
“Our political system is broken. The Houses of Parliament is fast becoming a museum piece – a 19th century home for our 21st century political elite.
For much of the week its benches are almost empty. The place only comes to life for that half hour of barracking and bullying known as Prime Minister’s Questions.
But is this surprising when we are governed by a party voted for by just 22 percent of the people, but which has 55 percent of the MPs?
The current system robs most of us of our right to a voice. If you want your vote to matter, there’s only one thing to do: move to a seat with a fragile majority. Election after election throws up collagen majorities – fat and fake."
Chris Huhne says
“British politics is rotten. You cannot build a responsive, healthy and energetic democracy on the sickly constitutional system Britain currently has. Labour and the Tories will continue to tinker around the edges of politics, rather than engage in a real debate, as long as the system encourages them to do so. As Liberal Democrat leader, I will defy that cosy consensus and appeal for votes all over our country. And I will continue to press the case for every person being equal before the ballot box as well as equal before the law. So long as we have a corrupt first-past-the-post system, we cannot have democracy that captures the imagination or inspires the confidence of the British people."

TUBE PETITION

2007-11-28T11:04:00.000Z

London Liberal Democrats will present their ‘Tube Passengers must not pay the penalty for PPP failure’ petition to Mayor Livingstone on Monday. You can still sign by clicking here.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

2007-11-19T14:17:00.000Z

SPEAKING UP "FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES"
The Annual General Meeting of Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats was held on Friday, 16th. November at North Chingford Methodist Church.
GUEST SPEAKER was Cllr. MERAL ECE, who is the Lib Dems’ London Assembly candidate for the elections next May in London North East. The constituency comprises Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington. [She is herself an Islington councillor and has previously been a councillor in Hackney. She is currently Islington’s Chair of Overview and Scrutiny].
Addressing the meeting with an upbeat message, she stressed that this is a winnable seat.
She drew attention to the fact that that this is a very varied, diverse part of London with a mix of different communities and ages.
Particular concerns she referred to were Health and other public services, crime and policing, and the local environment.
She said “Sometimes there is the wrong culture in public services and there are also injustices. There is a need for someone to root for the people. I want to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
"-- not a popularity contest"
In his Chairman’s report, Cllr. John Beanse thanked all those who had helped in any way in the past busy 12 months. On the national stage he regretted the circumstances that had led to Ming Campbell standing down as party leader. He said: “People in Britain need to realise that politics is not – or should not be – some kind of popularity contest. The bottom line is that if either Gordon Brown OR David Cameron had been Prime Minister at the time, we would still have gone to war with Iraq. Ming Campbell was a politician of integrity who deserved respect – not the treatment he received in some of the media."
Cllr. John Beanse referred to the surge of support towards the Lib Dems in the Chingford Green by-election earlier in the year, where the Liberal Democrat candidate gained a creditable second place with over 1000 votes. He reviewed the ongoing work on the councils in Redbridge and Waltham Forest and in the different wards and expressed particular pleasure that Cllr. Sheila Smith-Pryor was the current Deputy Mayor in Waltham Forest..
Looking ahead, he referred to the Assembly and Mayoral elections next year and said : “we need to look forward now and advance the cause of Liberal democracy for a fairer and greener Britain.”

Lib Dems hold their AGM-

2007-11-19T09:14:00.001Z

Cllr.MERAL ECE, the Lib Dem candidate in next year's London Assembly elections in London North East, who was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats. The meeting was held on Friday, 16th.November at N.Chingford Methodist Church.
Meral delivered an upbeat message and stressed that this was a winnable seat, (comprising Waltham Forest, Islington and Hackney). She said there was a need for the Liberal Democrats to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Waltham Forest Deputy Mayor in action

2007-11-16T11:48:00.000Z

Lib Dem Cllr. Sheila Smith-Pryor (Hale End & Highams Park ward), pictured recently, officiating at a Waltham Forest Citizenship ceremony. 30 new British citizens were awarded their certificates that day.

Getting greener?

2007-11-14T10:04:00.000Z

BRITAIN STILL THE DIRTY MAN OF EUROPE ON RECYCLING, FIGURES SHOW
Research by the Local Government Association has shown that the UK dumps more household waste into landfill than any other country in the EU. UK households sent 22.6 million tonnes of rubbish to landfill in 2004/5, the most recent year for which comparable figures are available across the EU. [BBC] After 10 years in power, Britain is still the dirty man of Europe on recycling. No other rich country performs so badly.
In Waltham Forest, there has been a big drive to push up recycling rates and the Council is now one of the best performing councils on recycling in London.

Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor

2007-11-14T09:57:00.000Z

Brian Paddick has been selected to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor in next May’s election. The former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police was selected after winning a ballot of the party's London members. Mr Paddick, who resigned from the Met earlier this year, beat competition from Chamali Fernando and Fiyaz Mughal for the candidacy. He won 73% of the first preference votes during the contest and will stand against Labour's Ken Livingstone and the Conservatives' Boris Johnson. [BBC] [Brian Paddick’s first speech]

Definitely food for thought!

2007-11-12T10:26:00.000Z

TWO THIRDS SEE OPPORTUNITY FOR LIBERAL DEMOCRAT BREAKTHROUGH
In his Queen’s Speech response, acting Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable highlighted what he called a “grand coalition of ideas” between Labour and the Conservatives. It seems most people agree. A poll for The Times has found that 64% of those questioned think “there is so little difference now between Labour and the Conservatives that there is a real opportunity to make a breakthrough if the Lib Dems can develop some clear and distinctive policies”. (Perhaps we should read that as “get across the clear and distinctive policies they already have”?) Other findings in the Populus poll were:
· 70% of those questioned would favour the Liberal Democrats if they had a strong and credible new leader
· 54% say that if no party has an overall majority after the next general election, the Lib Dems should be willing to support whichever has the largest number of MPs
[Times - Peter Riddell analysis] [Lib Dem briefing on Lab-Con ‘cosy consensus’]

Healthcare Commission

2007-11-10T11:20:00.000Z

Summary of the verdict on our local health services:
[1 = Quality of services; 2 = Use of resources (finances, etc)]
Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust: 1. Fair 2. Weak
Redbridge Primary Care Trust: 1. Fair 2. Good
Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust: 1. Fair 2. Weak
North East London Mental Health Trust (NELMHT): 1.Good 2. Fair
To read a fuller report - with links - type Healthcare Commission into box top left and click on SEARCH BLOG.

Lib Dem film

2007-11-08T16:40:00.000Z

The Liberal Democrats' latest film (party political broadcast), first broadcast on Thursday, 8th November, can be seen - or watched again - on the party's YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/libdem
The film will go live on YouTube at 17:55 on 8.11.07.

On-line petitions

2007-11-08T15:58:00.000Z

To support the call to bring our troops home from Iraq, please click on http://www.ourcampaign.org.uk/iraq
Back the Lib Dem NHS campaign by clicking on http://www.nhssos.com/
There are 3 main demands: 1. Stop the cuts. 2. Cut the waste. 3. Give us back our NHS.

Walthamstow Liberal Democrats Christmas Dinner

2007-11-07T14:32:00.000Z

Date: 1st December
Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm start
Venue: The Royal Forest Hotel, 4 Rangers Road,Chingford, E4 7QH Hosted by: Farid Ahmed
Chief guest: Lord Eric Avebury
Guest speakers: Nick Clegg MP
Chris Huhne MP
Great opportunity to meet Nick Clegg & Chris Huhne, the two candidates for the party leadership, in a relaxed and social environment. The chief guest Lord Avebury, is a member of the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Team, and speaks frequently on conflict resolution and human rights.
Ticket price is £20 for a three course festive dinner if booked before the 21st of November, thereafter ticket price is £25 25. Vegetarian meal available on request. Please call Seema on 020 7096 5086 (9.30am - 5.00pm) or email her on seema@oplsolutions.com to book your tickets. Please send cheques payable Walthamstow Lib Dems, 3 Palmerston Rd, Walthamstow, E17 6PQ.

