Green Energy

Renewable energy is clean, safe, and inexhaustible … but its also vastly under-used. Currently UK suppliers are only required by law to buy green energy as 3% of their total spend - that seems like lip-service to us, and we know we're not alone...

60% of people surveyed in a recent BMRB poll said they consider pollution and climate change the biggest environmental challenge we face.

82% believe reducing our use of fossil fuels is important.

32% would give up cigarettes to pay for a green tariff.

Where does renewable energy come from?

If you switch to renewable energy it is most likely to be coming from Wind Power, or Hydroelectric Power. Other sources include Solar Power and Wave and Tidal Energy.

There are also other largely untapped sources such as biomass, landfill gas energy and combined heat and power (chp).

It is also possible to install Solar Water Heating and Small Wind Turbines on to your own house.

So how do green energy tariffs work?

When you use electricity on a green energy tariff, the supplying company will put energy from renewable sources back into the National Grid.

Green energy currently costs more to produce - however some suppliers do not charge a premium, so green electricity shouldn't cost any more than you pay with your current supplier. In fact, if you also transfer your gas supply to them it is likely to be cheaper.

The more people who sign up to green energy the cheaper it will become in the future, and remember, many suppliers are already selling it as cheap or even cheaper than you may currently be paying for your electricity.

The easiest and quickest way to reduce your carbon footprint...

Switching to green energy is one of the easiest and quickest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. It takes just 5-10 minutes to make a quick visit to a website and you could be signed up to Green Energy. Through a web based utility supply broker, such as uSwitch, you can quickly and easily compare green energy tariffs to get the best deal in your area, and start saving money on your energy bills.

Less Waste
Throwing things away is a waste of the energy and resources taken to make the product. Reducing the number of things that need to be thrown away, reduces the amount of materials which have to be quarried and mined.
Reduce, Re-use, Repair and Recycle
Reduce
We should all, avoid products with excessive packaging
Extra energy used in the production of the packaging
The extra volume and weight will have been transported (by lorries, aircraft, ships etc.)
The packaging will be thrown out and will need to be collected from your home by a large waste disposal truck
Packaging then takes more space at land fill sites
Re-use
Everyone should try and re-use products for as long as feasibly possible. It is amazing how often people buy certain products and use them only once or twice, even though they can be re-used may times. For instance can you think of some items of clothes you have warn only once?

Throwing things away is a waste of the energy and resources taken to make the product. Reducing the number of things that need to be thrown away, reduces the amount of materials which have to be quarried and mined.
Reduce, Re-use, Repair and Recycle
Reduce
We should all, avoid products with excessive packaging
Extra energy used in the production of the packaging
The extra volume and weight will have been transported (by lorries, aircraft, ships etc.)
The packaging will be thrown out and will need to be collected from your home by a large waste disposal truck
Packaging then takes more space at land fill sites
Re-use
Everyone should try and re-use products for as long as feasibly possible. It is amazing how often people buy certain products and use them only once or twice, even though they can be re-used may times. For instance can you think of some items of clothes you have warn only once?

Recycle
Recycling uses less energy and produces less pollution than making things from scratch.
For example:-
Making Aluminum cans from old ones uses one twelfth of the energy to make them from raw materials.
For glass bottles, 315kg of CO2 is saved per tonne of glass recycled after taking into account the transportation and processing
Making bags from recycled polythene takes one third the Sulphur Dioxide and half the Nitrous Oxide, than making them from scratch.
Another form of recycling is composting household and garden waste.
Why compost?
it helps fertilize soil, making plants and vegetables grow better
using home made compost will minimizes depletion of peat bogs
reduces the number of refuse collections needed
reduces the strain on land fill sites
What can you compost?
Garden waste (fallen leaves, grass cuttings and prunings)
Kitchen waste (such as raw vegetables, fruit, crushed egg shells, tea leaves and tea bags)
In addition try, shredded paper and cardboard.

Glass Recycling Bins


Garden Composter
Gifting items to charity is also an excellent form of recycling. Charities not only sell old clothes, but would also appreciate other house hold items, such as books, music CDs, videos, etc. As well as saving the planet against global warming you will also be helping others.

