Posts

Complaints by residents about Waltham Forest councillors: another can of worms

November 16, 2021 LBWF spin, Mark Hynes, register of interests

As many readers of this blog will know, Waltham Forest councillors must comply with the ‘Code of Conduct for Members’, Part Nine of the LBWF Constitution. This document covers matters such a ‘General Standards of Conduct’ and ‘Registration of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests’; applies only when councillors are acting in their official capacity; and is presided over by Mark Hynes, Director of Governance and Law. An interesting question is what happens when councillors are alleged to have breached the Code, and here some recent data unearthed by indefatigable Walthamstow resident Charles Edwards is invaluable, not least because, regrettably, it points to some troubling conclusions. In the... »

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LBWF and faith groups: a ‘gay friendly’ council does business with a church that thinks same sex relations are ‘immoral and sinful’, and guess what gives?

November 3, 2021 Cllr.Sally Littlejohn, faith groups, Redevelopment

A recent post on this blog (see links), which broadly raised the question of how – if at all – LBWF should interact with faith groups that do not subscribe to its social cohesion and equity policies, brings to mind another troubling episode, which was briefly mentioned here in 2019, but in the light of events perhaps deserves a little more coverage. The bones of the story can be summarised thus. In 2015, LBWF announced that, as part of a broader plan to improve Cann Hall and Cathall wards in South Leytonstone, it was going to build a café, with glazed extension, at the Wesleyan Church on Harrow Green, costing £83,000, which the latter would then be subsidised to run as a community faci... »

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Ex-Leader of LBWF Cllr. Clare Coghill joins the board of private sector housing provider Square Roots: cue furore

October 29, 2021 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Redevelopment, register of interests

A couple of weeks ago, Cllr. Clare Coghill, the ex-Leader of LBWF, amended her Town Hall register of interests form to acknowledge that she has joined ‘Square Roots One York Road Uxbridge UB81RN’ as board vice chair. To seasoned Waltham Forest watchers, this development is perhaps not unexpected. Square Roots (or Square Roots Registered Provider Ltd., its full name) is a recently incorporated ‘affordable housing provider’; has what Housing Today describes as ‘a raft of senior public sector housing figures’ as directors; and aims to build ‘“much-needed new homes across all tenures in Greater London”’. In the past few years, Cllr. Coghill has attended, indeed often address... »

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Islamic extremism in Walthamstow: the Charity Commission investigates two Muslim charities over controversial statements made in youth programmes, but LBWF must intervene, too.

October 21, 2021 anti-semitism, faith groups, Prevent

As has been reported by various media outlets (most prominently the Times), the Charity Commission is currently investigating two Waltham Forest Islamic charities, the Miftahul Jannah Academy and the Masjid-E-Umer Trust (which runs Walthamstow Central Mosque), following a complaint about controversial statements in lectures that allegedly have been delivered as part of their youth programmes. The figure at the centre of this row is ‘Islamic scholar’ Muhammad Patel, who has taught at both charities, and from 2008 onwards posted live recordings of his weekly lectures on the Miftahul Jannah Academy’s website.  Listening to these lectures reveals that they aim to clarify the meani... »

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Cllr. Anna Mbachu’s High Court claim to have been libelled thrown out, leaving her with a £34,000 bill UPDATED

October 13, 2021 Cllr. Anna Mbachu

After attending the High Court for the Waltham Forest Echo last week, Local Democracy Reporter, Josh Mellor, brings news that Councillor Anna Mbachu has lost a libel action in spectacular fashion, leaving her with a £34,000 bill, £15,000 of which must be paid within 21 days, with leave to appeal refused. Cllr. Mbachu claimed that, in 2018, she had been called a ‘“liar”’ and a ‘“vile deceptive pig”’ in a series of posts written by mental health professional, and former colleague, Eze Ihenacho. However, in court Cllr. Mbachu failed to produce the originals of these alleged posts, as required by the judge, and so her case was dismissed. Regular readers will recall that Cllr. Mbachu is no strang... »

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