Ken refuses again to support the Hall Farm Curve

2007-11-07T10:59:00.000Z

City Hall on the south bank of the Thames in London.
At a Question Time session here in October, London Lib Dem Transport spokesman Geoff Pope asked the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone:
"Please update me on the progress you and Transport for London have made with Network Rail seeking to reopen the Hall Farm Curve".
The response from the Mayor was:
"The business case for the re-instatement of the link between Chingford and Stratford remains weak compared with other priorities for the improvement of National Rail services in north-east London".
The question was put after Geoff Pope was contacted on this issue by Waltham Forest Lib Dem Councillor John Beanse.
Cllr.John Beanse called the Mayor's response "depressingly curt and dismissive". He commented further: "It is a disgrace that the Mayor continues obstinately to refuse to back this scheme which could bring considerable benefit to the people of Waltham Forest.
This is not a massive scheme, in that it just requires the funding to relay and re-open the Hall Farm curve beyond St.James St. and then provide an extra rail service to Stratford, which would then become feasible. The new link would prove a valuable interchange with the Docklands Light Railway, the Central and Jubilee lines, plus overground services. The embankment for the curve is still there and passengers can see it as they travel between St.James St. and Clapton as a sorry reminder of what could be!
If we are serious about an "integrated transport system" in this country, this is just the sort of scheme that should be given the go-ahead.

There is now another dimension. Crossrail has been given the go-ahead. When it was first suggested, it was proposed that the CHINGFORD line should be linked in. (Specific in a 1989 document).
Sadly this is no longer the case. In fact the line has been re-routed via WHITECHAPEL, not the original route. (For more news, type Crossrail into box top left and then click on SEARCH BLOG alongside) This means that
a) in order to use Crossrail trains, passengers from Waltham Forest will have to change trains at Liverpool Street
b) the ONLY way the Chingford line could now ever be directly linked to the Crossrail tunnel (and that would be another battle) would be to get the Hall Farm curve in place first!
So Waltham Forest is losing out twice over and it is high time the Mayor took a more enlightened look at this issue."

London NE Lib Dem GLA candidate

2007-11-06T11:01:00.000Z

For an item on MERAL ECE, GLA candidate, click on October, 2007 and scroll down or type Meral Ece in box top left and then click on SEARCH BLOG alongside.

Less than half of students taking European Languages GCSEs

2007-11-06T10:56:00.000Z

Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show the number of teenagers studying European languages has slumped to below half. Just 48 per cent of 16-year-olds at English secondary schools took a GCSE in French, German or Spanish, compared with eight in 10 when Labour came to power. The decline comes after the Government made modern languages optional for pupils over 14 years old in 2004. [Telegraph] In just five years we have gone from the vast majority of young people taking GCSEs in European languages, to less than half. For further comment on the issue, type Languages into the box top left and click on SEARCH BLOG alongside.

Hall open again

2007-11-01T16:34:00.000Z

North Chingford Assembly Hall is open again for business after its recent refurbishment. There was a "Fun Day" and an official re-opening of the Hall and the adjoining Library [which has in fact been functioning again for some time] on Saturday, 27th.October. Chingford residents and Lib Dems had argued that what was needed here was not some grand scheme but proper refurbishment and so it is gratifying that local wishes were heeded in the end!

Crossrail

2007-10-30T10:38:00.000Z

The Crossrail project could be ready to open from 2015. The red section marks the planned tunnel. Westwards the line goes out to MAIDENHEAD with several intervening stops and there is to be a branch to HEATHROW. In the east, the termini are SHENFIELD and ABBEY WOOD.
Cllr.John Beanse (Hale End & Highams Park ward, W.Forest) has been interested in the plans since 1989 and has a copy of one of the early documents which at that time specifically referred to the CHINGFORD line being linked in. He commented: "Now with the planned tunnel through Whitechapel we would actually need the Hall Farm curve in place BEFORE there could be any POSSIBILITY of a direct link! So Waltham Forest is losing out twice over at present. The project will certainly improve public transport through London, but Waltham Forest residents would be even more impressed if they could board a train on the Chingford line and travel directly through the tunnel without needing to change at Liverpool Street!" [Read more by entering Crossrail in the box top left and clicking on SEARCH BLOG]

Lib Dem leadership contest

2007-10-23T08:47:00.000+01:00

At present the Lib Dem leadership contest looks like being a contest between MPs Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg.
Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg took part in two unofficial hustings over the weekend, at the party’s South Central Regional Conference in Newbury on Saturday, and on BBC1’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday (click here to view). The two leadership contenders told Andrew Marr there are no fundamental differences between them on policy. Chris Huhne said the party would have to choose "who is going to best present" its case. Nick Clegg also stressed communication skills, saying he could speak in a "plain, direct" way to disaffected voters and create a sense of "dynamism". In an article in the Sunday Telegraph Chris Huhne brands David Cameron and Gordon Brown “the Tory twins”. Responding to a Q&A in The Independent Chris says that if he won the contest he would offer Charles Kennedy a place on his front bench. "He is far too big a talent for him to sit on the subs' bench rather than play on the field," says Chris. Nick said he would ask Charles to be part of a new committee to help guide his leadership. He has written to him and plans similar invitations to Ming Campbell, Paddy Ashdown, David Steel and Shirley Williams.