Minimise your carbon footprint

Today it is more important than ever before to minimise your footprint. Not only are the developed western countries producing more and more carbon emissions, but there is a growing problem as the population in Africa and Asia start living improved lifestyles which consume more energy.

Here's a list of simple things you can do immediately, which will start to reduce your contribution to global warming. The items in this list will cost you no money at all and will in fact save you money.

Sign up to a green energy supplier, who will supply electricity from renewable sources (e.g. wind and hydroelectric power) - this will reduce your carbon footprint contribution from electricity to zero

1. Turn it off when not in use (lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer etc. etc. ...)
2. Turn down the central heating slightly (try just 1 to 2 degrees C)
   
3. Turn down the water heating setting (just 2 degrees will make a significant saving)
   
4. Check the central heating timer setting - remember there is no point heating the house after you have left for work
   
5. Fill your dish washer and washing machine with a full load - this will save you water, electricity, and washing powder
   
6. Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need
   
7. Unplug your mobile phone as soon as it has finished charging
   
8. Defrost your fridge/freezer regularly
   
9. Do your weekly shopping in a single trip
   
10. Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble drying it
    
11. Go for a run rather than drive to the gym

The following is a list of items that may take an initial investment, but should pay for themselves over the course of 1-4 years through savings on your energy bills.

1. Fit energy saving light bulbs
   
2. Install thermostatic valves on your radiators
   
3. Insulate your hot water tank, your loft and your walls
   35% of heat generated in the house is lost through the walls.
4. Installing cavity wall installation to a medium size house could reduce your heating bills by up to £100 per year
   
5. By installing 180mm thick loft insulation you could stop about 25% of your heating escaping through the roof
   
6. Recycle your grey water
   
7. Replace your old fridge / freezer (if it is over 15 years old), with a new one with energy efficiency rating of "A"
   
8. Replace your old boiler with a new energy efficient condensing boiler
   
9. Travel less and travel more carbon footprint friendly.
   
10. Car share to work, or for the kids school run
    
11. Use the bus or a train rather than your car
    
12. Don't use domestic flights (e.g. from London to Edinburgh), use a train or a coach.
    
13. Take the ferry or channel tunnel instead of flying to France
    
14. See if your employer will allow you to work from home one day a week
    
15. Next time you replace your car - check out diesel engines. With one of these you can even make your own Biodiesel fuel. Find out more about Biodiesel.
    
16. When on holiday - hire a bicycle to explore locally rather than a car
    
17. When staying in a hotel turn the lights and air-conditioning off when you leave your hotel room
    
18. Ask for you room towels to be washed every other day, rather than every day
    

As well as your primary carbon footprint, there is also a secondary footprint that you cause through your buying habits. If you buy foods out of season at the super market, then these will have either been flown or shipped in from far away - all adding to your carbon footprint.

1. Reduce your consumption of meat
2. Don't buy bottled water if your tap water is safe to drink (especially if it has been shipped from far away)
3. Buy local fruit and vegetables, or even try growing your own
   
4. Don't buy fresh fruit and vegetables which are out of season, they may have been flown in
   
5. Try to buy products made closer to home (look out and avoid items that are made in the distant lands such as China and India)
   
6. Buy organic produce
   
7. Don't buy over packaged products
   Recycle as much as possible
   
8. Think carefully about the type of activities you do in your spare time. Do any of these cause an increase in carbon emissions? e.g. Saunas, Health clubs, restaurants and pubs, go-karting etc. etc...

In addition there is your footprint at work. Do you leave your computer and monitor on when you are away from your desk? Do you leave the lights on when you leave the office? Do you print documents unnecessarily - and could you print two pages to a side and double sided?

