Published May 25th, 2008
MAYOR’S U-TURN ON CHAIRING TFL
This week the Mayor appointed Tim Parker as First Deputy Mayor and Chief Executive of the Greater London Authority. See http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=17034. As news of the appointment broke, Mike Tuffrey commented that, “This week Boris Johnson told the London Assembly that he would chair Transport for London. In an apparent U-turn, he has now announced that Tim Parker will chair TfL and is inventing a new role at the GLA for him.“While we should all welcome the best brains from the private sector, we will be asking searching questions about Tim Parker’s suitability for the roles being created for him.”
Published May 24th, 2008
Congratulations Madam Mayor!
Last night’s Annual Council meeting in the Walthamstow Assembly Hall saw Lib Dem Cllr Sheila Smith-Pryor invested as Mayor of Waltham Forest.
Cllr Smith-Pryor’s ward colleague in Hale End and Highams Park, Cllr John Beanse, made the speech proposing her for the position.
Cllr John Macklin Councillor for Chapel End and newly elected Leader of the Lib Dems seconded the proposition.
Published May 16th, 2008
WALTHAMSTOW DOGS TO CLOSE
PRESS STATEMENT
Agreed Sale of Company’s Land 16 May 2008
The directors of Walthamstow Stadium Limited have agreed to the sale of the Company’s freehold property at Walthamstow Stadium to a development consortium led by Yoo Capital, London, and Quadrant Housing Association and K W Linfoot plc. Formal contracts have been exchanged and completion is expected on or before 1st September 2008. Racing will continue until the middle of August 2008.
Since the abolition of General Betting Duty in 2001, with the consequent loss of the unique advantage of tax-free betting only on-course, greyhound punters have been able to bet tax-free off-course, and with betting offices and exchanges open throughout the evening to accommodate them, attendances and betting turnover on-course have declined dramatically. Walthamstow’s totalisator turnover alone has fallen by some 35% during the period.
With all of the principle income streams in sharp decline, and general running costs rising relentlessly, the company’s operations have become unsustainable.
Staff and trainers have been notified and now enter a consultation period. It is hoped that all will find alternative positions after operations cease. From an animal welfare point of view, it is anticipated that most of the greyhounds currently racing at the Stadium will be accommodated at other racecourses. If, however, certain owners choose to retire their greyhounds, every effort will be made to support them in finding suitable homes.
For further information, please call:
Charles Chandler 01707 644288
Published May 15th, 2008
Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats Elect New Leader
Liberal Democrats on Waltham Forest Council have elected Chapel End councillor John Macklin as their new leader at the local party’s Annual General Meeting last night.
Cllr Macklin, who was elected to Waltham Forest Council in 2002, currently serves as the Cabinet portfolio holder for Service Modernisation. He previously spent 13 years as a secondary school teacher in East London schools and now works at the as a senior university lecturer in Education.
John Macklin replaces Cllr Keith Rayner in the role. During Cllr Rayner’s tenure as party leader, the Liberal Democrats have gained the highest number of Councillors in the local party’s history, ousting the Conservatives as the second largest political group in Waltham Forest and becoming the only party to have councillors in Chingford, Walthamstow and Leyton/Leytonstone.
Cllr Macklin has promised that, under his leadership, the Liberal Democrats will be an “inclusive party who are ready to listen to residents and implement ambitious and forward-thinking ideas for the good of our borough”.
Cllr John Macklin said:
“I want to lead the Liberal Democrats in engaging those who believe that politics in Waltham Forest has nothing to do with them. I will make it a priority to involve those residents who have skills to offer and imaginative ideas regarding the running of their local Council.
“The Liberal Democrats will prove that, when working with the people they represent, local councillors can deliver meaningful change for our borough.
“This is an exciting time for the Liberal Democrats. We are in a perfect position to challenge for control of the Council and to build on the excellent work our councillors carry out for residents right across the borough.
“I am determined that we will continue to be the party that delivers for the whole of Waltham Forest”.
Published May 5th, 2008
Election Success for Lib Dems-May Ist
The ability of Nick Clegg to lead the LibDems into a much strengthened and consolidated second national party status, in the Country, in popular vote on 25%, overtaking Labour on 24%,is a rare tribute to his extraordinary leadership talent and skill.
The great northern cities, under L/D control, now including Sheffield, Kingston-Upon Hull, Newcastle, Rochdale, Stockport and Liverpool (City of Culture) have given the democratic right to introduce `Greener and Cleaner’ environment, city regeneration, improved local schools and parks and end the closure of vital local post offices: and above all to provide help and fairness to all those lower income families, victim to Labour`s 10 p tax `swindle’.