The Waltham Forest winner!

2007-10-22T09:07:00.000+01:00

Laura voted Youth Champion by local students

Cllr. Laura Sheppard (Lib Dem, Cann Hall ward) has been declared the winner of "I'm a Councillor Get Me Out of Here" as part of Waltham Forest's Local Democracy week.
Five Waltham Forest councillors spent a fortnight answering questions from younger constituents with 'evictions' in week two. All Waltham Forest secondary schools signed up and e-mailed questions, read councillors' manifestos and participated in live chats.
Laura said, "It's an honour to be voted as youth champion by local students. As a young councillor I hope that I can encourage more young people to become involved in politics and feel they can identify with their elected representatives".

GLA candidate in London North East

2007-10-20T11:34:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrats in North East London Constituency have chosen Cllr. Meral Ece as their Candidate for the London Assembly. This GLA constituency includes the Waltham Forest part of Chingford & Woodford Green.
Liberal Democrats in the North East Constituency – Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest, have selected Meral Ece as their candidate for the London Assembly elections due in May 2008.

Meral, an experienced campaigner and councillor, has been a councillor in Islington since 2002, and was the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services 2002-6. She has also been a councillor serving on Hackney Council from 1994- 2002, and is currently the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny for Islington Council.
Meral has had a successful career in the NHS as the chief officer of a Community Health Council, campaigning for better health services.
Commenting on her selection, Meral said:
“ I am extremely proud to be selected as candidate to represent the people of Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest. I was born here, and have lived in this part of London all my life. I have had the privilege to represent people in Hackney and Islington since 1994.
“All three of my children went to state schools in both Islington and Hackney, where my son is currently studying for his A levels at Stoke Newington Sixth Form.”
“I am determined that the communities of North East London should be effectively represented at the Greater London Assembly, instead of having a GLA member representing the Mayor of London to the electorate”
“For too long the people of this part of London have not had an independent voice representing them at London level. If elected I will fight for the interests of all the communities within this constituency about the issues that concern them, like crime, safer streets, a greener and cleaner environment, social and affordable housing.”

Visit Meral online at http://www.meralece.org.uk/

Save our Post Offices

2007-10-17T15:42:00.000+01:00

The government has no plan to save the Post Office network, only one to manage its decline.
3,500 post offices closed under the Tories, 4,000 have already closed under Labour.
Only the Liberal Democrats have a fully-funded plan to save the Post Office.
Our plan would give a real investment of £2 billion in the post office, would increase the services offered at local post office branches and enhance the network. We are the only party with a fully-funded plan to save the post office, give it a long-term future and not just manage its decline.
Our plan would see:
£2 billion invested in post office branches;
New branches opening where needed;
Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;
The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business;
A new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.
POST OFFICE DELIVERS - boxing clever!
Meanwhile, locally, Lib Dems are pleased that
a) a large pillar-box has been sited outside Costcutter at Chingford Mount, where the Post Office is now located. [Lib Dems had argued that if there could not be a box outside the shop, there ought to be one inside, but the Post Office decided to position a box here on the pavement - a welcome decision (instead of corner of Larkswood Road)].
b) a second new box has been promised, to be sited further up the Mount near HSBC. We hope this will appear in a month or two. [Local Lib Dems had reported to the Post Office that the wall box by the cemetery was not adequate provision; when full, items could be removed. This box will, however, remain, when we get the new box].

Our local Mental Health Services

2007-10-17T10:49:00.000+01:00

The joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has completed its report on the NELMHT application for Foundation Trust status and its proposed service reprovision. [NELMHT = North East London Mental Health Trust].
The cross-borough, cross-party group - which includes Lib Dem councillors John Beanse (Waltham Forest) and Ralph Scott (Redbridge) - has made many recommendations on the future of Mental Health services across the 4 boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering and Barking & Dagenham.
Particular concerns were the precise role of the proposed Board of Governors; the adequacy of services locally, given the drive towards more "care in the community"; more support needed for carers, with adequate respite provision; the need for all GPs to be more knowledgeable on mental health issues; greater emphasis needed on dementia problems - and much more.
Under the Department of Health guidance, NELMHT has 28 days to respond.