PARKING IN WALTHAM FOREST

There are more cars than parking spaces on our roads and every council has to try and tackle the problems that this causes. Waltham Forest like most other London boroughs has areas of restricted parking areas called Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs).
CPZs give parking priority to local residents, visitors and businesses whilst reducing commuter parking and congestion. We maintain and enforce Waltham Forests CPZs and parking restrictions, and deliver services in line with the council’s key parking objectives:
prioritise the parking needs of local residents, disabled people, suppliers of goods and services, businesses, and their customers
seek to reduce car commuting into the borough where alternatives exist
ensure the safe and efficient flow of traffic, particularly for vulnerable and priority road users
reduce the environmental and visual impacts of traffic and parking, particularly in sensitive areas
ensure that parking regulations are firmly and fairly enforced
In addition to keeping Waltham Forest moving, the revenue generated from all parking charges is spent on road safety schemes and concessionary fares, such as the London Taxi-card scheme, that benefits the elderly and the disabled.

Huhne slams Government climb-down over climate change bill

Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP today slammed the Government for downgrading the Climate Change Bill, promised in the Queen's Speech, to only a draft bill.Commenting, Mr Huhne said: "David Miliband promised a Climate Change Bill this year, and even postponed the key Marine Bill in order to make Parliamentary time for it. "Now the Government has announced that we will have neither the Climate change Bill nor the Marine Bill this year. This is not just a climb-down but a total shambles."The Climate Change Bill will now be presented as merely a draft bill going for pre-legislative scrutiny before a joint committee."This means that the Climate Change Bill will be postponed to next year at the earliest, and that the Marine Bill will be even further down the track."This is another example of Defra's incapacity to push projects through to completion on time, and also augurs ill for David Miliband's leadership credentials."

MP Neil Gerrard to stand down at next election

NEIL Gerrard, MP for Walthamstow, has announced that he will not be standing in the next general election. Mr Gerrard, 64, has represented the constituency of Walthamstow since 1992 when he beat the former Conservative MP, Hugo Summerson. Before that, Mr Gerrard was leader of Waltham Forest Council from 1986 to 1990.
He said that he had thought long and hard about whether to put himself forward for reselection in the next general election and came to the conclusion that he is likely to be 67 by then, a good time to stand down.

DO YOU WANT URGENT INFORMATION

When we found out about the recent works to line the Billet Roundabout, we were able to email residents of the impending works. If you would like to have your email address added to this circulation list, please email Cllr Bob Belam with your email address to cllr.bob.belam@walthamforest.gov.uk.
, we will only use your address to keep you informed.

WHIPPS CROSS IN CRISIS

The Government’s minister for Health, Patricia Hewitt, claims that this is the best year ever for the NHS - well not for Whipps Cross hospital and those who use it. The hospital is having to make cuts of £33 million. To do this the hospital has had to:

· close the Margaret Day Centre;
· close one ward already, with another 100 bed ward to close ;
· close one operating theatre - another may have to close;
· declare repeated Red Alerts (called when no beds are available) throughout the year - goodness knows what will happen if we have a hard winter;
· ask patients to wait longer for essential medical equipment like specialist wheelchairs;
· axe over 400 jobs, 276 of which will be staff redundancies.

Already the planned new ‘state of the art’ hospital we have been promised for years is officially ‘off the agenda’ and there are rumours that the hospital will close and the building may be used for just an accident and emergency facility. So much for our Labour MP’s promise during the General Election for a Super Hospital with more staff, and then in December 2005 his website quoted “What is now being considered is an alternative staged redevelopment rather than a single contract. I am in discussion both with the Hospital and with Ministers at the Department of Health to ensure that this gets the go-ahead”
The Focus Team says: Waltham Forest has areas of deprivation - a factor in ill health. It is an outrage that these cuts have been made - with possibly more to come. The staff at Whipps Cross continue to work against the odds to ensure good health care for patients. Support them by fighting the cuts and the possible closure of parts of our local hospital.

BRETTENHAM AVENUE

The rubbish that has been dumped in Brettenham Avenue is unacceptable. Cllr Bob Belam has sent these photo's with an email to the Head of Street Services with a request that the area is cleared and made safe. Under the dumped barriers a a square pit left by works carried out by McNicholas.