In London, Brian Paddick was an outstanding Mayoral candidate, whom remained focused and true to his genuine democratic rights to governance to City Hall, via 30 years, as a top table community police officer, with spades of integrity and street wisdom.
Brian Paddick`s undimmed clear message on the streets, was for greater trust in our local policing teams and he asked for people with information to contact the police on all forms of anti-social behaviour and violent street crime.
The litmus test for the new Mayor will be to wake up to the daily challenge that London has to find a way to remove knives and guns from the hands of youth in our streets and to divert them to positive sport in the community, youth activities and musical talent etc. that has a personal and social reward.
The Election Results, Labour`s worst for 40 years, has shown us that Mr Brown has turned his back on the poor, those residents who use local post offices and importantly ignored the cries for help from his former supporters in the inner city strongholds like Hartlepool and Methyr Tydfil and the Valleys in S.Wales.
Published April 22nd, 2008
Brian Paddick’s Visit to Walthamstow
Brian Paddick Liberal Democrat candidate for the next Mayor of London, was given a warm welcome by Walthamstow Lib Dems last Sunday.The bustling tour, included a walk along High Street and Selbourne Walk to meet shoppers in the French Market, a trip along Palmerston Road to salute the Flag hoisted by Cllr Bob Wheatley to celebrate St George’s Day 23/4.
Cllrs Peter Woollcott and Bob Wheatley had attended the annual St George’s March from Lloyd Park to the Town Hall earlier.
The Brian Paddick Tour then went on to Billet Road junction with Sinnot Road, where the Higham Hill Focus Team are taking a residents petition forward campaigning to Waltham Forest council to consent to a new pedestrianised crossing to make safer walking journeys to/from Sinnot Road Surgery.
Brian’s final stop was to speak to local residents at the Chingford Road Post Office, that still remains threatened with closure, despite angry reaction from our local community and total support from the Council to keep it open.
Brian Paddick is fighting the campaign of his life to win and become the new Mayor of London on May Ist and is prepared to cut crime by 20% over 4 years or resign and provide Londoners with a new listening style of top table community leadership from City Hall
The Mayoral Campaign has proved that both Boris and Ken have put voters off with their `inexperience’ and `cronyism’ and insincerity and the hope is this time that democratic minded Londoners will vote for a new broom at City Hall!
Brian Paddick remains the only candidate to earn the right to stand for City Hall governance, through 30 years of senior community policing and total commitment and concern for the people in our diverse Capital.
Published April 13th, 2008
NICK CLEGG ON DAFUR
| Think back to 13 April 2003. Five years ago. British Airways had just announced it was scrapping Concorde. We were all of us getting on quietly with our lives. And in Sudan, millions of lives were beginning to be torn apart.In Sudan, every one of those 1800 days that has passed has been the same: fear, hunger, and suffering. There are children, now of school age, who have known nothing but the life of a refugee. This must end. We must focus the world’s attention on Darfur and end this crisis. That’s why today I’m speaking at a rally, outside the Sudanese Embassy, to call for concerted international action.The peacekeepers on the ground are struggling against impossible odds. The peace-keeping mission needs to be fully deployed - there are only 9,000 on the ground so far. And they need backup, especially helicopter and air support - and we must get it for them.Sudan’s closest allies - especially China - must also put pressure Khartoum for peace. Instead of facing this way and that on the Olympics, unsure of whether he can say boo to China or not, Gordon Brown must take a strong stand. He must use the year of the Olympics to speak out about China’s role in Darfur and persuade them to change. And he must not attend any more of the ceremonies associated with the Games. His decision to attend the closing ceremony but not the opening one is the worst kind of compromise.Today, thanks to protests marking the fifth anniversary of the conflict the eyes of the world are on Sudan. Make your voice heard, too. Because if we keep campaigning, keep protesting, the international community will relent and we will secure peace. You can find out more about the global protests taking place today at http://www.globefordarfur.org/Best wishes, Leader of the Liberal Democrats |
Published April 10th, 2008
3 Votes for L/D Mayor,GLA Candidate and Political Party on May Ist.
Brian Paddick, Meral Ece and the Liberal Democrats stand for
`A Better Deal for Public Transport Commuters in London’
How to improve our London Transport network is the Number One Issue in the `New Contract for London’ and GLA Manifesto commitment.Your 3 Votes on May Ist will help deliver all of the following Public Transport reforms:
1. Zero carbon emissions. 2. Higher capacity for public transport across London3. Cross River Tram Project connecting South/North London and with spur down Oxford St.