More news on health and other issues on www.cannhall.blogspot.com

Ming stands down; new leadership contest

2007-10-16T08:53:00.000+01:00

Sir Menzies Campbell MP has decided to stand down as Leader of the Liberal Democrats. There will now be a fresh election for Leader with members each having a vote. The decision will be made by mid-December.
Cllr.John Beanse, Chairman of Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats, in a personal reaction, commented: "The media have been following their own agenda, particularly highlighting the irrelevant issue of Ming's age. Sadly, many of the public seem to have responded to that, but somehow it is vital that Britain wakes up to the realisation that in this so-called TV age, politics is not - or should not be - some sort of Big Brother contest. The fact is that Ming showed integrity and judgement and if either Gordon Brown OR David Cameron had been Prime Minister at the time, we would STILL have gone to war with Iraq. It was Ming who argued cogently the case against that disastrous policy.
We send our thanks and best wishes to Ming and trust that a new leader will be chosen who will fulfil the vital task of driving forward Liberal Democracy in this country."

NHS consultation delayed - yet again

2007-10-16T08:28:00.000+01:00

SOME GOOD NEWS - SOME CONCERNS
After recent announcements, the uncertainty over the future of our local health services (across the 4 boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Barking & Dagenham) will continue, with any prospect of a consultation now receding probably well into the New Year.
After his review, Professor Sir George Alberti has concluded that "Option 4" would be the best way forward for N.E.London. This would retain WHIPPS CROSS as a District General Hospital with some reduced functions. However, King George's at Goodmayes would cease to be a District General Hospital and become what is described as a "local hospital."
Sir George concludes that there is still more work to be done, before there can be any question of consultation.
He says: "Maintaining safe high-quality services on three hospital sites is not possible." Cllr.John Beanse, who is a member of the cross-borough Scrunitny group said: "The panel will be very keen to question this and ask "WHY NOT?!" While the implications for WHIPPS CROSS are to an important extent gratifying, but only as far as they go, the future of health services in Redbridge will be a major concern in that borough. The battle for our local health services goes on."
Cllr.John Beanse also drew attention to some apparently damning judgements:
1. Sir George says: "What we did not find was the leadership or the detailed planning that would give me confidence that the NHS was ready to set out on a journey involving major service change. That needs to be put right."
2. NHS London described the report as "a wake-up call to the NHS in outer north-east London." They also say that there needs to be "greater clinical and managerial leadership from within local NHS organisations and much more detailed planning around implementation."
3. The NELMHT Business Strategy actually includes the very striking and disturbing sentence: "The level of primary care is generally poor in these four PCTs." [NELMHT = North East London Mental Health Trust; PCT = Primary Care Trust]
Cllr.John Beanse, who is Vice-Chair of Health Scrutiny in Waltham Forest said: "There is a democratic deficit in the way our health services are run. Too often Health services managers seem to resent criticism from "outsiders" and there is insufficient internal scrutiny of a critical nature. These factors have contributed in my view to the situation we are now in."

Healthcare Commission - the verdict

2007-10-15T07:19:00.000+01:00

Results of the latest Healthcare Commission findings on our local health services are summarised below (as they appear on the Healthcare Commission website), including links (phrases underlined) which you can click on for more information.
Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust: Overall rating for 2006/2007
Quality of services - this score covers a range of areas including safety of patients, cleanliness and waiting times.
Fair [2005/2006 Fair]
Use of resources - this score looks at how well the organisation manages its finances.
Weak [2005/2006 Weak]
Summary
Based on our assessment, Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust continued to provide an adequate quality of service to patients. It continued to be weak at managing its finances. In a recent survey of trusts in England, patients rated this organisation as satisfactory in terms of their overall experience.
More information about our assessments is available below.
How this trust meets levels of service in:
Waiting to be seen Keeping the public healthy Good management
How patients rate this trust
In our survey of patients, Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust received an overall score of Satisfactory
See the full patient survey results for Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust

Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust: Overall rating for 2006/2007
Quality of services - this score covers a range of areas including safety of patients, cleanliness and waiting times.
Fair [2005/2006 Good]
Use of resources - this score looks at how well the organisation manages its finances.
Weak [2005/2006 Weak]
Summary
Based on our assessment, Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust provided an adequate quality of service to patients but failed to maintain the good standard of performance it achieved the previous year. It continued to be weak at managing its finances. In a recent survey of trusts in England, patients rated this organisation as below average in terms of their overall experience.
More information about our assessments is available below.
How this trust meets levels of service in:
Safety and cleanliness Standard of care Waiting to be seen Dignity and respect Keeping the public healthy Good management
How patients rate this trust
In our survey of patients, Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust received an overall score of Below Average
See the full patient survey results for Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust

Redbridge Primary Care Trust: Overall rating for 2006/2007
Quality of services - this score covers a range of areas including safety of patients, cleanliness and waiting times.
Fair [2005/2006 Fair]
Use of resources - this score looks at how well the organisation manages its finances.
Good [2005/2006 Fair]
Summary
Based on our assessment, Redbridge Primary Care Trust continued to provide an adequate quality of service to patients. It was good at managing its finances and also made improvements. In a recent survey of trusts in England, patients rated this organisation as satisfactory in terms of their overall experience.
More information about our assessments is available below.
How this trust meets levels of service in: Waiting to be seen Keeping the public healthy Good management
How patients rate this trust
In our survey of patients, Redbridge Primary Care Trust received an overall score of Satisfactory
See the full patient survey results for Redbridge Primary Care Trust

North East London Mental Health NHS Trust: Overall rating for 2006/2007
Quality of services this score covers a range of areas including safety of patients, cleanliness and waiting times.
Good [2005/2006 Fair]
Use of resources this score looks at how well the organisation manages its finances.
Fair [2005/2006 Fair]
Summary
Based on our assessment, North East London Mental Health NHS Trust provided a good quality of service to patients, having made improvements compared to the previous year. It continued to manage its finances adequately. In a recent survey of trusts in England, patients rated this organisation as satisfactory in terms of their overall experience.
More information about our assessments is available below.
How this trust meets levels of service in: Safety and cleanliness Standard of care Waiting to be seen Dignity and respect Keeping the public healthy Good management
How patients rate this trust
In our survey of service users, North East London Mental Health NHS Trust received an overall score of Satisfactory
See the full patient survey results for North East London Mental Health NHS Trust

What a farce!

2007-10-05T09:24:00.000+01:00

Lib Dem Cllr.John Beanse, commenting on the current political situation, said: "The situation over recent weeks has been a complete farce.
Now the phoney war is over and the election that never was is past history. Now we need to get back to the issues which really matter: the environment, Iraq, health, education, and so much more. The whole scenario of intense media coverage and the mass of public opinion polls which fuelled the "will he, won't he?" speculation on whether Gordon Brown would call a General Election was emphatically bad for effective government and bad for Britain.
The real lesson to be learnt is this: we need to have fixed term parliaments in this country with elections held automatically every four years. There is no democratic principle whatsoever which justifies giving a Prime Minister the right to call an election just when it suits him. It's high time we modernised our democracy in this country."
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS TABLE FIXED-TERM PARLIAMENTS BILL IN HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Liberal Democrats have tabled a Bill in the House of Commons to introduce fixed parliamentary terms of four years. The Bill would fix the date of the next general election (as 7 May 2009) and all subsequent general elections (four yearly intervals, on the first Thursday in May), forbid the dissolution of Parliament at times between those dates and allow the House of Commons to change the day of the week on which general elections are held. The Bill has been tabled by Liberal Democrat Shadow Solicitor General, David Howarth MP. [Politics.co.uk]

