Cllr Patrick Smith

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY MR MANDELA

patricksmith — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:26:44 +0000

Higham Hill Cllrs, Peter Woollcott, Sean Meiszner and Patrick Smith wish Mr Nelson Mandela a Happy Birthday on July 18th

Kier Street Services

patricksmith — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:21:52 +0000

Kier Street Services are beginning to make an impact on our streets.

From the photo you can see an operative beginning to remove the detritus from the kerbs.

This should make all our streets look better.

WARD WALKS

patricksmith — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:28:51 +0000

On one of our regular ward walks the Focus Team were disgusted to see how much fly tipping had been deposited next to recycling facilities. We reported the following:

Billet Road

Recycling point is currently extensively fly tipped. In fact we moved some of this to ensure the path was still accessible.

McKentee Avenue

One of the two waste bins there is missing and the area has been fly tipped with predominantly gardening waste. A supermarket trolley is full of concrete.

Higham Street

Both recycling points have been fly tipped, with a tyre left at the end of the street.

Sutton Road

The recycling point there is again a fly tipping point.

Don’t dump it phone 0208 496 3000 and arrange for your rubbish to be collected. The Council allow three free collections of furniture a year.

Twentieth Liberal Democrat Councillor in Waltham Forest

patricksmith — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:43:14 +0000

Samina Safdar has become the twentieth Liberal Democrat councillor in Waltham Forest after taking the vacant Forest ward seat in last night’s by-election. The full result was:

SAMINA SAFDAR (LIB DEM) 977

Jawade Liaqat (Labour) 927

Edwin Northover (Conservative) 507

Mark Dawes (Green) 184

Makola Mayambika (Left List) 56

Turnout 32.33 per cent, 2,661 votes cast

The Mayor’s Charities

patricksmith — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:55:50 +0000

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.

FIRST OF MANY RECYCLING STATIONS

patricksmith — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:18:56 +0000

Pictured Lib Dem Councillor Bob Belam with Michael Hayes National Express Environmental Champion 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.

If you want something done it is the LIB DEMS who get it done

LIB DEMS MAKE THEIR MARK AT MAYOR’S FIRST QUESTION TIME

patricksmith — Sun, 25 May 2008 09:58:32 +0000

Liberal Democrats on the London Assembly had a very successful session at the first Mayor’s Question Time with Boris Johnson this week.Leader of the London Assembly Liberal Democrats, Mike Tuffrey, convinced the Mayor to make all his appointments to City Hall accountable to the Assembly. This means that all the Mayor’s staff, including his advisers, can be called before the London Assembly for scrutiny. Mike Tuffrey also extracted pledges from Boris Johnson to make sure that the supposed ‘independent’ panel appointed by the Mayor to investigate grants awarded by the London Development Agency take account of, and use, all the work that the Assembly’s committee chaired by Liberal Democrat Dee Doocey had already carried out before the recent elections.At the same meeting Boris Johnson also agreed to seek an urgent meeting with the Department for Transport over funding for Phase 2 of the East London Line following questioning from Caroline Pidgeon - a point noted in Thursday’s Guardian!

MAYOR’S ROUTEMASTER PLAN IS ONLY AN ASPIRATION

patricksmith — Sun, 25 May 2008 09:58:04 +0000

Caroline also got Boris Johnson to admit that his plans for a new Routemaster bus are only an aspiration rather than a firm commitment.After the meeting Caroline Pidgeon commented, “The Routemaster bus was a central part of the Mayor’s election manifesto. But there are no clear plans on how he will design or pay for it. The Mayor’s new transport adviser, Kulveer Ranger, seems to think the new Routemaster may not be ‘hop-on, hop-off’. But Boris Johnson said it will be and will include the iconic platform. The Mayor’s office is sending out a confused message on his flagship policy.‘Londoners voted for Boris Johnson on his pledge to reintroduce the Routemaster. This is the first real test of Boris’ campaign manifesto and like him, it is turning out to be a little blurry round the edges. Boris Johnson said that his Routemaster bus is an aspiration and not a commitment. We can only hope that the Mayor’s next proposal has more substance.”

MAYOR’S U-TURN ON CHAIRING TFL

patricksmith — Sun, 25 May 2008 09:57:36 +0000

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.”

Congratulations Madam Mayor!

patricksmith — Sat, 24 May 2008 15:21:13 +0000

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.