4. Ultra light rail-link from Stratford to Deptford Bridge- replacing `bendy-buses’.
5. Hybrid engines for buses and black cabs
6. New express coaches from London to all outer Town Centres.
7. Pedestrianise Oxford St, Soho and China Town
8. Well lit Stations
9. Promotion of walking and cycling and 1000 cycles for cheap rental hire
10. Scrap western extension of congestion charge
11 Tougher control on all road works
3 VOTES
VOTE BRIAN PADDICK FOR MAYOR
VOTE MERAL ECE FOR NE LONDON GLA MEMBER
VOTE FOR LIBERAL DEMOCRATS ON MAY Ist.
Published April 10th, 2008
How to cut crime in London
| Eleven of our young people have been murdered on London’s streets this year alone. Twenty-seven were murdered last year.There are many things that the Mayor of London can get themselves involved in but this awful collection of human tragedies demonstrates why cutting crime is right at the centre of my priorities. This is what being Mayor of London should be about: not the showbiz trappings or the ‘London embassies’ around the world.I know from my thirty years of policing the streets of London and listening to local communities that simply talking tough isn’t enough. You have to deliver results.
Instead we have Ken Livingstone criticising the media for reporting these appalling tragedies and claiming that there is nothing he can do about it - and Boris Johnson thinking that taking away a free bus pass will solve the problem. This simply is not good enough. That’s why I’ve promised to cut crime by 5% each year in my first term - or I’ll quit. So one action I will take is to get knives and guns off our streets. There are evil criminals who fully deserve our moral condemnation and firm punishment, but that’s not the full story. We all (at least nearly all of us!) have done things we shouldn’t have from time to time when we were young. Some are trivial, some are far worse. But if you have a gun or knife in your hand the consequences of even a brief mistake can be awful. Condemning the person, their family, or society isn’t enough - we need to get the guns and knives out of people’s hands. We should use intelligence led stop and search. At the moment, less than one in five stop and searches is looking for weapons. That’s because the police are trying to hit perverse targets rather than being able to concentrate on what really matters. I want to see more officers patrolling the transport network and I want to work with local communities to help tackle crime in their areas with their solutions. We need to make it easier for people to contact their local police team so I am committed to stopping police station closures, and making sure that it’s fully trained police officers we put out on the streets of London. Cutting crime will require all of us - police, residents and those you choose to elect - to work together. With your support on May 1st we can get down to work straight away. You can help bring that about by forwarding this email to your friends and by encouraging them to sign up at www.brianpaddick.org. Kind regards, Brian Paddick P.S. Encouraging your friends to sign up at www.brianpaddick.org takes only a moment, but is a really effective way of helping my campaign. Thank you. |
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Published and promoted by and on behalf of Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB, (020) 7222 7999. Dispatched (printed) by Connectpoint Direct, 19B Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HN. |
Published April 10th, 2008
Brian Paddick for Mayor of London
Nick Clegg supports Brian Paddick
Higham Hill Focus Cllr.Team fully support Brian Paddick for Mayor of London and ask residents to vote Paddick as their first preference choice on May Ist.
Meral Ece is the Liberal Democrat first choice preference for the GLA Election on May Ist.
Brian Paddick former Deputy Assistant Commissioner, is the only London Mayoral candidate, who has earned the right to governance at City Hall, by dint of his 30 years, in the Metropolitan Police.
Brian was in charge of a multi-million pound budget and unlike the other two candidates, has already delivered a high rating in public service, whilst Borough Commander in Lambeth, in the 1990`s, when in charge of 200 Met.Police staff. Boris Johnson has only run his bath and thinks that removal of `bendy-buses’ cures everything from back pain to knife crime!
Brian aims to put his policing record to the best use to reduce crime on the streets by 20% or resign after 4 years. He has said that guns and knives must be removed from the streets by more honesty and human understanding between the police and people, so that people see the police on their side and report those who carry weapons of violence. The human object in this policy, is to win back public confidence and get the police and residents all working together again.
In Brian Paddick`s new `Contract with Londoners’ he has stated,
`We all have a responsibility to make London a safer place’.
Brian Paddick believes in practical solutions for Londoners: grants to prevent heat escaping in better insulation to keep pensioners warm in winter. New cheaper environmental zero carbon rated trams, to augment bus public transport, reduced traffic congestion and carbon emissions with fairer daily charges that do not penalise smaller vehicles, stop the `Third Runway’ at Heathrow and lend support for more affordable social housing for first time couples and singles, so to get a foot on the property ladder, and put an end to closure of post offices without proper local consultation consent.
Brian has said he is only prepared to serve the people in the Capital with the same integrity, human dignity and honesty that he made available on the streets of the City, for over 30 years, as an influential and caring public servant in the police.
Who do you want running your City Hall ?
The Chancer, the man who likes to tan in Venezuela or the former London Policeman?