There is also a for sold sign belonging to Douglas Allen. Douglas Allen are not responsible for the dumping of the sign, that is down to nearby residents. Bob has asked that officers contact both Nicholas and Douglas Allen to help restore the path in a safe manner.

Lib Dems do make a difference to your area.

The McNicholas barriers and the paving slabs have been passed toMcNicholas who will be visiting site by 1400 pm today 28/ 02/07 to collect/refix. The site has been cleared by the cleansing team.

BRETTENHAM AVENUE

Mayor increases his share of Council Tax by 143%

At the meeting held today to consider the Mayor of London's budget for 2007-2008, London Assembly Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment that would have meant a below inflation rise in the Mayor's share of the Council Tax, rather than the 5.3% increase Mayor Livingstone was proposing.
The Liberal Democrat amendment proposed mayoral spending concentrated on creating a sustainable, safer and affordable city. The Liberal Democrats stressed that their budget proposals would not mean any cuts in front line services, no reduction in free or concessionary travel schemes or cancellation of events important to Londoners.
Mike Tuffrey Lib Dem Leader at the London Assembly highlighted 3 key policies that his group would like to see the Mayor adopt.
Mike Tuffrey said:
"Since the Mayor came to office in 2000 his share of the average Londoner's Council Tax bill has risen from £123 to £304. We want him to listen seriously to our plans, including a reduction in bus fares before 7.30am, introducing a network of bus services throughout London on Christmas Day and working with the boroughs with the poorest records to increase recycling rates.
"The Mayor can do this, protect the police and fire budget and continue his environmental measures but should cut out a lot of waste and self-promotion. If he so chooses Londoners need only have a rise in the GLA' share of Council Tax bills half of what Livingstone is proposing. When will he finally listen?

Tributes to Councillor Derek Arnold

Waltham Forest Council has paid tribute to Councillor Derek Arnold, who died at the weekend.
Cllr Arnold, who represented Chingford Green ward, joined the Council in 1978 as councillor for Hatch Lane before moving to Chingford Green ward in 1986.
He also served as Mayor of Waltham Forest in 1984-1985 and as Deputy Mayor in 1995-1996

Recycling progress in Waltham Forest

GETTING GREENER
The results coming from the recycling pilot area which includes parts of South Chingford, Highams Park and Woodford Green and Chapel End, continue to be very encouraging. The participation rate has increased from 38% to over 97% since the pilot started. The amounts recycled have gone up dramatically - a rise of over 40% since August. '06 - and there has been a large decrease of about 20 tonnes in domestic refuse. In a Council survey, 99% said they recycled because it is good for the environment [only 1% because they did not want to be fined]. 97% thought the recycling drive is a good idea.

LABOUR AND TORY MPs REJECT LIB DEM PLAN TO CUT CRIME

A Liberal Democrat plan to cut crime was voted down by 293 votes to 57 in the House of Commons recently. Labour MPs voted against, and Conservative MPs abstained on a Lib Dem motion proposing a new direction in government policy to deal with the crisis in the criminal justice system. The motion proposed reforming prisons to make education and training compulsory, and triple the number of prisoners doing paid work, with contributions from earnings going towards a victim compensation fund. More use of restorative justice, an expansion of secure mental health facilities and providing more police officers (paid for with the money saved by scrapping ID card) were also proposed.Shadow Home Secretary Nick Clegg MP said: "Our proposals to cut crime are principled and practical: making prison work to cut repeat crime; giving victims fair compensation; using money for more police, not ID cards; honesty and transparency in sentencing. It is extraordinary that after ten years of tough talk and institutional incompetence the Labour government cannot even bring itself to vote for these sensible measures. The Conservatives are in a complete spin on crime and don't know what they think - no wonder all they could do is abstain is when asked to make a decision."

LIB DEMS SHOW THE WAY

Waltham Forest Council has welcomed news that it is judged as a three star (or "good") authority by the Audit Commission.
The Corporate Performance Assessment scores show that Waltham Forest is one of only three councils in the country to move up two grades since 2006, demonstrating that it is improving its services faster than any other borough in the country.
For the past five years Lib Dems on the council have helped make a difference. This is why there have been improvements.