Crossrail news

2007-10-04T11:16:00.000+01:00

Crossrail, the biggest transport infrastructure project in the UK since the Channel tunnel rail link, is set to go ahead after the City agreed financial backing for the £16bn scheme. The City of London Corporation approved the final piece in a complex funding jigsaw at a crunch meeting yesterday. Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer said it was great news that at long last Crossrail looked set to get the go-ahead. [Guardian]
Commenting on the local implications, Cllr.John Beanse, (Hale End & Highams Park ward, Waltham Forest & Chair of Chingford & Woodford Green Liberal Democrats), said:
"When the idea of Crossrail was first suggested, we were actually sold the idea on the basis of having a direct train link from CHINGFORD, through a new tunnel from Liverpool Street to Paddington and beyond.
The scheme has since changed, so that it would now be trains coming on the lines from Essex through Stratford that would have the direct service. This is a regrettable alteration as far as residents of Waltham Forest are concerned. It is also striking that not even the trains from Stansted will go through the tunnel! So much for integrated public transport!
Nevertheless the news is welcome because Crossrail would certainly improve transport in London. It's just a pity that passengers on the Chingford line will have to change trains at Liverpool Street in order to use it - not what we were led to believe originally.
When we add in the lack of progress on the proposed relaying and re-opening of the HALL FARM CURVE beyond St.James St. to provide an extra service from Chingford and Walthamstow to STRATFORD, it is clear that the residents of Waltham Forest are being short-changed where public transport is concerned."

The Environment - action now!

2007-09-24T11:06:00.000+01:00

The central theme of the recent Liberal Democrat conference was “The Environment – Action Now”. With the policies in our climate change paper we have become the first major British party to map out the route to a carbon neutral Britain. Running through all our policies is a green thread that signals our commitment to combating climate change. Under our proposals, the UK would set the green standard for others to reach.
Recent scientific evidence suggests that the target of 60% cut in emissions is on the low side, and Lib Dems will continue to press for a more ambitious but realistic target of at least 80% by 2050. Our ‘Zero Carbon Britain’ paper, including a commitment to work towards a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, is the most ambitious proposals on climate change of any political party. If this is to be achieved, annual targets of at least 3 per cent will be necessary. The Government has the opportunity to provide genuine international leadership in the fight against Climate Change, yet the current bill is simply weak in too many key areas, such as the exclusion of shipping and international aviation emissions. The failure to address these emissions would simply allow them to grow and they must be included in the final bill.
Beyond the Climate Change Bill, we need both the Conservative and Labour parties to be as bold as the Liberal Democrats have been in proposing measures to promote, support and reward efforts to combat climate change. Our ‘Zero Carbon Britain’ paper includes proposals such as our Green Tax Switch campaign that switches the tax burden from good things like work, risk and effort to bad things like pollution. We need fairer and greener taxes, not more taxes.
[Watch our 'Environment: Act Now' video]

Lib Dem Leader Sir Menzies Campbell MP - Conference speech

2007-09-21T19:03:00.000+01:00

The cosy Labour/Tory consensus
In his speech to the Liberal Democrat conference, Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell MP highlighted how on so many of the major political issues there is a two-party consensus between Labour and Conservatives – comfortable, cosy and complacent. On the environment, taxes, pensions, nuclear power, tuition fees, Iraq.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown hasn’t taken the tough decisions to tackle climate change, he hasn’t scrapped ID cards, he hasn’t brought the troops home from Iraq.
As Chancellor over the last ten years with unparalleled influence over government, he has to take responsibility for the Government’s policy mistakes on issues such as: Iraq, civil liberties, the environment, nuclear power, council tax, and student fees.
The full speech is on the Liberal Democrat website, and you can comment on it on http://www.mingcampbell.org.uk

Successful conference in Brighton

2007-09-21T15:23:00.000+01:00

Local Liberal Democrats have just returned from a very successful party Conference in Brighton. In the Chingford & Woodford Green group were Anne Crook (Monkhams ward representative on the Chingford & Woodford Green Lib Dems' Executive committee) and Geoff Seeff and Cllr. John Beanse (Vice-Chair & Chair respectively).
All made contributions to several fringe meetings on a wide variety of topics, and were also actively involved in voting on important issues in the main Conference hall.

Back the call to bring our troops out of Iraq

2007-09-20T14:12:00.000+01:00

Lib Dems have called again for troops to be brought home from Iraq.
As Sir Ming Campbell said: "It is time to recognise that British troops can do no more in Iraq. Their professionalism and dedication has been outstanding and their courage has been beyond belief.The Government is failing to answer the fundamental question about the military purpose they are serving and the political objective they are achieving by their continued presence.The level of casualties is unacceptable. We have a moral obligation to the young men and women of our armed forces. We should now set a framework for their withdrawal from Iraq."
PETITION
You can back the call by signing the special petition. Please click here on http://www.ourcampaign.org.uk/iraq