Local residents are horrified about the Council Planning Committee’s decision to approve the development of the old gas works site in Perth Road, Leyton.

The gas works land is full of dangerous toxic chemicals, which not only get into the air but can contaminate the ground water. The developers, Berkeley Group, were previously responsible for the controversial gas works development in Southall, which caused many local residents to report serious health problems.

Roll up, roll up for the Local Legends Lottery, a great way to support both your local party and local businesses!

Every 3 months, people who have set up a regular donation of £1 or more using this page will be entered into a draw. The prize will be a choice of goodies produced by businesses in Waltham Forest, and the total prize pot will have a value of 20% of the money collected. Draws will take place on the 22nd of October, January, April and July, and each person will have a number of tickets proportional to their contribution. Our inaugural draw will be on the 22nd October 2021, at our AGM.

Why are we raising this money?

We're aiming to disrupt Labour's hegemony at the next council elections in May 2022. Our campaign is led by three excellent candidates, Naomi, Meera and Arran, who are well-known, hard working and very popular in the area. Indeed, Arran only needed to flip 300 more Labour votes to take a council seat in 2018.

We'd like to get our message out to 10,000 people each month. Using everything from social media to good old-fashioned leaflets, we'll show our neighbours how hard we've already been working for them, voicing their concerns and holding the council to account. We'll also lay out our ambitious ideas for the future of Waltham Forest.

We've run the numbers and this would cost us £200 per month. If you are able to set up a direct debit to help us cover these costs, you'll be an important part of our campaign to get Liberal Democrats back on Waltham Forest Council. Thank you for anything you can spare.

Follow the instructions on this page to enter.

[Image credit: Julian Osley, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltham_Forest_Town_Hall].

Labour council have priorities wrong

Growing concern over proposed bed cuts in local hospital

Local campaigner Meera Chadha has been working with residents on Grove Green Road affected by changes to the road layout.

Pavements and parking bays have been narrowed, limiting access for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and residents’ driveways have been blocked. The work has dragged on for over a year and residents’ concerns have been largely dismissed.

“Encouraging cycling in the area is a priority,” Meera said, “but we demand that the council listens to concerns so we can find solutions that work for cyclists, pedestrians and residents.”

Pushing through changes, causing significant disruption for residents and not taking issues like accessibility into consideration is a common pattern from the council. We want residents’ concerns listened to.

Residents have a petition which you can sign here: https://www.change.org/p/waltham-forest-council-grove-green-concerns-make-waltham-forest-council-listen

The Labour-run council has taken a secret decision to give Taylor Wimpey a discount for its development on Oliver Road.

The Coronation Square project, opposite Leyton Orient football grounds, is the largest development in the borough. The council at first tried to keep residents in the dark about the size of the discount. It has now emerged that they have agreed to give Taylor Wimpey a £6.9 million discount on the purchase of the land and promised to buy all the commercial space, after the developer claimed that “unforeseen costs” plus the Covid pandemic and Brexit meant that its expected profits have been reduced.

This is despite the fact that Taylor Wimpey made an operating profit of about £300 million in 2020. In addition, of the 750 housing units being built, almost none are low-cost rental ones.

Lib Dem campaigner Arran Angus said, “The council recently voted to cut funding for special educational needs children. Meanwhile, they are using taxpayers’ money to bankroll a company that makes hundreds of millions of pounds in profit.”

We are delighted to announce Arran Angus as the Lib Dem candidate in the Grove Green by-election on 10 June. Arran is a hardworking local campaigner who has lived in Waltham Forest for over a decade. He helps organise the Francis Road Street Party, chairs the Grove Green Safer Neighbourhoods Team panel, and has been a researcher for Citizens Advice. His two children attend Newport School. Our borough would be better off with him on the council, holding Labour to account.

We are delighted to announce Naomi McCarthy as the Lib Dem candidate in the Lea Bridge by-election on 10 June. Naomi has lived in the area with her family since 2012, and has been campaigning on behalf of residents for the past five years. She wants to fight for improvements to local schools and the environment, and create more affordable housing in the area.

This Graffiti on Dyers Hall Road was reported to the council four months ago and still hadn’t been cleaned. We got tired of waiting and fixed it ourselves.

A group of local parents have lost their court case against Waltham Forest Council, after it cut funding for children with special education needs and disability (SEND) last year. The judge ruled that the cuts were not illegal. However, the judge also made it clear that the council is legally obliged to meet the needs, including funding, of SEND children.

Lib Dem Naomi McCarthy, who is the parent of a child with SEN, said: “It’s vital that the council recognises its legal obligations towards our SEND children, and all parents and carers should feel empowered by this ruling to request additional funding if these unethical cuts impact their child’s support.”

Waltham Forest SEND Crisis will continue to campaign for more support for SEND children. Find out more by joining their Facebook group.