MOBILE PHONE LAW CHANGE

Councils are warning local residents about strict new rules on using mobile phones while driving. Road safety teams have been reinforcing the message in the run up to a change in law coming into force on Tuesday 27th February. Anyone caught using a phone while driving could face a
£60 fine , three penalty points on thir licence or a two year prision term.

GRAFFITI

Finally most of the graffiti has been removed from the underpass between Forest View Road and Winchester Road. The council is arranging for a contractor to remove the areas the cleansing team cannot safely reach.

MORE INFLUENCE ….

Following the increase in the number of Liberal Democrat councillors in the May elections, four Lib Dem councillors are now in the cabinet that takes most Council decisions. They can, however, be out voted by the six Labour members. So, whilst having more influence, the Liberal Democrats may still not be able to deliver all of the pledges made during the local elections. However, we can, and will continue to make a difference. Although part of the joint administration Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose where necessary and continue to propose and work for ways of creating a cleaner, greener, safer borough on your behalf

ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR - SPRUCE HILLS ROAD

A resident in Spruce Hills Road complained about anti social behaviour by students and others near the Forest Road end. Cllr Bob Belam arranged for a multi task team to visit the area. The Safer Neighbourhood team have visited every day, but have not found anything. Parking have also attended and have removed one vehicle. Cleansing have attended and have cleared away excess waste. The teams are continuing to have the area monitored. If you have problems with, anti social behaviour, litter etc, give a member of the FOCUS Team a call. Also a call to Sgt Paul Gibb of the Safer Neighbourhood team on 0208 721 2647 or 07920233816 for their help.

YOU CAN HELP

Two of our FOCUS Delivers who kindly delivered St John Rd, Spruce Hills Rd, Sturge Ave and Northbank Rd have moved out of the area. The FOCUS Team will be grateful if you can help in the delivery of all or a few of these roads.

WINCHESTER RD CAR SALES

The above location has been visited and the owner warned regarding vehicle sales on the highway and the likely outcome if he were to be prosecuted for this offence. The enforcement officer for this area will be visiting the location on a regular basis to ensure compliance or enforcement action.

COMPULSORY RECYCLING PILOT

‘Get Sorted!’ Compulsory Recycling Pilot

1. Compulsory Recycling Pilot
A compulsory recycling pilot scheme is running in the South Chingford and Woodford Green areas. The area was chosen as it is fairly good representation of the borough as a whole. The scheme covers approximately 10,000 households. All residents in the compulsory area received a booklet/letter in late August advising them of the scheme. An awareness raising event was held on the Chingford Hall on 26th August. A door-stepping team is covering the area to raise awareness and give information on recycling.

The compulsory items are, paper, glass and cans. Prior to commencement of the scheme, over 500 recycling boxes were requested through WFD. Residents using bring sites or main recycling centres are asked to write in to the Recycling Section for exemption.


2. Monitoring
Three monitoring officers have been monitoring the participation of the compulsory pilot area. After three weeks, 76.46% of residents were participating in the recycling scheme. Reminder cards were sent out in December 2006 to residents not recycling. A first reminder letter was sent out to residents in January 2007. The participation rate increased to 93.78% after the reminder card was sent. Participation increased to 97.22% after the first reminder letter was sent.

Many residents, after receiving the first reminder letter, reported that they did not use the kerbside collection service as they were using other facilities such as ‘bring sites’ or main recycling centres.

Month



3. Effect on Refuse Collections
On average there has been a decrease of 21.15% of the collection of domestic refuse in the compulsory recycling area. This equates to approximately 20 tonnes per week.

4. Consultation
A consultation on compulsory recycling has been carried out in February 2007. Two hundred residents were consulted by completing a questionnaire.

99.00% of residents consulted stated that they recycled because it is good for the environment. Only 1% stated that they recycle because they do not want to be fined.

97.00% of residents believe compulsory recycling is a good idea.

COMMUNITY TOILET SCHEME

Currently the Council is working on introducing a community toilet scheme, which will provide more toilets for the public in each of the wards within the borough. This Scheme will work in partnership with local businesses, however the Council will be funding local businesses for maintenance of the facilities in return for free access to their toilet facilities to members of the public. The facilities would be checked to ensure they meet a suitable level of access, cleanliness and safety. This is a positive step towards addressing the issue of a lack of public toilets, and a step toward improving local collaboration and partnership.


The Council will not be closing any public toilets until there are alternative facilities in place. Currently the Council have 5 traditional toilets and 5 automated public Conveniences across the whole of the borough. We hope that once this scheme is in place we will have increased this number, giving a greater choice for the customer for more hours of the day.

We are piloting the community toilet scheme in Leytonstone where there is currently only one toilet and we are hoping to get at least 3 participating businesses signed up in the area. We are paying local business such as, restaurants, food stores, cafes as well as some public houses to open their toilets for free to anyone who wishes to use them. Please be reassured there is no requirement for you to patronise the business or to make a purchase - from the premises, and this concept will be stressed to all participants of the scheme and will be part of their signed agreement.

I understand your concern but this is a positive step forward to providing clean and safe toilets in convenient locations. It has worked extremely well in the borough of Richmond and we are hoping for the same success in Waltham Forest.

LIB DEMS LEAD THE WAY ON Co2

'Council launch questionnaire on linking parking permit charges to Co2 vehicle emissions'Waltham Forest Council is set to launch an extensive public questionnaire to gauge borough resident's attitudes towards issues such as tying parking permit charges to Co2 emissions, which have a damaging effect on our climate.The questionnaire, which can be downloaded from the Council Website requested from Waltham Forest Direct (WFD), or picked up from Council Offices or public libraries, asks residents' for their views on a number of issues linked to the environment - including proposed parking permit charges, local transport issues, and climate change and global warming. More specifically the questionnaire asks residents whether they would support or oppose the introduction of a scheme in Waltham Forest whereby the cost of a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) residents' permit reflected the Co2 emissions of the vehicle. The Council hopes to encourage the use of low emission vehicles to help protect the environment by introducing a discounted residents car parking permit charge for low emission vehicles, and a higher charge for high emission vehicles. A similar scheme is being introduced in Richmond, with wide-scale public backing. Referring to the questionnaire, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Bob Belam said; "We want to know what residents in Waltham Forest genuinely feel about these important issues. So far the response from the community to our environmental initiatives - such as the compulsory recycling scheme - has been very positive. But we'd like to hear what they think on this specific proposal, as well as what they think about the environment in general". He went on to say that a significant amount of Co2 generation is attributed to transport and travel activities. We therefore want to try to protect our environment by limiting the amount of Co2 from vehicle emissions."If you walk down our boroughs streets, many of them are chock-a-block with parked vans, lorries, cars and other vehicles, making life for the residents of those streets intolerable. This measure is designed to combat this problem". "The basic principle is pretty simple. People whose vehicles emit more Co2, and therefore damage our environment more, should pay more; whereas those whose vehicles are more environmentally friendly, and omit less Co2, should pay less. In this way, people will think twice about running a high emission vehicle, and hopefully vehicle emissions in our borough will be reduced".

KERBSIDE COLLECTIONS TOP ONE-THOUSAND TONNES

Council figures show that the dry recyclable kerbside service collected over 1000 tonnes of recycled material last month, the largest capacity ever collected in a single month. Figures from Waltham Forest Councils service provider indicated that 1008.06 tonnes of dry recyclables were collected in November - the first time the figure has reached over 1000 tonnes.

Meanwhile data from the compulsory recycling rounds show that the tonnage of recycled waste is up from 241.08 in November 2005, to 531.74 in 2006 an increase of 128%.

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM

Chapel End Team Safer Neighbourhood Team Members:
Contact:
Sgt Paul Gibb PC Lucy Wood PC Stuart Buckle PCSO Joanna Stevens PCSO Shafqat Hussain PCSO Bill Bennett
Chapel End Safer Neighbourhood Team Uplands Patrol Base, Black Horse Road, Walthamstow, LondonE17 5QJ
Phone:020 87212 647 or 07920 233816

104 ARRESTS SO FAR

At a recent meeting of the Chapel End Safer Neighbourhood Panel we were reminded by Police Sergeant Paul Gibb that they could only act if you report crime. If you are concerned about crime of fear of crime call the team on 07920233816. All calls are treated as confidential.

Chapel End Safer Neighbourhood team is now up to full strength, with the addition two female members PC Lucy Wood and PCSO Joanna Stevens. The Focus Team welcomes these officers to Chapel End.

ACTION ON NOISE

Following Lib Dem action by then councillor Barry Smith, the council has further extended the operating hours of the Noise teams. The new hours are:
Sunday – Thursday 9.00am – 1.00am the next morning
Friday 9.00am – 3.00am the next morning
Saturday 9.00am – 4.00am the next morning
On Friday and Saturday nights an intervention service will operate where officers will react to all on-going noise complaints. This is good news for residents plagued by noise.
You can contact the duty noise officer on 020 8496 3000

SPRUCE HILLS ROAD

A resident in Spruce Hills Road complained about anti social behaviour by students and others near the Forest Road end.
Cllr Bob Belam arranged for a multi task team to visit the area.
The Safer Neighbourhood team have visited every day, but have not found anything untoward.
Parking have also attended and have removed one vehicle.
Cleansing have attended and have cleared away excess waste.
The teams are continuing to have the area monitored.

If you have problems with, anti social behaviour, litter etc, give a member of the team a call. Also a call to Sgt Paul Gibb of the Safer Neighbourhood team on 0208 721 2647 or 07920233816 for their help.

WADHAM AVENUE

Following complaints about parking in Wadham Avenue, Cllr Bob Belam asked the enforcement team to take a look at the problem.

On their visit they found 2 vehicles that were overhanging the footway by more than 8" from their parking area in the frontage of their property and found 3 vehicles with overhangs of about 3".All of these are being written to and warned regarding highway obstruction.

If anyone has problems with parking please contact one of the Focus Team

PLUMBERS UPDATE

Many residents from Cazenove Road, Aveling Park Road and Marten Road have contacted us about the building works at the old plumbers shops in Chingford Road. Below is a quote from a recent letter from a Council Officer. Action is being taken, but it is a slow process.

“I can confirm that the works undertaken to the properties either sideof the junction (nos 291 and 293) comprising extensions and conversioninto flats are unauthorised and we are already in the process of takingenforcement action to remedy the situation - the files are with Legal for service of the notices.”

SURGERY ADVICE CENTRE

Your Liberal Democrat Councillors hold a confidential surgery/advice session on the first and third Saturday of each month 10am to 12pm in room 2a at the Town Hall, Forest Rd E17

YOU CAN HELP FOCUS

Focus is delivered free to households. The Focus Team would be pleased to hear from you if you would like to help deliver Focus near your home

SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM

The FOCUS Team welcome the Police Safer Neighbourhood Team to Chapel End ward. These officers are dedicated to the ward boundaries, and can be seen walking around the ward. They have in the weeks that they have been attached to the ward, got to know their patch and have already made inroads into dealing with issues, like anti social behaviour and untaxed vehicles. If you need to contact them, please do so.

PS Paul Gibb
Walthamstow Police Station
360 Forest Road
E17 5QJ
Phone: 0208 7212 647 / 07920 233816

CHAPEL END FOCUS TEAM

Cllr Bob Belam, 92 Douglas Avenue, E17 5BW
Phone 020 8923 1148
E-mail Cllr.bob.belam@walthamforest.gov.uk

Cllr Bob Carey, 66 Bedford Road, E17 4PX
Phone 020 8923 6329
E-mail Cllr.bob.carey@walthamforest.gov.uk

Cllr John Macklin, 61 Havant Road, E17 3JE
Phone 020 8520 4672
E-mail Cllr.john.macklin@walthamforest.gov.uk